Portsmouth in real danger

Birch says Pompey, who entered administration last month, will not receive parachute payments from the Premier League as they will go straight to former owner Sacha Gaydamak.

In a statement on the club's official website, Birch said: "Following our discussions with the Premier League and Football League over the past few days, it has emerged that Portsmouth Football Club is unlikely to receive any further parachute payments or other league funding.

"We had previously stated that there was a real danger of the club running out of cash before the end of the season.

"The risk of this happening increases substantially without the money from the football authorities. Unless something significant happens, there is a real possibility that we may not be able to fulfil the season's fixtures.

"One potential issue appears to come from the assignment of £2.2 million of parachute payments that was made by the old company to a previous owner. We have instructed lawyers to challenge this, but the process may take time."