Premier League boss Richard Scudamore has highlighted a proposal to play a
39th game in the FA Premier League to be staged at foriegn cities across the world to try and increase the reputation of the brand on overseas soil.
Scudamore announced his plan less than 24 hours after the nation mourned the loss of life in the 1958 Munich air disaster. The plans seems to confirm the fact football is now purely a money orientated game and couldn't be further removed from the life experienced by those lost in Munich.
It seems most premier league bosses are in favour of the idea, no doubt motivated by the lure of pound notes, and lots of them. However Middlesborough boss Gareth Southgate stood alone with his comment 'is it April 1st? I find it highley unlikely this will happen'.
Sadly Southgates comments will hold little weight by the men chasing the money, with some chairman eager to look at the plans. Birmingham supremo David Gold said 'We are making history, the best league in the world is being adventurous', and an Arsenal 'spokesman' said 'This proposal would showcase the Premier Legaue worldwide'.
Fans are understandably infuriated by the plans which will see their local team that they have spent money on for many years suddenly playing a 'home' game in Beijing or New York. The idea has been lifted straight from American 'sport' which has seen NFL games played at Wembley and the WWE bring wrestling to arena's across the UK. However our national game surely does not deserve to be sullied in the same way the commercially driven American sports are. Will this increase our brand, or compeltely removed the integrity of our game?
Furthermore would fans in Beijing be happy if it was Fulham v Derby they got as opposed to the big draw of Liverpool v Man Utd? If this first tentative step is taken, how long will it be before stadiums like Old Trafford only host a handful of games a year?
The idea is only a proposal to Premier Legaue chiefs at the moment, but American led clubs like Derby, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Man Utd will want to push their brands across the pond. What will the proposal mean for clubs like Lincoln City down in League Two? Back in August Liverpool owner Tom Hicks told a national newspaper 'The Premier League has the best growth opportunities in world sport', his comments didn't seem to make mention of clubs like ours in League Two. Our level of football is often viewed as a footnote when the big decisions are made, but Premier League bosses should not forget that this league once featured Wigan, and Bradford City of League Two were once part of our games elite. This division and the other two professional leagues should be given consideration when any remodelling is considered.
There is already a feeling that not enough crumbs fall from the Premier League table at the moment, and it seems grossly unfair that the big boys cake will be getting bigger. Surely clubs will also be looking to sign players from these host cities to put a few thousand extra bums on seats. Will this stop clubs scouring the lower leagues for hot new prosspects? Many feel this has happened already.
Crazily the FA haven't immediately come out against the plan, despite the fact it will leave the lower divisions a long way behind the leading pack of 20. All Premier League chairman have said the idea requires 'further investigation', and why wouldn't they? Blank cheques are hard to come by, and no doubt Derby County would be extremely happy to recieve even more money for the fight to get back in the top flight next season. Is this fair on the Colchesters and Scunthorpes of this world who find it hard to compete in the Championship these days.?Once upon a time teams like Wimbledon could rise through the ranks and actively compete, however these days its less likely to find yourself in the Championship play off spots. Some say this increases competition, but it also kills the hope of those not fortunate enough to be able to climb aboard the gravy train.
Its amazing that an island of our size can support 92 football league clubs, a statistic unrivalled across Europe. Furthermore our basement league attracts 3,000-4,000 fans a game, whereas the lower reaches of the Italian league is lucky to scrape 1,000. How much longer can our loyal fans be ignored? I'm sure fans of Wigan Athletic would not relish spending £2,500 to fly over to America and see their team in a crucial relegation battle with Reading, but why should they? Why should fans who ten years ago were stood amongst just 1,000 others watching their side in the LDV Vans Trophy now be ignored once the club has arrived?
These idea's are ludicrus, and if the Premier League sides want to go off and play abroad every football fan in this country should turn their backs on our so called 'top flight', the selfish ignorance of those invovled is not in keeping with the spirit or the romance of the game.
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Scudamore announced his plan less than 24 hours after the nation mourned the loss of life in the 1958 Munich air disaster. The plans seems to confirm the fact football is now purely a money orientated game and couldn't be further removed from the life experienced by those lost in Munich.
It seems most premier league bosses are in favour of the idea, no doubt motivated by the lure of pound notes, and lots of them. However Middlesborough boss Gareth Southgate stood alone with his comment 'is it April 1st? I find it highley unlikely this will happen'.
Sadly Southgates comments will hold little weight by the men chasing the money, with some chairman eager to look at the plans. Birmingham supremo David Gold said 'We are making history, the best league in the world is being adventurous', and an Arsenal 'spokesman' said 'This proposal would showcase the Premier Legaue worldwide'.
Fans are understandably infuriated by the plans which will see their local team that they have spent money on for many years suddenly playing a 'home' game in Beijing or New York. The idea has been lifted straight from American 'sport' which has seen NFL games played at Wembley and the WWE bring wrestling to arena's across the UK. However our national game surely does not deserve to be sullied in the same way the commercially driven American sports are. Will this increase our brand, or compeltely removed the integrity of our game?
Furthermore would fans in Beijing be happy if it was Fulham v Derby they got as opposed to the big draw of Liverpool v Man Utd? If this first tentative step is taken, how long will it be before stadiums like Old Trafford only host a handful of games a year?
The idea is only a proposal to Premier Legaue chiefs at the moment, but American led clubs like Derby, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Man Utd will want to push their brands across the pond. What will the proposal mean for clubs like Lincoln City down in League Two? Back in August Liverpool owner Tom Hicks told a national newspaper 'The Premier League has the best growth opportunities in world sport', his comments didn't seem to make mention of clubs like ours in League Two. Our level of football is often viewed as a footnote when the big decisions are made, but Premier League bosses should not forget that this league once featured Wigan, and Bradford City of League Two were once part of our games elite. This division and the other two professional leagues should be given consideration when any remodelling is considered.
There is already a feeling that not enough crumbs fall from the Premier League table at the moment, and it seems grossly unfair that the big boys cake will be getting bigger. Surely clubs will also be looking to sign players from these host cities to put a few thousand extra bums on seats. Will this stop clubs scouring the lower leagues for hot new prosspects? Many feel this has happened already.
Crazily the FA haven't immediately come out against the plan, despite the fact it will leave the lower divisions a long way behind the leading pack of 20. All Premier League chairman have said the idea requires 'further investigation', and why wouldn't they? Blank cheques are hard to come by, and no doubt Derby County would be extremely happy to recieve even more money for the fight to get back in the top flight next season. Is this fair on the Colchesters and Scunthorpes of this world who find it hard to compete in the Championship these days.?Once upon a time teams like Wimbledon could rise through the ranks and actively compete, however these days its less likely to find yourself in the Championship play off spots. Some say this increases competition, but it also kills the hope of those not fortunate enough to be able to climb aboard the gravy train.
Its amazing that an island of our size can support 92 football league clubs, a statistic unrivalled across Europe. Furthermore our basement league attracts 3,000-4,000 fans a game, whereas the lower reaches of the Italian league is lucky to scrape 1,000. How much longer can our loyal fans be ignored? I'm sure fans of Wigan Athletic would not relish spending £2,500 to fly over to America and see their team in a crucial relegation battle with Reading, but why should they? Why should fans who ten years ago were stood amongst just 1,000 others watching their side in the LDV Vans Trophy now be ignored once the club has arrived?
These idea's are ludicrus, and if the Premier League sides want to go off and play abroad every football fan in this country should turn their backs on our so called 'top flight', the selfish ignorance of those invovled is not in keeping with the spirit or the romance of the game.