Accrington Stanley chairman Andy Holt has sent the following letter to the EFL:
I write to you to inform you that ASFC wants no part of your iFollow operation and as such insists the EFL ceases offering streams of our club with immediate effect.
To be clear we want no part in it. We do not want any income from it nor do we want others selling our LP.
For many years now I have argued that the income distribution is wrong, but the EFL wanders on ignoring the obvious.
The EFL taking our IP and allowing others to sell it for their private profit ends now.
When the EFL started this deliberately flawed concept, Accrington Stanley were amongst the clubs that refused to join, which was our right. Later the EFL board threatened my club with loss of income if we didn't join its project. It was coercion at a time when the club was just recovering from near bankruptcy. The board knew our clubs position then on iFollow and that position has hardened as the EFL pushes on blindly with its daft streaming plans.
Two days before the EFL summer conference, whilst I was in Majorca, we were informed by Email that there was to be no votes in regard to iFollow at the meeting. I objected to this because this gave me no time to prepare my argument nor was I able to attend to put my argument.
This is the usual EFL M.O. and it's embarassing. It's bounced on clubs at the last minute deliberately to avoid proper debate.
I contacted Steve Curwood, our L1 rep who responded that there would be no binding vote.
The day after he came back to me telling me he was wrong. It's a shambles of organisation.
I want to place on record that I support streaming as a collective.
If the proceeds were split equally as the collective TV deal is or, as with physical matchday tickets, the home club got the income, my club would happily participate.
Currently the EFL is taking away matchday income and taking away our streams against our wishes and allowing others to seel them on for their private gain. I do not know how anyone at the EFL can argue this is right or just.
Last week the EFL informed us that our home Boxing Day fixture against Barnsley is amongst ADDITIONAL fixtures to be streamed against our will.
This is not collective in any sense.
As the saying goes thanks for the offer, but sadly we're out.