Liverpool fans hammer Richard Scudamore over £5 million payment

Liverpool fans have hammered outgoing Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore for his acceptance of a £5 million payment from clubs as a token of gratitude for his services to the league.

Scudamore, who will be replaced by Susanna Dinnage as the Premier League's executive chairman after he steps down next month, has accepted a £5m leaving present over three years in a move that has attracted widespread criticism from supporters. The Spirit of Shankly, a Liverpool Supporters Union, were particularly scathing in their condemnation of the payment and said that Premier League clubs should 'hang their heads in shame' for indulging the outgoing chairman. A statement on their website read:

"However the Premier League and clubs try to dress up today’s decision, most supporters will look at it and think only one thing - greed. "The initial suggestion that clubs would each put in a quarter of a million pounds was rightly met with derision and anger. Whilst supporters have tribal loyalties, this issue united all in condemnation. "Football is a wealthy sport. Those who operate within it at its most senior levels, regardless of competence, are rewarded well. Richard Scudamore has been well paid during the explosion in tv deals. "He didn’t, and does not need, such an incredible amount as an additional reward. The Premier League might want to claim they are protecting their interests and the insider information Scudamore knows. "But the talk throughout has been giving him a financial reward for the riches received. They’re using money from clubs whilst supporters are left having to plead and ask for any redistribution of such wealth. "The clubs themselves hold the power in these meetings - it’s their league, their rules, their decisions. Today they’ve made decision they want to make. It’s clearly one rule for those at the top, and another for the rest of us. "We will be talking to supporters about today’s decision and considering what, if any, next steps are to be taken. For now, those involved in today’s decision should spend some time on their journey home quietly reflecting on the damage done. They should hang their heads in shame."

The Football Supporters' Federation also condemned the payment and said that fans strongly oppose what they see as a 'golden handshake'.

"Premier League clubs have always told fan groups that budgets are planned in advance and there's not a surplus of cash lying around from their extremely lucrative TV deal," the group said in a statement. "In the meantime loyal football supporters continue to be inconvenienced by fixture changes to fit TV schedules, often losing out on travel costs or struggling to get to and from games in the first place. “Now it appears clubs can stick their hands down the back of the sofa and find £250,000 at a moment's notice. “Fans strongly oppose the ‘golden handshake’ and we urge clubs not to make a decision which is hugely unpopular with supporters."