The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been heavily criticised for saying he believes Premier League fixtures abroad are inevitable.
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) passed a motion at its AGM last week opposing competitive British football matches taking place overseas, a concept first raised by the Premier League in 2008.
In a statement, the FSA said: “We defeated Game 39 in 2008 and we’d attack any attempted revival with a full blown, two feet off the ground, studs to the knee tackle.
“Dear @MayorofLondon – a quick question. Are you really saying you’d be happy to see the North London derby played in LA or NYC?
“We suggest you talk to matchgoers [or the PM!] to find out what supporters really want – and we’re happy to meet you.”
The FSA also referenced a Labour manifesto pledge committing to “making Britain the best place in the world to be a football fan”.
“We’re not sure how moving games abroad against supporter wishes fits with making this country the best place to watch football [or how it fits into environmental/sustainability pledges],” it continued.
The Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust also said they “strongly oppose any Premier League games being played overseas”, while fan website We Are Brighton said on X: “When a politician from the party of government comes out and says something like this, it gives clubs [like Brighton] who don’t want an independent regulator ammo to their claims the government can’t be trusted to set one up.
“Just keep quiet next time, Sadiq Khan. Please.”
Discussions of Premier League matches being played in the United States have intensified recently, with NBC Sports’ Jon Miller saying the network hoped to air matches across the pond soon.
This led chief executive Richard Masters to say the “door looks ajar” for future games in the US, with the prospect of a Manchester United vs Chelsea match in New York reportedly very appealing.
Nine Premier League clubs are majority-owned by Americans, with four of the Big Six under US ownership, including Chelsea and Manchester United.
Birmingham City even recently asked for permission to play next season’s League One match against fellow American-owned side Wrexham in the US.
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has also lent his support, while owner John Henry played down those claims, but there is undoubtedly a growing sentiment towards a move abroad which would make financial sense for both the league and owners.
Speaking on The Sports Agents podcast, Khan said: “I think that’s the way it’s going.
“We’ve seen some other leagues across Europe have some of their competitive games held elsewhere. All 32 NFL teams have now played in London and all of them have had a great experience. We have some of the top baseball teams now playing in London.
“We’ve got seven Premier League clubs in London but when you look at the way the Premier League works, a lot of the revenue they receive is TV rights.
“Liverpool, the team that I support, are currently on tour in America. I think the point that the Premier League would make and some of the owners would make is, why can’t their fans in those countries benefit from a competitive game?
“The key thing for me is to make sure our fans don’t lose out. The thing we’ve learned from American football is often when the players go back to America the next game is an issue because of time zone, because of diet and so forth.”
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