16 Jun 2008Scudamore rubbishes Richards' non-qualifier comments

Football Leagues/ Association and Governance

Premier League chairman Sir David Richards' comments regarding the reasons why England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 championships have come under fierce attack.

Richard Scudamore, the League's chief executive has argued strongly against the idea that the high number of foreign players in the division has affected England's chances of qualifying.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Scudamore said: "It is appalling that we are not at Euro 2008.

"November 21st was a horrible night. At 2-2 against Croatia we had done what we had to do.

"But there is only so much the Premier League can be held responsible for."

Mr Scudamore sees the blame lying directly at the feet of the English national team, who failed to secure a draw against Croatia in November.

"There are 220 international players eligible for England and we've just played a Champions League final where 10 players were English," he added, proving that perhaps the best players in Britain are still British.

Mr Scudamore's remarks come after Mr Richards made his speech at the Third Dubai International Sports Conference. In his speech, Mr Richards suggested that heavy investment in foreign players was "hurting the national side", and that "the Premier League has probably cost Steve McClaren him his job".

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