EPL's Plans For 39th Game Appear To Be On Hold Until At Least 2013

The English Premier League's (EPL) plans to add a 39th game in int'l markets to the annual schedule "have been put on hold for at least five years after the League acknowledged that it would not be possible to address concerns about the project in time for their next television deal," according to Paul Kelso of the London TELEGRAPH. The EPL is in the first season of a three-year TV contract and is "likely to tender" for the 2010-11 to 2013-14 live rights in Q1 of '09. Given the timetable, there is "little prospect of the League overcoming the opposition of members of the football family and winning the approval of their member clubs." EPL CEO Richard Scudamore said that he was "continuing to examine options for overseas competitive league fixtures," and noted that the EPL "would present final proposals in February." But Kelso notes it "appears Scudamore and his advisers are resigned to the scheme having to wait" until the start of the 2013-14 season at the earliest (London TELEGRAPH, 10/10). Meanwhile, Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed bin Hammam, one of the "most vocal opponents" of the EPL's 39th game plan, has been "persuaded that if an international round does go ahead, the Premier League and its clubs will operate as 'partners' and help develop football across the continent." bin Hammam: "I see they are responsible people and I do not see it as all being about money and greed. When we talked, I saw that Richard Scudamore does really care about football and fans and the national associations, and that touched us a lot" (Manchester GUARDIAN, 10/10).

QUIETING CONCERNS: Scudamore Thursday responded to UEFA President Michel Platini's suggestion that there are too many foreign owners and players in the EPL by saying, "We are living in a sophisticated country and fans know what modern Britain is all about. It doesn't matter if you are foreign, whatever that means. It's about how well you run your club. No one lives in isolationist, parochial times" (LONDON TIMES, 10/10). Meanwhile, League Managers' Association (LMA) CEO Richard Bevan Thursday responded to FA Chair Lord David Triesman's remarks about the EPL's US$5.1B debt, saying, "I am sure Lord Triesman is a capable man but you don't go into the public domain and start talking about debt when we have had the biggest crash around the world since 1929." Bevan added, "What concerned me was people playing politics with the game of football. He was either naive or badly advised. That is what I would have expected from Michel Platini, not Lord Triesman" (London TELEGRAPH, 10/10). In London, Henry Winter reports Bevan is "mobilising 'the talent' of the game," including the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and Professional Football Coaches Association (PFCA), to form a "collective capable of challenging the established order from UEFA" to the FA. Bevan: "Together we have immense power, more than Michel Platini, Lord Triesman and people running the game. You will see the PFA, PFCA and LMA working closely together in driving the game in a more positive way, on the pitch and off it" (London TELEGRAPH, 10/10).