Premiership Abroad.

[Jack]

An idea has been brought out that Premiership clubs should play one extra game a season abroad so that more fans can see their club play.

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager has mixed views on this.

Taken from www.arsenal.com

By Richard Clarke

Arsène Wenger is open-minded about the idea of Premier League clubs playing a competitive game overseas in the future - as long as it is for the good of the game and not just for money.

The idea was first mooted on Thursday and immediately brought condemnation from various sections of the football fraternity. The Arsenal manager wants to know much more detail about the proposals before he comes down for or against. However, speaking at his press conference on Friday, he refused to dismiss the notion without further examination.

"By principle, I am not against innovation," he said. "And I like that somebody is thinking 'how can we promote the League and promote English football?'

"But you have to respect basic criteria - the competitiveness of our League, the fairness of our League, and, as well make sure that it is a promotion for our football.

"If it's just to make £5m or £6m more then it's not worth doing. We have to check that it is really to give something competitive to the rest of the world, not just a chance to make a few more millions because that will go into the wages straight away and it will all be equal again. It's not worth doing it only for money.

"Having said that, it deserves a deeper look into because it's not a decision, and you have to think forward always. We are, at the moment, certainly creating a new fan-base.

"What you can say at the moment is that 10 per cent of our fans have access to our competitive games, and 90 per cent have no access at all to competitive games.

"Do you want to give them something? I can agree with that idea. But is this the best way to do it? That has to be checked because I am not completely sure."

Taken from Arsenal.com

What are your views on this. Perhaps you it can raise money for your club, but perhaps it's too complicated on too many games in the Premiership season.

Perhaps this video will give you a better idea.



modified by Steve Gardner to fix video link

[Steve Gardner]

Hmmm. Like Wenger, I'm broadly in favour of innovation and doing anything to raise the profile of the Premiership. What I don't really understand is why they need to play an extra game.

My understanding is that the 'international' fixture will be drawn from a hat, with consideration possibly being given to the clubs' respective league positions at the time the draw is made (I'd be interested to know if this 'consideration' means the top clubs get an easier draw).

But, if the clubs want to play in front of their international fans, why not simply play one of the regular 38 fixtures abroad? Why not make the draw to determine which game will be played abroad and then move the reverse fixture to a neutral venue to ensure no advantage is gained?

For example, if Man Utd are drawn at home to Arsenal in the 2011 season, and if this is the game earmarked as the international fixture, then the reverse fixture, which would otherwise have been at The Emirates, will be played, say, at Villa Park.

This seems to me to achieve the same goal without adding to the fixture congestion.

[Steve Gardner]

This is pretty scathing from Blatter. It's hard to see how the Premier League can ressurect this idea now.

Can't say that I'm bothered. I think it was an ill-conceived notion at best - one that, even if they were to have pressed ahead, wouldn't have needed an extra game anyway.

Source: BBC

The president of football's world governing body Fifa has told the BBC that plans by the Premier League to host games abroad will never happen.

Sepp Blatter also warned that the proposal could harm England's attempt to host the 2018 World Cup.

"This does not take into consideration the fans of the clubs and it gives the impression that they just want to go on tour to make some money," Blatter said.

"This will never happen, at least as long as I am the president of Fifa."

Blatter's comments, in an interview with BBC sports editor Mihir Bose, are the strongest from the governing body since the Premier League's plans were revealed last week.

Top-flight clubs will consider plans to extend the season to 39 games with the extra matches taking place overseas.

But the idea has met with resistance in Asia, Europe and fans in England.

Blatter's stance effectively leave the proposals, for a round of games to take place in five different host cities from January 2011, dead in the water.

"The Premier League is richer than the others, they have more responsibility and what they are trying to do is contrary to this responsibility," he said.

"This is something I cannot understand and definitely the Fifa executive committee will not sanction such an initiative."

A Premier League spokesman said the clubs would "look forward to the opportunity to meet with Fifa in order to discuss this matter in full".

"This was always the starting point in relation to the issue of sanction for the proposed international round, and as such we will be making no comment until after that time," the spokesman added.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore had previously expressed his belief that Fifa could not stop the plan if the clubs receive the go-ahead from England's Football Association.

But Blatter rejected that claim.

"It is not true," he added. "Even if the FA did sanction it, all the national associations receiving these clubs would have to sanction it also. This will be very difficult.

"In addition to that, the Fifa executive committee will apply article two of the Fifa statutes: 'to prevent all methods or practices which might jeopardise the integrity of matches or competitions or give rise to abuse of association football'.

"This is abuse. The rich Premier League is trying to get richer and wants to expand the importance of that league."

There were early signs of Fifa disquiet when it was revealed the governing body had told the Premier League it could not consider the plans until the Football Association had contacted them.

It is understood the FA has held talks with Fifa and is ready to issue a statement distancing themselves from the proposals.

Blatter warned it could affect the FA's bid for the 2018 World Cup.

"When it comes to a decision of the executive committee concerning this matter of the 39th round, and I am sure they will be against it, then it will not have a positive impact on the bid from England for the World Cup in 2018," he added.

Scudamore's plans received a mixed reaction around the world, with the heads of the Asian Football Confederation and Football Federation Australia, which could host any proposed games, rejecting the idea.

The United Arab Emirates Football Association said it would welcome the plan but Uefa boss Michel Platini called it a "nonsense idea".

The proposals were also widely criticised by fans in England and Blatter said he understood their reaction.

"I support the fans 100%," he said. "If I was a fan in England I would say: 'no, please play at home and don't go and exercise your talents abroad'.

"If the plan includes official league matches then, as a fan, I would protest against this."

Fifa will examine the Premier League's proposals at its executive committee meeting on 14 March.

[Jack]

I was going to add this when I got home from school today however seeing as you've done it for me I needn't bother.

I totally agree, it's such a waste of time to organise and to be quite honest it'd never work and anyway, we can now watch all the games in our own country!