Richard Scudamore today admitted Sir Dave Richards’ Doha antics had tarnished the image of the Premier League but sidestepped questions over whether he should resign.
Richards, the Premier League chairman, caused a storm with his comments in the Qatari capital last week when he claimed Fifa and Uefa “stole” football from the English and urged his hosts to relax their alcohol laws for the 2022 World Cup, saying: “We would like to go for a pint”.
To cap it all, the Yorkshireman - who is also a Football Association board member - then fell into a water feature during an evening function in the country’s capital.
The FA and Premier League were quick to distance themselves from Richards’ controversial comments amid calls for the 68-year-old to resign.
But Scudamore today insisted Richards had been “great for the Premier League”.
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Speaking at the Sport Industry Breakfast Club, Scudamore, the Premier League chief executive, said: “At the end of the day, he’s apologised, he apologised sincerely, he’s rung the people who - if he has offended - he knows he may have offended and he’s dealt with it.
“Clearly, that’s a reflection that he knows what he said was wrong and misguided. It doesn’t reflect the Premier League’s views. He’s away on foreign shores.
“It detracts from him, it detracts from the Premier League’s image, I suppose, but the reality is he’s done his stint at the Premier League, he’s done a fantastic job, and he’s done more for good causes, charity stuff, the stuff that never gets mentioned.”
Scudamore added: “I’ve had 15 years of working with him, knowing him, admiring him, for who is he is and for the bluntness and the directness.
“You know what you get with Dave and he’s been great for me and he’s been great for the Premier League.
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“He said what he said, he knows it wasn’t right to say it, he’s apologised to the people he’s apologised to and I’m moving on.”
Scudamore insisted the 20 Premier League clubs would ultimately decide Richards’ fate.
“He’s in exactly the same position as me,” he said. “We are there by the grace of our employers, the 20 clubs.
“The 20 clubs will decide when it’s time that they’ve had enough of me, and they’ll decide exactly the same with him.”