Premier League reportedly allowed Liverpool and Man United to vet candidates

A long search unfolded to find the successor to Richard Scudamore

Susanna Dinnage originally took the role before later deciding against it

Liverpool and United are said to have met Dinnage and two other candidates

Liverpool and Manchester United have left their Premier League rivals furious after reportedly having had special access to weigh up the candidates to be the new chief executive of the Premier League.

The two English giants met with candidates for the position, which had initially been taken up by Susanna Dinnage before the Animal Planet president pulled out of the appointment.

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Rivals teams including Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham were left particularly irked by Liverpool and United's actions, as reported by The Times.

Liverpool and Man United met Susanna Dinnage and other Premier League CEO candidates

The Premier League's search to replace Richard Scudamore soon became quite a farce

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It is alleged Liverpool and United each met three candidates, including Dinnage along with the NBC executive Dave Howe and David Pemsel.

According to the Times' report, the meetings are understood to have taken place before any eventual decisions were made by the nominations committee.

The search had descended into something of a farce for the Premier League, who initially believed they had filled Scudamore's void after Dinnage accepted the role, before later changing her mind.

Dinnage’s decision, thought to be motivated as much by concerns about the potential problems facing the Premier League as a desire to remain in her current position at Discovery, was of particular embarrassment to Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck.

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Chelsea chief Bruce Buck headed a nominations committee with Burnley and Leicester input

Guardian CEO David Pemsel immediately stepped down from the role due to personal matters

Richard Masters was eventually named permanent chief executive in December

Buck headed up the nominations committee, along with Burnley chairman Mike Garlick and Leicester City’s chief executive Susan Whelan.

Following Dinnage's snubbing of the role, Manchester United's Ed Woodward and Crystal Palace's Steve Parish were added to the committee, as the search to find a successor became more desperate.

Another candidate, CEO of the Guardian Pemsel, then had to step down from taking the role after it emerged he had been sending a series of text messages to a young female colleague.

Pemsel was due to start work in February but ended up withdrawing from the position, with Richard Masters then requested to continue as interim chief executive.

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Masters was eventually given the role on a permanent basis and officially appointed chief executive in December.