The possibility of playing competitive matches abroad was discussed at a meeting between Premier League shareholders last week.
This comes less than six months after the idea of a European Super League was condemned by many at the top of the game for the potential impact it would have on the local supporters.
This new proposal means that Leeds United and their fellow top-flight teams would potentially be travelling to countries like the US, China, India, Brazil and Indonesia to fulfill competitive fixtures, according to the Athletic’s David Ornstein.
This isn’t something that would come to fruition in the next couple of seasons but it has worried fans of the involved clubs who already came together to get the Super League decision overturned.
The concept behind the idea is totally understandable as the Premier League is clearly keen to market its product to a larger audience but it signals a lack of respect towards local supporters.
It is an extension of a proposal that was suggested over a decade ago by Richard Scudamore where he tried to drive a ‘39th game’ idea.
He looked at the idea of an extra round of matches that would have been played abroad at five different venues with the clubs planned to receive £5million per game.
While it was thrown out almost immediately by UEFA, FIFA and the FA who all opposed it, the former Premier League chairman claimed that ‘it will happen at some point’.
The initial step to test the viability of the more recent proposal looks likely to be an enhanced pre-season tournament in the US next summer.
With competitions like that already in place, it seems as though there would be a larger number of participating English sides while the tournament itself would last longer than it has in previous years.
For clubs like Leeds, while this kind of proposal provides the potential for growth on a global scale, it continues to show how out-of-touch the footballing authorities are with supporters.
Early responses to the news regarding overseas competitive matches suggest that there will be plenty of furious English fans if the proposal ever comes to fruition.
