Deal ends English football row

The strike plan had massive support among English footballers

LONDON, England -- Plans for a strike by footballers in England have been called off after a deal over television payments was reached between the players' union and league bosses.

The deal over the share of money the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) receives from cash paid to the Premier League for television rights was announced at a news conference on Friday afternoon.

Players had called strike action for December 1 in the dispute after the league's initial offer was rejected. The PFA wanted five percent from the £553 million ($780 million) received from television companies shared between the Premier League's 20 clubs. That amounts to £26 million ($38 million) a year.

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said he would reveal full details of the deal to his members on Monday, but he said it involved £52.5 million ($74 million) over three years. That works out as £17.5 million a year ($12.4 million).

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There is also an agreement in place for the PFA to receive a percentage share of future TV deals, with that percentage varying depending on the amount of money involved.

THe PFA had said it would go ahead with the strike unless the footballing bodies improved on their offer of £50 million ($70.5 million) over three years (£16.7 million ($23.5 million) per annum).

Taylor said: "I am really pleased on behalf of the PFA to have this agreement. I am delighted to see in the agreement a proper respect for the players' input into the game -- and I can assure you that respect will be mutual. We really are a football family.

"I hope there is a new spirit of mutual respect and working together."

The PFA says it will use the extra cash to support players in the lower leagues, including medical help and retraining for careers after football. It was not a dispute about players' salaries.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: "There will be no strike and that has to be good for the game, good for everyone. Fans can make their plans for next Saturday now and we can all be proud of what we have achieved.

"It is has been a huge team effort to have reached this agreement."

Football Association chief executive Adam Crozier said the deal was "based on a new level of trust and partnership and mutual respect for the players who are at the heart of the game".

The Premier League had said any strike would be "illegal" and had planned to seek a court injunction to stop it.

If the strike had gone ahead it would be the first in English football. Prolonged industrial action would have created a backlog of fixtures and snarled up an already congested season.

The PFA's 3,500 members voted 99 percent in favour of strike action on November 9.