Leeds United hand former Premier League and FA chairman new role as Angus Kinnear's departure confirmed — Yorkshire Post 7/3/25
By Stuart Rayner
Former Premier League and Football Association (FA) chairman
Peter McCormick is to return to Leeds United after the departure of chief
executive Angus Kinnear – but not as a direct replacement.
Sports lawyer McCormick was a Leeds director in the 1990s,
and has been a legal adviser to the club in the past.
His resignation from the Premier League board to return to
Elland Road coincides with the widely-anticipated departure of Kinnear, who
will now take a similar post at Everton.
But McCormick's role will be executive vice-chairman,
working alongside Kinnear as he works his notice until moving to Merseyside at
the end of this season.
In the meantime, Leeds will carry out a review of their
management structures to decide how they should replace Kinnear, directly or
indirectly.
Leeds' requirements may partly depend on whether the first
team are able to close out promotion to the Premier League, which they are
currently well on course to do, three points clear at the top of the
Championship with 11 matches to play.
Although a Sheffield United victory at home to Preston North
End on Saturday could draw them level on points before Leeds’ game at
Portsmouth at noon on Sunday, they are the favourites to win the title.
Two teams are automatically promoted from the Championship
plus a third via the play-offs, and Leeds are currently five points ahead of
thrid-placed Burnley.
Chairman Paraag Marathe is also heading up a bid by Leeds
owners 49ers Enterprises Global Football Group to buy Scottish Premiership side
Rangers, which is close to being finalised.
McCormick's new job will be to support Marathe and other
senior executives regarding strategic planning, stadium redevelopment and
commercial matters, and will represent the club in key meetings, such as at
league level.
The 72-year-old's areas of expertise during his
long-standing relationship with the Premier League were with regards to
financial fair play, and owner's and director's tests. Managing the financial
transition whilst being competitive in the top division without breaking its
profit and sustainability rules will be a big challenge for Leeds should they
win promotion after two years in the Football League.
A senior partner at Harrogate-based McCormicks Solicitors,
McCormick was Premier League chairman from March 2014 to June 2015. He served a
five-year term as FA vice-chairman from July 2017, and in November 2018 was
elected chairman of its Professional Game Board. In November 2020 he became the
interim chairman, holding the post for over a year.
He has chaired and been a member of numerous boards and
working parties within both governing organisations.
Kinnear has been at Leeds since 2017, initially as managing
director, the job title he held at previous club West Ham United. Before that
he spent a decade as Arsenal’s director of marketing, sales and partnerships.
He played a more high-profile role before 49ers Enterprises
took a controlling stake in the club in 2023, with a column in the matchday
programme which occasionally courted controversy.
The most notable came in December 2021 when he called
Government plans for a new independent football regulator “Maoist”.
Kinnear was at the helm during the Covid-19 pandemic which
saw fans locked out of matches to prevent the spread of the disease and
threatened the finances of professional clubs as a result.
Leeds won promotion to the Premier League for the first time
in 16 years as champions during the prolonged 2019-20, and stayed in the
division for three years.
Kinnear will now oversee Everton's transition to new
ownership under the Friedkin Group, who bought them late last year, and to a
new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock which will begin hosting Premier League
football from next season.