The United manager told the BBC on Monday: “When you shake hands with the devil you have to pay the price. Television is God at the moment. It’s king.”

Ferguson is unhappy that television companies can determine the fixture list, resulting in “some ridiculous situations like playing on Wednesday night in Europe and then 12:30 at lunchtime on Saturday.”

United and England’s other topflight clubs decided to break away from the other divisions in 1992 to increase their shares of television revenue.

United received 60.4 million pounds (then $98.7) last season.