Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says he "did not intend" to suggest Everton and Nottingham Forest were "small clubs".
Masters used the term last month when answering a question at a Culture, Media and Sport Committee hearing.
Both clubs have been charged for alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.
Committee member Damian Green had asked whether big clubs were treated differently over the matter.
In answering Green, Masters said: "The standard directions [on the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules] are for everybody, they're not just for the small clubs.