"I think it's an idea whose time has come. It's an exciting prospect. It's an extra game, it's is not taking anybody's game away, and it includes all 20 clubs which is very important. All 20 clubs will benefit and there is a huge element of solidarity about it."
Although the proposed plan has angered football fans across the country, I personally see it as a natural progression for a league which regularly broadcasts to over 600 million people in 202 countries. It seems unfair for fans in these countries to not get the chance to see their heroes perform at least once in the calendar year. My only concern is how it will work. The BBC online website set out a four point plan to try and explain.
- An additional round of Premier League fixtures, extending the season to 39 games, from January 2011
- Four clubs to travel to one of five host cities, with two games taking place in each venue over a weekend
- Cities would bid for the right to become a host, not for individual matches
- Points earned from the games would count towards the final Premier League table
If this proposed plan was implimented it would be easy to see how teams could become aggrieved. What if the three extra points up for grabs decided weather Fulham would stay in the premiership this season and they had to play Arsenal in their 39th game, the odds of them winning and staying up would be severely decreased.
It is obviously easy to see the English fans grievances with the proposed plan. Malcolm Clarke co-chairman of the football supporters’ federation told BBC sport:
“I'm fairly confident in predicting that the overwhelming majority of football supporters will be totally opposed to this proposal. This is yet another case of
the Premier League threatening the tradition of our game simply to follow money,"
The stiff competition has not changed my opinion; I believe that the move would be a step in the right direction for not just the premiership but for football as a whole. If premiership games are played in countries such as China, or America then maybe the development of their national game would be stepped up and they would become more of a force in the football world.
However I do support a team in a lower league so therefore it’s easy for me to say that.
1 comment:
When you say the plan will benefit football 'as a whole', do you apply that to teams below the Premiership? I don't see how the idea will benefit them.
Also, as for it being unfair on fans abroad not to go ahead with this plan, it would be unfair on many English fans who pride themselves on watching every game in their team's season. And, if the people abroad cared enough about this, they would come to England to watch the English 'domestic' league.
As a lower league fan, one of my reasons not to leave the country and live abroad would be departing from my beloved Wycombe. Therefore, if football fans in this country cared so much for their clubs, they wouldn't move, and for fans born in other countries, why should England compensate their demand to watch English football when they have 'domestic' leagues in their own countries and could travel here to watch the English teams?
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