EPL in hasty search for new CEO as Dinnage pulls out

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Susanna Dinnage, who was due to take charge as the first woman CEO of the Premier League, has made a shocking withdrawal, according to a brief statement issued by the league on Sunday.

"Despite her commitment to the Premier League in early November, Susanna Dinnage has now advised the Nominations Committee that she will not be taking up the position of chief executive," read the statement.

Her decision has sparked a hasty search for a new successor to the post.

"The Committee has reconvened its search and is talking to other candidates. There will be no further comment until an appointment is made," concluded the statement.

Screenshot of EPL announcement on its official website

Outgoing Richard Scudamore, in charge for 19 years, will relinquish his duties at the end of 2018.

When Scudamore took over as chief executive in 1999, the Premier League's domestic television rights deal was worth around 670 million pounds.

The latest deal for rights between 2019 and 2022 sold for more than 4.5 billion pounds.

While the vast majority of that money still comes from television giants Sky and BT, it also includes the sale of 20 matches to retail giant Amazon's streaming service for the first time.

Currently the global president of Animal Planet, part of the Discovery group of TV channels, the decision of Dinnage replacing Scudamore was hailed as a major step forward for women in sports administration.

(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)