Bernstein remains committed to 'democracy'

Manchester City's apparent distancing of themselves from the more nakedly acquisitive aspects of the Phoenix League proposals have a philosophical rather than a commercial base, it was claimed last night.

The Maine Road chairman, David Bernstein, was at pains to make the point when it was suggested that part of the reason for any cooling of City's reported enthusiasm for the breakaway league – Coventry, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolves, Bradford City, Birmingham City and Wimbledon are the other players – might be connected with the majority shareholding in the club of directors John Wardle and David Makin of the JD Sports firm.

A source pointed out that with 150 sports shops spread across the country, JD, a public company, might not be too keen to be associated with a move that could leave the rump of the old Football League facing financial disaster. Certainly it might not help the sales of souvenir shirts in places like Preston and Walsall.

"That suggestion is just a red herring," Bernstein said. "Any reservations we have would be based on philosophical and not commercial factors, and saying that we have lost interest in the possibilities of a new league is not a proper representation. I attended a meeting in Coventry to discuss this and what I heard provoked a definite interest in the possibilities. But there is a lot of work to do, and the big issues have still to be resolved. They have been discussed and there is a case for exploring them. Our whole board is in agreement on this, and we have not had a change of position.

"For myself I've never been for the disenfranchisement of the smaller clubs. In my opinion one of the great appeals of English football is its breadth and I've said this many times publicly. I'm in agreement with our manager, Kevin Keegan."

Keegan, who started his career at Scunthorpe, first provoked doubts about City's commitment to the Phoenix League when he asked what was wrong with a big club like his playing teams like Stockport and Crewe. It is also reported that City have so far not contributed the agreed £10,000 to the fund set up to investigate the practicability of the proposals.

Bernstein insisted that City was still involved in the discussions. "In our situation we have to investigate all possibilities, but as a board we have agreed that we don't want to proceed on the basis that wealth is the only factor in deciding who should be rewarded. We believe in democracy and also that rewards in football should still come from merit more than anything else."

Despite the apparent united front, some close to the club believe there is a compelling case to grab at the shrinking largesse of TV revenue and that City, due to move into Manchester's Commonwealth Games stadium the season after next, cannot afford to be cut adrift along with the have-nots.

What is clear is the Maine Road club have suddenly become a potential catalyst for the success or failure of the proposed second division of the Premiership. No one currently outside the Premiership can call on such a solid fan base. But the directors have to ask how long their appeal can be sustained with teams such as Grimsby and Crewe and Stockport on their dance card.

Said one City insider: "It seems clear that the club's best interests would be served by being part of the breakaway. The fact that City seem to be dragging their feet is a bit of a mystery." Certainly their next move will be awaited anxiously by other members of the other splinter group, which is being most enthusiastically led by the Coventry City chairman, Bryan Richardson. Three months into life outside the Premiership, he has plainly resolved his philosophical debate.