Premier League chief Richard Scudamore accepts £5 million leaving present
The outgoing Premier League executive chairman, Richard Scudamore, will receive a £5 million leaving present in recognition of his "outstanding work".
In a statement, the league said the golden handshake was made by its audit and remuneration committee and "supported and endorsed by the clubs", whose bosses were in London on Thursday for a Premier League shareholders' meeting.
The money will be paid over three years and will depend on the 59-year-old agreeing to a "comprehensive set of non-compete clauses" in terms of the roles he takes on in the future.
He has also agreed to remain available to his successor Susanna Dinnage "in an advisory capacity".
The decision was taken despite the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) urging clubs to reject the plan.
"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.
"Now it appears clubs can stick their hands down the back of the sofa and find £250,000 at a moment's notice," it added.
It was first proposed by Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, a close ally of Scudamore's and the chairman of the audit and remuneration committee.
Including bonuses, Scudamore has earned more than £26 million for running the Premier League since 1999, and the £5 million leaving gift is in addition to his final bonus for negotiating the most recent set of broadcast deals.
That said, Scudamore has been paid considerably less than the bosses of the leading sports leagues in the United States and has turned down previous offers to earn more money elsewhere, most notably when he rejected the chance to run the global sports agency IMG a decade ago.
Defenders of the gift will also point to the fact that the payments are contingent on him being available as a consultant and a contractual commitment that he cannot take his expertise to a potential rival.