Premier League look abroad

[toni01]

^^That article is not entirely accurate.

He said he was not opposed to it outright that he was very pro innovation and keeping the Premier league as the number 1 league in the world, and also liked the the idea of giving something back to the foreign fans bla bla bla, but when he was asked to give a percentage, asked if he was 50/50 or was more approving then disapproving, he said that no, it was more like 80% against it 20% for it....but that he would not rule it out just because it was a new and different idea!

Still too positive for my liking, but his thinking seems to be that's if teams like Chelsea and United deem it acceptable to go and play money spinning tours with the sole intention of making money and selling shirts to foreign fans then they have no right to complain about a meaningful tour emerging. He thinks if you are gonna sell the product to Asia etc then you have to sell them the actual product, with some meaning rather then merely making money off them and offering them nothing meaningful in return. He is very opposed to pre-season tours for that very reason,  adding that if the 39th game is only about money he is against it, but if its about the fans he is for it. So essentially he is not giving his backing to the idea, and he is by no means saying they should go and play this 39th game, he is just saying that he doesn't agree with the opposition to the idea, rather it needs more investigation before people can actually make a decision, at least thats what i understood him to be saying.

[Lucky*7*]

I think whats even more shocking than these plans is Sepp Blatter being logical.

[toni01]

Sepp is not being logical, Sepp is being his typical arrogant self, its just this time his arrogant self is going against the illogical! So I guess he is therefore being logical but due to stubbornness and pigheadedness rather then through his capacity for reasonable behaviour and thought! If the Premier League had gone to Fifa 1st there would not be any of this hostility. I said at the time, as soon as it became apparent that the Premier league had announced the plans before consulting Fifa, the idea was dead in the water, because Sepp's ego will not allow anything to happen that has not gone through him 1st...having stupid ideas is after all in Sepp's job description!

I mean as stupid ideas goes this 39th game comes 2nd only to the Premier League's previous brilliant idea of wanting to scrap draws and introduce penalty shoot outs to decide winners for all Premiership game You do begin to wonder what kind of morons are running football, don't you?

[Lucky*7*]

I dont think Platini has a problem with just the EPL i think he has a problem with anyone that isnt Platini, Like Toni said it makes you think about pretty much everyone in high places in football, they all seem to have themselfs or their organisation as primary concern, even if that harms the game.

[toni01]

I think generally the opposition comes from the fact that at the end of the day its the English league. If an American or like me a Scot or any other nationalty for that matter wants to watch an English league match live then we should travel to England, not the other way round. English fans who have been watching their team for decades should not have to pay thousands of pounds on travel and hotel costs to fly to Beijing in top of their season ticket costs, just because the FA want to make some money. As hard as it sounds the Premiership is not set up for anyone other then the English people, there are American, Japanese, Welsh, Australian etc leagues for their fans, if you like the English league well then come over and watch it, there is nothing stopping you, but you have to come to it not the other way round, otherwise its totally wrong.

Also, how many Asians or Americans are there playing in the Premiership? Very, Very few. How many Africans are there, loads! So if it was about letting the players go back to the countries they were born and giving something back to the fans, we would go to Africa but its not its about money and its sick! 

The Premiership are valuing foreign fans over local fans and that is the backbone to the argument, it cant be allowed to happen. A fan who has seen every match for 40 years (as several people I know have) can not be told either pay a fortune or miss a game, so that we can sell Wigan shirts to the people of Singapore.... its totally immoral and wrong and luckily will never be allowed to happen!

[jademufc]

^ Completely agree.  I'm all for the PL touring European nations and even Africa, since that's what makes up the bulk of the league in the first place. 
I don't give a shit if United for example, never go to the USA or Asia, why would our fans care about that?  To make more money for the club? Sorry, we have enough already. 

[jademufc]

It IS all about money, and the negative factors of this 'game 39' far outweigh any benefits.  We aren't a bloody travelling circus show, why should the team tour other countries just for the sake of money and publicity?  Is that going to help them win trophies? No. 
I live 20 minutes away from Old Trafford, I know some fans who follow the club EVERYWHERE but why should we shell out loads of money to see them thousands of miles away playing unimportant games?  If foreign fans want to see United, they should come here.  End of!
I personally hope FIFA listens to public opinion here, and throws out this ridiculous idea. 

[toni01]

I kind of feel like people just don't want them in America.  Any where but America.

