Soccer:Rival clubs have distanced themselves from Liverpool's demand for more cash from television rights - with one top-flight chairman claiming the move would "kill the heart and soul" of English football.
Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said the bigger clubs should get a greater share of the €1.6 billion overseas TV cash - currently shared equally between all 20 clubs.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are all understood to be against a change to the collective selling principle.
City's chief communications officer Vicky Kloss said: "The subject has never been up for debate either inside the club or externally. We are well aware of the benefits of the collective selling of Premier League television rights."
United have always been a supporter of collective selling and chief executive David Gill told a Parliamentary committee earlier this year: "The collective selling of the television rights has clearly been a success and it has made things more competitive."
Meanwhile, Wigan chairman Dave Whelan reacted with outrage.
He told goal.com: "I have just read his [Ayre's] comments and I find them diabolical - I just can't believe what he has been saying.
"They are thinking 'how can we get more money?' You won't get more money by killing the heart and soul of the Premier League and killing the heart and soul of football in England.
"We invented the game and we have still got the finest league in the whole world and some of the finest supporters in the whole world and they want to rip the whole thing up."
Ayre pointed out in The Guardianthat Barcelona and Real Madrid sell their own TV rights and earn considerably more.
"Personally I think the game-changer is going out and recognising our brand globally," said Ayre. "Maybe the path will be individual TV rights like they do in Spain. There are so many things moving in that particular area.
"What is absolutely certain is that, with the greatest of respect to our colleagues in the Premier League, but if you're a Bolton fan in Bolton, then you subscribe to Sky because you want to watch Bolton. Everyone gets that. Likewise, if you're a Liverpool fan from Liverpool, you subscribe.
"But if you're in Kuala Lumpur there isn't anyone subscribing to Astro, or ESPN to watch Bolton, or if they are it's a very small number. The large majority are subscribing because they want to watch Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal.
"So is it right that the international rights are shared equally between all the clubs?" added Ayre whose club, along with all the others in the Premier league, last season received €19.367 million euro each from the overseas TV deal.
"Some people will say: 'Well you've got to all be in it to make it happen.' But isn't it really about where the revenue is coming from, which is the broadcaster, and isn't it really about who people want to watch on that channel?
"We know it is us. And others. At some point we feel there has to be some rebalance on that, because what we are actually doing is disadvantaging ourselves against other big European clubs."
"If Real Madrid or Barcelona or other big European clubs have the opportunity to truly realise their international media value potential, where does that leave Liverpool and Manchester United?" he added. "We'll just share ours because we'll all be nice to each other? The whole phenomenon of the Premier League could be threatened.
"If they just get bigger and bigger and they generate more and more, then all the players will start drifting that way and will the Premier League bubble burst because we are sticking to this equal-sharing model? It's a real debate that has to happen."
Whelan added: "The worst thing for English football is for teams like Liverpool - the top four let's say - who want to get rid of virtually half the Premier League. We will finish up like the Spanish league with just two teams in it, no competition, no anything, no heart and soul in the league.
"What we have is the finest league in the whole world and what Liverpool are calling for would absolutely wreck it. The likes of Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn, Wolves, Sunderland and Newcastle couldn't compete."
