Peterborough United chairman is in favour of expanding the EFL play-offs to six teams
Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony is in favour of expanding the EFL play-offs to include more teams.
EFL clubs will vote on expanding play-offs in the Championship from four to six teams from next season at a meeting on March 5.
The proposal would mean the teams finishing from third to eighth compete for a place in the Premier League. A change would bring the second tier in line with the National League whereby the teams finishing third and fourth go straight through to the semi-finals
The quarter-finals, or eliminator round, would feature one-legged ties, with fifth hosting eighth and sixth at home to seventh. In the two-legged semi-finals, third place would take on the lowest-ranked team remaining, with fourth facing the highest. The final would still take place at Wembley at the end of May.
Only the Championship will be affected by the March vote, but MacAnthony would introduce into Leagues One and Two as well.
MacAnthony, speaking on the latest edition of his Hard Truth podcast, said: “I love the idea of six team play-offs and they should do it in every league. The more jeopardy there is, the more exciting it becomes and then there would be more money from TV. I don’t know why we aren’t talking about in League One.
"I know seeing a team finish eighth in the Championship getting to the Premier League would seem strange, but I love the idea as I love an underdog story and why shouldn’t the less financially well-off teams have a second bite of the cherry should they fall out of the top six? I’m thinking of the likes of Hull and Preston.
"Ipswich for instance could start struggling and then spend millions of pounds on a new striker because they have parachute payment money.”
MacAnthony is a keen observer of Championship football, especially as Posh have a big financial interest in certain teams winning promotion, namely Coventry City and Sheffield United because of promotion payout clauses for former London Road favourites Ephron Mason-Clark and Harrison Burrows.
Burrows and ‘The Blades’ are unlikely feature in the promotion run in this season, while Coventry’s form has collapsed ahead of a big top-of-the-table clash at home to Middlesbrough on Monday (February 16).
“I need Coventry to start winning again,” MacAnthony. “We have money riding on them going up.”
It’s thought Posh would receive £1 million if Coventry go up. They are currently second, two points behind Boro and five points above third-placed Ipswich.