European Club Association Chair Andrea Agnelli called for English football and the Premier League to be "streamlined," with fewer domestic matches played, according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Agnelli pointed out that top-flight clubs in England can play up to 53 games in the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, while their equivalents in Germany -- "with a small league and only one cup -- play a maximum of 43." Agnelli, who is also the chair of Juventus, said that there should be "a general reduction" in domestic games, with more int'l club matches. He also "wants to see a cut" in the number of int'l breaks, "perhaps by squeezing three internationals into one window." Any move to reduce the size of the Premier League would be "hugely controversial in England," though the "Big Six" clubs -- Arsenal, Liverpool, ManU, Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham -- are "more likely" to be in favor. Agnelli: "Ten games difference at the end of the season: it’s a lot of games on one club with respect to the other so there is a lot of streamlining that can be done and also ensuring some proper rest periods for the players. The players are not machines" (LONDON TIMES, 9/11).
