Fifa rejects Premier League plans

[Lofts]

From the BBC website

Fifa rejects Premier League plans

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."


Interview: Mihir Bose with Sepp Blatter

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.

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

Sepp Blatter
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.


This will not have a positive impact on the bid from England for the World Cup in 2018

Sepp Blatter
Premier League chief executive Peter 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.

DEBATE ON MIHIR BOSE BLOG
With the amount of negative reaction coming from every direction, I think it's a waste of time for the PL to be pursuing it any further

Oliver Lewisohn
"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.

[Unrighteous]

Thank god for that.

[Lofts]

the quotes are taken from this interview

BBC Sport Player - Blatter rules out Premier League plan

[Lofts]

i think this just makes the fa look fuckin stupid

[kelly jones]

Originally Posted by Lofts

i think this just makes the fa look fuckin stupid

nothing new there lad

[Red Mist]

Fuck FIFA. I'm not too enthusiastic about this idea the Premiership clubs have cooked up (nor am I hysterically against it like some irrational fools who haven't thought about the plan but like sheep are jumping on the bandwagon and declaring mankind would be doomed if this venture were to succeed) but Blatter's comments are yet another intrusion by his autocratic organisation into the affairs of English football.
If anything happens in English football you can bet your arse the Swiss dictator of international football will stick his nose in.
His is a power-mad organisation filled with greedy bureaucrats who are making a shitload of money off football. Yet he begrudges our clubs from doing the same. So fuck him, the sanctimonious, self-important, crooked cock sucker.

[SpeedyG]

Originally Posted by Lofts

i think this just makes the fa look fuckin stupid

EPL actually.

[real red]

Originally Posted by Lofts

i think this just makes the fa look fuckin stupid

Originally Posted by SpeedyG

EPL actually.

It's not the "EPL". It was the "FA Premier League" or "FAPL" until recently, but they dropped "FA" bit.

The FA look stupid - in the eyes of FIFA -for not standing up to them.

[Paul Don]

What a crying shame. This has once again demonstrated the complete ineptitude and 'out-of-touch-with-the-common-supporter' ness of the FA.

For once, Sepp Blatter manages not to talk out of his ring.

[real red]

I can see Platini and Blatter looking at it from another angle too - can they make money out of this?

Platini - CL finalists, UEFA Cup finalists, four teams invited based on "criteria" (pulling power) split into two groups of four for two mini-tournaments. One in SE Asia. One in the US. Top two from each go into another mini-tournament, played in another exploitable territory. Loadsomoney for each club involved. If it's not going to be three mini tournaments, it could be done in one country, possibly played on the alternate years where there there's no WC or Euros. It would be no worse for each player than they'd get if they were playing in a World Cup.

Blatter - Same idea, but with obviously less European teams instead. Like the thing they have now, the Tokyo one, but moved to summer for more money. They've tried this kind of thing before, but if they can get the money that the Premier League thought was there then it's more likely to be attractive. Blatter would probably have to agree to a split of the money that differed based on which football region the teams come from - more for UEFA than Oceana and so on.

The Premier League have sewn the seeds, but will only get a share of the product.