LONDON: Portsmouth have threatened to start arbitration proceedings against the English Premier League (EPL) unless officials lift the cash-strapped club’s 96-day transfer embargo.

Pompey, bottom of the English top flight, also want two million pounds’ worth of television money to be paid to them directly. Portsmouth executive director Mark Jacob accused the EPL of treating Pompey as “poor relations” and the “black sheep of the family”.

But the club have ruled out suing the EPL. Instead they handed in a letter to the league’s London headquarters on Monday asking for the embargo to be scrapped and direct payment of television money. Pompey said that unless the EPL met with them on Tuesday they would trigger an independent examination of their dispute with the league.

“The Premier League are withholding the balance of monies they owe us because they believe that we still owe other football clubs money,” said Jacob. “We have now paid off the three UK clubs. We have agreed with (French teams) Rennes and Lens to accept certain payments now and then defer a schedule of payments going forward. We are finalising the agreement with (Italian side) Udinese.”

“The total amount that we directed the Premier League to discharge and pay these clubs is approximately five million pounds. So there is a net balance due to the club approaching two million pounds. We cannot see how they can keep the money and also continue with the embargo. We believe the embargo should be lifted immediately and that we should be receiving money from the Premier League,” Jacob added.