Paul Scholes, one of Manchester United and England’s favourite sons, has lamented the quality of English football, which according to him has been sacrificed in favour of “money and sponsorship”.
The 11-time Premier League champion believes that the Premier League is lagging behind the other big leagues in Europe, in particular Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and even the Italian Serie A.
Scholes feels the entertainment factor has been taken away from English football, from the Premier League, all the way down through the professional leagues.
“I know there is pressure on managers, but styles of play become so negative because managers are frightened of losing their jobs”, he said in an extract from a new book – ‘Class of 92: Out of our League – Our Journey Back to the Heart of the Game’.
“The money’s the most important thing these days about football because owners, the majority of them, are just interested in making money for their football club. They don’t care what they see on a Saturday afternoon on the pitch. They’re purely businessmen, whereas at Barcelona you have a balance between business and football.”
As a result, the 66-time England international has been turned off by a potential foray into management and has gravitated his attentions towards non-league football.
“I probably do enjoy watching Salford more [than the Premier League]. I don’t know if it’s as much that I don’t like the hassle of going to the game, getting in, sitting in traffic.”
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