The 72 chairmen of the Football League have begun there meeting in Manchester, where they are preparing a response to ITV Digital, who late last night withdrew their £74m offer to settle the dispute.

The surprise decision means that League CEO David Burns has no offer to recommend to the chairmen, who will now discuss their next move.

"Everyone here was hoping there would be an offer. We need to find out why there wasn't one," said Karen Brady, Birmingham City MD. "I would urge everyone to sit down and talk about this. We have to show willing and have some meaningful discussions [with ITV Digital]. Unless you're talking you won't get an offer."

Badford City's chairman, Geoffrey Richmond, said he was "surprised and disappointed" at ITV Digital's decision. "The League is obviously preparing the worst case scenario for a legal action [against Carlton and Granada] but at the same time the door is still open for negotiation."

Stick with Digital Spy for the outcome of the meeting later this afternoon.