ENGLAND’S Big Six are unhappy with Premier League chief Richard Masters opposing Fifa’s expanded Club World Cup.
Masters has backed the PFA’s threat to strike in protest at adding games to a congested calendar.
But the Prem’s biggest clubs are desperate for a slice of up to £600million prize money plus lucrative TV and sponsorship deals.
Chelsea and Manchester City qualified for next year’s inaugural 32-team tournament.
But a senior source at one of the Big Six clubs said: “We all want to play in the Club World Cup and by publicly opposing it Richard is not representing our interests.
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“Only two teams have qualified for next year so talk of disrupting the league and player burnout is exaggerated.”
Other European clubs in the tournament include Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Benfica, Porto, Atletico Madrid and RB Salzburg.
SunSport exclusively revealed the expanded tournament has triggered fears Fifa may look to reduce team in the top flight of football from 20 to 18 to counter an increased calendar.
It comes as a another blow against the Premier League's authority following unprecedented legal action taken by Man City revealed on Tuesday.
City's actions threaten to ignite a Premier League "civil war".
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They are claiming the related party rules - affecting companies linked to a club’s owners - are “unlawful” and will demand damages from the Prem if they are successful at the anticipated two-week arbitration hearing starting on Monday.
But the Etihad club are also arguing the entire fabric of the Prem rulebook - where any rule change requires a two thirds majority in favour of a proposal - should be torn up.
Documents lodged ahead of the hearing say City believe the rule change - which mandates that all related party deals must pass a “fair market value” test - was specifically designed to “discriminate against Gulf owners”.
That is because the rules were first brought in as a direct response to the Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle in 2021.
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City’s stance is that sponsors linked to club owners should have the right to determine how much they want to pay, irrespective of any independent valuation.
Another part of the heavyweight 165-page document filed by the club, City also argue the two thirds majority rule - which has been in place since the establishment of the Prem three decades ago - represents the “tyranny of the majority”.
City suggest the Prem was remiss in not applying restrictions when other clubs - specifically Manchester United - were able to take advantage of their financial superiority in the first 15 years of the League’s existence and that doing so now is a further form of discrimination.
If City win and then have their damages claim assessed, it could see the bill for the rest of the Prem skyrocket as all such outgoings are detracted from the League’s TV and sponsorship pot to be shared out between the 20 clubs.
Masters is understood to feel that his public positioning may have been misinterpreted. His main issue with the Club World Cup is the dates that have been set - 15 June to 13 July - and a lack of consultation with the leagues from FIFA.
In his role as chairman of the World Leagues Association Masters signed a joint letter with international players union FIFPRO and the PFA last month, which threatened legal action if next year's competition goes ahead as planned, having first gained approval of the Premier League clubs.
The criticism of Masters illustrates the difficulties he faces in maintaining unity and harmony amongst the Premier League, as will also be clear at their AGM in Harrogate this week.
There are major divisions in the top flight on many issues including spending rules, state-owned clubs and related-party sponsorship deals, although a proposal from Wolves to abolish VAR is expected to be comprehensively rejected tomorrow.
