Premier League clubs to have final say on playing matches abroad as vote option emerges

Spanish football will break new ground this season after Villarreal and Barcelona were given permission to play their LaLiga fixture in Miami on December 20 – but English football will not follow suit for now

Complacent Premier League bosses have “no plans” to move any of their domestic fixtures abroad – and claim they have no need to export their brand. Spanish football will break new ground this season after Villarreal and Barcelona were given permission to play their LaLiga fixture in Miami on December 20.

But Premier League chief executive Richard Masters insists English football won’t be following suit – even though clubs voted in favour of a 39th game back in 2008 and it was only binned after world governing body FIFA vetoed it.

Masters said: “LaLiga have been very open about their desire to play matches abroad. The Spanish federation have approved it, but as far as the Premier League’s position is concerned, I’m very clear about it.

“We don’t have plans to play matches abroad. It’s not being discussed around our table. The overall objective of playing matches abroad is to grow that league internationally – but we’re now a genuinely global league.

“All of the data points suggest the Premier League is growing internationally without the need to play matches abroad. We have fantastic international broadcasting partnerships, we’ve got global digital services now for fans to interact with the game and, of course, we’re investing in other things like the Premier League Summer Series.

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“But I think playing matches domestically is where we’re going to stay.” Masters’ optimism that English football’s domestic calendar will remain confined to these shores may not be shared by Premier League clubs – more than half of whom have foreign owners.

If a two-thirds majority – 14 top-flight clubs – decide they fancy playing abroad, Masters will be powerless to stop it. Eleven of this season’s Prem clubs are owned by American majority shareholders alone, and the States would be the No.1 choice for a game abroad, just as regular NBA basketball and NFL gridiron games are already played in London.

Masters insisted: “There is no desire to discuss this at the moment. If La Liga want to do it, and it’s within the global framework of the game, then it’ll be a very interesting thing to observe. But number one, two and three: The Premier League does not have plans to do it.”

In his pre-season briefing, Masters claimed the “lights on the dashboard are flashing green” to indicate the game’s rude health economically.

The rising cost of attendance for match-going supporters, however, remains a huge bone of contention for diehard fans. Bournemouth fans face a 530-mile round trip through Friday traffic for tonight’s opening game at champions Liverpool.

Adult tickets in the Holte end for Aston Villa ’s home game with Newcastle cost an eye-watering £77, while a full adult Chelsea replica kit will set fans back £148.

But Masters said: “We fully understand the relationship between full stadiums being part of the show that goes around the world that makes English football special.

“We’ve had a long period of flat ticket prices – some are going up, but eight clubs have frozen their prices this year, and we’re committed again to the £30 price cap for away fans. Although we can’t get involved in the pricing of kits, clubs do understand affordability.”

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