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

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).

Print This Article