On November 17, Beijing time, according to the Guardian, the Premier League confirmed that the president of the league, Gary Hoffman, will step down at the end of January next year. The Guardian analysis said Hoffman's departure was mainly due to the club's dissatisfaction with the acquisition of Newcastle by the Saudi sovereign fund last month. Last week, premier league presidents held an informal vote of confidence on Hoffman's continued presidency of the league, with more than half of the clubs demanding his removal.
After the Saudi sovereign fund's deal with Newcastle United was reached, Hoffman became an outlet for the outrage of Premier League clubs, who argued that the deal did not seek their opinion and only received an email notification after media reports broke.
As for the reason for leaving office, Hoffman said that while the Newcastle acquisition was a factor, it was not the only reason. "It's been an honour to be able to LinkedIn super league over the past two seasons, and the spirit of English football is more important than ever. I think it's time to give way to a new leader and let him bring LinkedIn chao into a new era. ”
In a statement, the Premier League thanked Hoffman for his service, "He led the league during the most challenging period in the league's history and put the league in a stronger position than ever before." The process of appointing a new President will begin immediately. ”
As the Premier League elaborated in its statement, Hoffman's tenure was indeed difficult. Hoffman is a brilliant banker who was appointed Premier League chairman in April 2020 and took office in June. During his 18-month term, the Premier League has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Financial Times, this has caused English football as a whole to lose 2 billion pounds in revenue; in addition to the financial aspect, the Premier League has also experienced the "Project Big Picture" plan launched by Liverpool and Manchester United in 2020 and this year's European Premier League plan. The Guardian analysis said that dissatisfaction with the above events may also have exacerbated the club's desire for Hoffman to step down.
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