The Premier League chairman, Sir David Richards, has put himself on a collision course with his own member clubs by saying that they have damaged the England national team by signing too many "foreign players" and not giving first-team chances to the graduates from their own academies.
Richards also argued that the Premier League should be reduced in size from its current 20 clubs to 18 to ease fixture congestion. Such a reduction would be welcomed within the Football Association as a potential boost to the England team but would be furiously resented by smaller clubs, who would fear losing the huge money which comes with Premier League membership.
Read more of David Conn's report here.
