Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has threatened the Premier League with a fan-led review of football after the details of Project Big Picture emerged.
EFL chairman Rick Parry has worked with Liverpool and Manchester United to draw up radical proposals that would see the Premier League bailout lower-league clubs and provide more money to them in the long-run.
Yet the plans would also see nine Premier League clubs seize power in the division and get more of a say over how things are run, which would also reduce Leeds United's say in what happens.
It has led to criticism from the government, with Dowden telling BBC Breakfast that it is the wrong time to be trying to grab power.
He said: “My number one issue with the proposal is that now is not the right time.
“The challenge facing football now is ensuring particularly the EFL has the resources to enable its clubs to survive.
“This deal does not command support through the Premier League at all.
“So rather than doing backroom deals to reform football at this critical moment, I’d rather they work together to ensure the future of football.
“I know those conversations have ensured that they won’t allow a club to go to the wall but we do need a more comprehensive package.
“If we look at the Premier League, in the last transfer window more than £1bn was spent.
“That’s more than the four largest clubs in Europe after the Premier League put together.
“If you look at the Premier League, there are the resources there, and I have to say, if they can’t get together and sort this out, we’ll have to return to what we promised in our manifesto, which is a fan-led review of football governance as I think many fans will be concerned at what they’re reading today.”
