Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, has been handed a 33 per cent pay increase – to £2.6m – as a result of the record deal he helped broker with broadcasters.
A £100,000 increase in his basic salary from £1.46m to £1.56m was bolstered by an additional £1.1m in incentive-related pay.
The pay rise was triggered under terms pre-agreed by the clubs to attach earnings in line with TV income, accounts show. A total £1.3bn increase in television revenue – equal to the rest of European club football combined – had been achieved between 2014 and 2024.
Annual Premier League accounts, published on Tuesday with Companies House, also mentioned football’s so-called “trial of the century” involving Manchester City. However, there is no reference to an expected timescale on verdicts relating to the 130 charges against the club.
“In February 2023, the Premier League referred a number of alleged breaches of its rules by Manchester City FC to an independent commission under rule W.3.4,” the accounts say. “The proceedings before the commission were heard during the current financial year.”
Despite the case in the autumn of 2024, legal costs for the year are understood to have fallen marginally. Details previously shared with Telegraph Sport showed legal costs had grown from £11.3m in 2022-23 to £48.1m in 2023-24 before dipping slightly to £44.6m in 2024-25.
The latest financial statement does not give such a breakdown. Administrative expenses are listed as £212m, an increase of £12m on the previous year, but sources with understanding of the situation confirmed the legal bill had fallen.
Soaring legal costs were also an inevitability amid cases brought against Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Everton. City were first charged in February 2023.
A minority of clubs have previously questioned an increase in central outgoings. The league’s position, however, is understood to be that it has exceeded club expectations on the money it distributes. An average of £28m per annum of additional payments were sent to clubs “beyond budget” over the last five seasons. Those supportive of the league’s strategy say an increase in central investment is necessary to sustain long-term growth targets.
Clubs are unlikely to query Masters’s pay increase, which appears modest compared to other competition chiefs. Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, pocketed at least $64m last year, according to Forbes.
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