The head of the Premier League says it is "inevitable" football clubs will get into financial trouble, after a British parliamentary report demanded changes to the way the game is run. The report by an influential committee of lawmakers said clubs "spend up to the hilt" to get into the Premier League and remain there, while insolvency rules encouraged "excessive financial risk-taking".
Richard Scudamore, the Premier League chief executive, conceded changes were needed to make sure teams are run responsibly, but said there was only so much administrators could do to keep clubs onside financially. "It is inevitable that football clubs will get into financial difficulties," Scudamore said in Hong Kong on Saturday, ahead of the final of the Barclays Asia Trophy.
Friday's report included calls for a licensing system to stop clubs from falling into financial trouble and improvement of the way owners are vetted. Worries about clubs struggling with debt came to a head in February 2010 when Portsmouth became the first Premier League team in history to go into administration.