Brighton chairman 'insulted' by Benitez plan
Brighton chairman Dick Knight believes Rafael Benitez’s proposal for reserve teams to play in the Football League is “insulting”.
The Liverpool boss is concerned his second string are paying the price for an ineffective reserve league and believes they would benefit from competitive action in the Football League – an idea mooted by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho in December.
Reserve teams play in lower league competition throughout continental Europe, but the restructuring would inevitably mean the Football League would lose some established clubs.
“Rafa is insulting the history and the stature of the Football League,” Knight said.
“It’s up to the Premier League clubs and the Academy bosses to sort out a reserve league which is competitive. The current Academy system is very haphazard.
“I’ve got great admiration for Rafa but this idea just shows the increasing gulf between the top clubs and the lower division clubs like mine who have been around for 106 years and shouldn’t have to be insulted like this.
“The fact Rafa has the gall to suggest this is the same reason clubs like his are allowed to permission move from a 45,000-seater stadium to one that holds 65,000 straight away and a club like ours doesn’t have a home and has been waiting 11 years to be allowed one.
“Besides, we’ve been to Anfield and beaten the Liverpool first team on a number of occasions over the last 20 years, so why the hell should we be insulted by having to play their reserves?”
Mansfield manager Billy Dearden fears “plenty of players” would be out of work if Benitez’s proposal came to fruition.
Dearden’s League Two side would potentially be among those forced down the football ladder to accommodate the new teams, and he is worried that English football’s landscape would be permanently scarred by any such innovation.
He said: “It’s a silly idea – out of order really. We are getting knocked about by people who are not from our football world.
“It has never been this way in English football. It would change everything.
“Sure, their players would play in a competitive league, but what about the rest of us? Clubs would be forced down the divisions and plenty of players would be out of work. If we’re playing in the Conference, we can’t keep paying everyone the same. It doesn’t work.
“There’s always been reserve football and there’s always been lower leagues.
“Now this guy wants to change things around. It’s a bit out of order – I don’t go along with it.”
