Richard Scudamore was not able to give many interviews off-the-record during his 19-year tenure as the president of the Premier League and he has not given many since retiring in 2018, so when he tells you he is happy to share his “observations on anything”, the decks are cleared.
The governor — and a bit like US presidents are always presidents, Scudamore will always remain the governor — has something he wants to say!
And he did, over 45 very cordial minutes with this writer and Mark Chapman, lead presenter of The Athletic’s Football Podcast.
You can and should listen to the whole interview on the podcast, which is available wherever you get your podcasts with adverts, and without adverts if you listen via The Athletic app.
For those who like things written down, here’s an abbreviated transcript of the interview. It includes his views on the need for an independent regulator for football, parachute payments and the American takeovers of the Premier League, European Super League, the pyramid and who is responsible for the congestion in the fixture calendar.
Bristol City, his club, are mentioned, as are Oldham Athletic, Notts County and even Southend United.
For golf lovers, the podcast version is also available. One of the jobs Scudamore still performs is is advise the Ryder Cup on how to deal with LIV Golf. No spoilers — you’ll have to listen.
