The Premier League hits the brakes on a 1-billion-pound deal to fund lower-league clubs in English football, from the Second to the Fourth division.

According to Sky Sports, Richard Masters, the Premier League chairman, informed the 20 Premier League clubs that negotiations with the English Football League (EFL) for an 880-million-pound (1-billion-euro) financing deal were being put on hold. The aim was to support grassroots football with this funding from the top tier of English football.

This decision was made because Masters wasn't confident there would be enough votes to secure an agreement. Premier League clubs needed to vote in favor of this resolution, and it wasn't certain that the required fourteen votes in favor could be gathered to push the proposal through.

Reportedly, Premier League club owners are unhappy about the cost of subsidizing the EFL, which oversees the Second, Third, and Fourth divisions, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the introduction of an independent regulator, as proposed by the British government for 2024 as part of the English football overhaul.

The deal between the Premier League and the EFL aimed to distribute 1 billion euros among the 72 EFL clubs over a six-year period.

This halt comes after the Premier League secured a 6.7-billion-pound deal for domestic television rights between 2025 and 2029 and following the continued refusal of the six English founding clubs of the European Super League project.