If it's all about money, like some people are claiming, how do you know FOR FACT that it cannot benefit the English people?  If they pay $2000 for the entire team to travel & stay abroad but you recoup $500,000 and gain momentum, that can benefit the English people.  I honestly think its kind of selfish that people are saying well we have been watching for 40 years so nobody else can really get the chance to watch because we must be able to watch every single game.  English people can just pay $100 to go to a game while Americans must pay at least $400 in airfare, $200 in hotel plus the cost of a ticket?  That's not helping the PL at all.  But if its really about having the best players, the best coaches and people around for the future of my team, then the money is at the forefront.  If it were me, I would say yes, go abroad and make money off of the Americans and whoever else because hopefully (and it quite possibly could go this way) it could reduce financial stress of the goods are already paying to the club.  At first people complain well the ticket prices are going up and everything I want to buy about the club is getting expensive so why not allow this to be a chance to get back some of your money.

And to jademufc...if the fans don't care, why the fuss?  Why the fuss about them making more money if its NOT hurting your pockets?  It could BENEFIT you.

The PL has people from all over and while there aren't hardly any Americans, why is it that they can only go play in their home countries?  Why not tour the entire world?  Why not play an extra game a year and make half a million, especially with the exchange rate now a days.

You can't have it both ways and I think that people complain about rising prices and without knowing the details of whats going on, assume that this is disloyal.  I think that people can miss a game once a year and still go on.  It is my opinion that people will have to decide: pay the PL what they can make abroad and stick with the 38 game season or sit back at home and watch the games on television and possibly keep some money in your pocket.

At the end of the day, no one really knows the plans and cannot say with absolute positivity what the plan is.  I think that is why SAF was upset with the leak.  I don't think they've finished sorting it out and I hope that they come to a conclusion to play abroad and keep the English happy as well (although I know some are not even upset with it).  I would really look forward to that one game a year.

They wont, there is no chance of this happening, the chairmen of Liverpool, Arsenal and United have all withdrawn their support very public ally, Fifa are against, Uefa are against it, practically every country they aimed to play in bar America are against it, the fans are VERY against it, most of the players are against it, the FA are against it....essentially most people dont want it so it wont happen!

I dont see whats selfish about fans expecting to see all the games of the team you support! With all due respect United or Liverpool or whoever dont play games for American fans, its for English fans....its the English Premiership! Its not selfish for the English fans to feel annoyed that they spend money week in and week out on supporting their team, just to be told that the Premier league want to go and appease fans who at the end of the day dont really matter, just to make money! If the American fans loose interest in Liverpool thats not gonna effect Liverpool, if there is an exodus of Liverpool based fans who switch their allegiance to Everton, Liverpool are in crisis. The people who fill the stadiums week in and week out have to come before fans who will see one match a year....assuming the team they support visits the country they live in, I mean how many Americans will rush to see Bolton v's Wigan....cause United, Liverpool etc will got to Asia and the middle East not America, more money over there!

For me this comes down to a simple point, the Enlgish Prmeirhsip is not played for anyone other then English fans, yes other fans enjoy it and thats great, but they have thier own leagues! In the same respect as if I wanted to go watch the Colorado rapids  or the Urawa Red Diamonds i would have to go to see them in their country not just expect them to come to me! If foreign fans want to watch a Premierhsip match live well then come and watch a match over here, dont expect people who have supportered their teams every week for generations to fly to them....I dont think its the English fans that are being selfish perosnally! If you want to support a team out with your own country you have to expect not to see them without travelling to that country, thats life and football is not about money! If it was about money no one would watch football outside the Premiership. If Arsenal or United were relegated there would still be a hard core group of supporters who would go every week, look at Leeds, they are the people who really matter and who have to come 1st!

[Crisoliza]

^completely agree.

If I wanna watch an United match, I will much prefer to watch United at Old Trafford than travelling to Malaysia to watch them play. And its coming from an Asian.

Terrible idea. I will be offended if I was an English.

[jademufc]

Well said Toni.  I have signed the petition and will get others to do so.  

[jademufc]

I really doubt it will happen, there's growing anger from the fans and now even the clubs themselves are speaking out against it.  English league for English fans.  Oh, and FIFA are against it as well.

[pumpkin416_part2]

I'm not sure I entirely have this plan worked out.  They would play 1 game abroad and one at home? Or would they play a game away, a game at home, and then 1 abroad?  I'm an American fan, and I don't know what to think of it.  A part of me thinks it'd be really nice to see, but another part of me's skeptical.  Don't some teams already come over here to play against some MLS teams?  I'd be okay with seeing that.