Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan has attacked Liverpool's plans to go it alone over a new TV deal.

Whelan accused Liverpool of avarice, claiming they were trying to "kill the heart and soul" of the English game.

"I find (Ian) Ayre's comments diabolical," he said. "I just can't believe what he has been saying. They are thinking, 'How can we get more money?' You won't get more money by killing the heart and soul of the Premier League and the heart and soul of English football.

"The worst thing for English football is for teams like Liverpool - the top four, let's say - who want to get rid of virtually half of the Premier League. We will finish up just like the Spanish league with just two teams in it, no competition, no anything.

"What we have is the finest league in the whole world and what Liverpool are calling for would absolutely wreck it. The likes of Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn, Wolves, Sunderland and Newcastle couldn't compete."