THE THREAT of strike action affecting televised English League "games appears to have been lifted following talks in Manchester yesterday between the Football League and the Professional Footballers Association (PFA). A provisional agreement was reached after a five hour meeting and officials are confident it will be rubber stamped at a meeting of Football League clubs on November 14th.

League spokesman Chris Hull said details of the agreement, which is subject to ratification by the League's board of directors and its member clubs, would not be revealed before the meeting next month. But he said the League's directors would have "a chance to discuss the agreement before then".

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor welcomed the agreement and said: "The League have asked us not to disclose details of the agreement because it's subject to ratification . . . but we are extremely hopeful that it will be ratified. This is a settlement that will be good for football and I am extremely relieved that we have reached it. I didn't see any reason why it (the dispute) should have gone as far as it has done."

The four month long row erupted when the League scrapped a regulation entitling the union to 10 per cent of any TV deal. The League had negotiated a deal with Sky for live coverage of League games worth £125 million over five years. But they were not willing to hand the union £2.5 million a year and offered a discretionary payment instead.

However, the PFA insisted the League should honour its traditional regulation and when official talks broke down they balloted their members on a call for strike action. The results of the ballot were due to have been released last Friday, but League officials made a successful 11th hour bid to renew talks by confirming they were ready to make a new offer.