LONDON, Reuter: English soccer will face renewed threats of a breakaway super league if big city clubs fail in a bid to ban the spread of synthetic pitches at a meeting of the 92 football league clubs.
West Ham’s proposal for a three-year moratorium on the introduction of plastic surfaces is already seen by many as a veiled excuse for establishing an elite grass only league.
With almost certain opposition from first division Queen’s Park Rangers and Luton town, Oldham and Preston, who have already laid artificial pitches, and a further 12 clubs who have applied for permission to lay similar all-weather surfaces, West Ham’s proposal seems unlikely to gain the two thirds majority it requires from the league.
Such a defeat could have dire consequences so far as the wealthy clubs are concerned, as Manchester United Chairman, Martin Edwards explained.
“With so many top clubs opposed to these surfaces, they would have a reason to break away if it got to the point where six or eight sides playing on plastic got into the first division”.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 13, 1987
