Premier League footballers subject to new airport rules after government cracks down 'loophole' used by pampered stars

Premier League footballers will now be subjected to new airport rules after a government crackdown on a 'loophole' used by the pampered stars.

Premier League chief Richard Masters reportedly threatened to go to 10 Downing Street after it emerged players would have to go through airport security.

There are fears the changes could see highly-paid footballers stuck in long queues before and after internal flights and cause them to be hounded by fans.

Special security arrangements had been in place in the past for some private chartered flights, a source told MailOnline.

But now the government has 'clamped down on potential security loopholes' to include small planes in screening checks.

According to a source, Mr Masters' lobbying had 'raised eyebrows' within government as they told The Sun : 'This is not a good look for the Premier League'.

They added: 'It beggars belief he thinks footballers should be treated differently from the rest. He even threatened to go to No 10.

'He was initially successful, but the footballers are now having to toe the line.'

The new rules were implemented last year with clubs being given 'sufficient' warning about the changes.

The Department for Transport said: 'Aviation security is of paramount importance to keep passengers safe.

'That is why all aircraft passengers are fully screened before they travel.'

MailOnline has approached the Premier League for comment.

Premier League clubs have long been criticised for taking short-haul flights for games.

In February, Liverpool jumped on a 33-minute flight home from Newcastle, blaming the Premier League's fixture list to the short journey.

According to the Mirror at the time, the club 'felt like they had no choice' but to travel by plane because of the quick turnaround before their upcoming Champions League game.

Then manager Jurgen Klopp opted to fly home because 'the performance benefits for the players was deemed to be the most important factor.'

A recent investigation by The Athletic found only three teams - Crystal Palace, Fulham and Luton - had not travelled by plane during the final ten rounds of games last season.

In response, clubs argued security worries, difficulties in booking trains, unreliable services, needing special orders from rail operators, and extreme weather for racking up the air miles.

They also reasoned flying was better for their stars' player performance rather than sitting on a luxury coach or train for long periods.

Callum Walsh, former head of science at Newcastle United, told the publication that travelling back from games late at night 'messes with your sleep routine and can massively impact the 48 hours after a game'.

'Flying gets you back so much sooner, which means players are in their beds at a relatively normal time,' he said.

'A normal cycle is really important when it comes to fatigue and players' mental state.'

During the same season, research conducted by BBC Sport found there had been 81 domestic flights made by Premier League clubs to and form 100 matches.

The study, undertaken between January 19 and March 19 2023, found some journeys were as short as 27 minutes.

The Premier League said in a statement to the broadcaster at the time that it 'recognises the need to take action on climate change and is committed to reducing its overall climate impact'.

Climate action charity Possible called in February for Premier League sides to ditch domestic flights.

The charity found current champions Manchester City and taken to the air for 10 of the 19 away games, with their planes emitting 56 tonnes of carbon dioxide during those trips.

That accounted for more CO2 in one season than 21 years worth of travel if they used an electric coach.

'If we're serious about the climate impact of football, we can't ignore the fact that many teams are using private jets to reach their domestic away-games - even though the vast majority of those journeys could be made by coach in under four and a half hours,' Possible said.