Susanna Dinnage Says She Won't Replace Richard Scudamore as EPL CEO

Susanna Dinnage has backed out of her commitment to replace Richard Scudamore as Premier League chief executive officer.

As shared by Rob Harris of the Associated Press, the league has given no reason why she has backed out:

According to BBC Sport's Dan Roan, Dinnage was supposed to replace Scudamore in the new year. She was named his successor in November.

Dinnage has worked as Discovery’s Animal Planet global president since last year. Per Harris, her appointment was in line with the league's "focus on broadcasting," with the bulk of the EPL's revenue now coming from the sale of television rights.

Scudamore became CEO of the Premier League in 1999 and was later promoted to executive chairman. Under his watch, the English top division became one of the most popular sporting leagues in the world, with the value of the broadcasting rights now at over £8 billion ($10 billion), per Harris.

For his efforts, Scudamore was awarded a CBE:

The sudden lack of leadership is a bad look for the league at a crucial time:

According to Roan, the Premier League will continue with acting chief executive Richard Masters and interim chair Claudia Arney for the time being.