English clubs’ interest in playing matches abroad has prompted the Premier League to explore the possibilities of expansion overseas.
The league was forced to scrap plans six years ago to add an extra 39th round of matches at venues across the world amid opposition domestically and from FIFA, but Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore recently acknowledged that clubs still back the idea.
People with knowledge of the situation said that the clubs have now asked the league to conduct a feasibility study into global expansion options. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions have been in private.
Although playing a regular-season game abroad would appear unlikely in the immediate future, the league is looking into organizing lucrative pre-season friendlies and expanding the existing Premier League Asia trophy tournament to other continents.
The international interest in pre-season games was highlighted by Manchester United’s friendly against Real Madrid in Michigan in August. Organized by a third party, it attracted a crowd of more than 109,000.
When asked about Premier League pre-season or even regular-season games abroad, Manchester United managing director Richard Arnold said: “That’s still an area that’s under some development. You’ve seen on the tour the engagement we get abroad.”
Premier League matches are broadcast to 650 million homes in 175 nations, according to league statistics.
The league has been wary about reviving plans to take a game abroad after the initial discussion in 2008 angered both domestic fans and FIFA, with questions also about upsetting the balance of the division by inserting an extra fixture.
“The clubs wanted it [a regular-season game abroad in 2008] and they all would still probably want it now,” Scudamore told the BBC in August. “It will happen at some point. Whether it is on my watch, who knows?”
Pointing to the crowds at some pre-season friendlies in the US, Scudamore said: “You wouldn’t get more even if there was three points, six points or even nine points riding on that particular game.”
While clubs like United and Liverpool can secure lucrative deals for pre-season games, it would be clubs with smaller global fan bases that could benefit from the Premier League helping to organize fixtures.
The Spanish league organized its second World Challenge tour ahead of this season, for UD Almeria, Atletico Madrid, RC Deportivo de La Coruna, Malaga and Valencia, while Barcelona and Real Madrid cut their own deals.
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