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Chelsea and ManU are "facing the threat of legal action" after leading clubs were told they should "hang their heads in shame" at breaking a collective promise to meet minimum standards for disabled fans, according to Jeremy Wilson of the London TELEGRAPH. Almost half of all Premier League clubs reportedly do not meet guidelines set out in the Accessible Stadia Guide, "despite a joint announcement more than two years ago that committed them to reaching that standard by August." Conservative peer Chris Holmes, who won nine Paralympic Gold Medals, said, "People who believed in the clarity of the pledge in 2015 will feel they have been kicked in the teeth. They made a clear and unequivocal commitment and this is a miserable result. The Premier League shows what we can do at our best in sport and it is an extraordinary stain running through it that we are only about 50 percent there in terms of basic accessibility." The Equality & Human Rights Commission is investigating "potentially unlawful and discriminatory practices" but said that it is "being slowed in its inquiries by the lack of clarity from unnamed clubs." EHRC CEO Rebecca Hilsenrath said, "This has delayed our final report as we review the new evidence and which of our enforcement powers we should use. It is clear a significant number of clubs have failed to meet the Premier League's own pledge deadline" (
TELEGRAPH, 9/18).
