Aston Villa 'face £11m bill' despite Liverpool protest to Premier League

Aston Villa news - Premier League clubs were official informed of the £340m sum they face paying

A group of Premier League clubs are preparing to argue against paying rebates to broadcasters at Thursday's meeting.

Football has been suspended in England for well over two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the most recent top-flight fixture being played on March 9.

That was Aston Villa's 4-0 defeat at Leicester City, a result that left Dean Smith's side two points from safety.

Broadcasters such as Sky Sports want some of their money back because of contractual obligations going unfulfilled after matches were called off.

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All 20 clubs including Villa were officially informed on Wednesday of the £340m sum they face paying, t he Guardian reports.

But because of the way the television rights deal is structured, top clubs face landing a bigger percentage of the bill than those below them.

50 percent of the money is divided equally while 25 percent is awarded for live appearances, but the other 25 percent is dependent on final league position and the top six could potentially pay back nearly treble the amount of other teams.

They are being asked to pay back £30m while the rest of the league, including Villa, are facing a bill of just under £11m.

Liverpool are reportedly leading a group of clubs who will argue against paying the rebate at the meeting and have support from Tottenham and West Ham United.

The Premier League's head of broadcasting Paul Molnar will lead negotiations with broadcasters also believing the product they paid out for has been devalued because the remaining games will be played behind closed doors.

David Kogan, who previously advised the top-flight on media rights, says clubs will have to pay up. He told the Guardian: “The clubs are going to have to pay it whatever it is and there will be a formula that will be followed. Sooner or later they’re just going to have to pay the money out. They’ll have insurance, I imagine, to do that.”