The controversial topic of Premier League matches being played overseas has been the subject of previous attempts by the top flight owners to do so. One such attempt was the infamous “Game 39” initiative, which the Premier League proposed in 2008 and which called for the addition of a 39th round of matches, with points from these matches being played in various locations across the world and counting towards the Premier League table.
In order to allow football fans in other countries to watch competitive matches live without having to travel to the UK, the 39th round of Premier League matches was added. This was a fairly overt Trojan Horse tactic, as it used the justification that Premier League club supporters would not be left out of the regular schedule, which consisted of 19 home and 19 away games.
It was presented as a clear win-win scenario with no downsides for the typical traditional UK matchgoer. A (perhaps) risk-free approach for Premier League teams to make even more money to help pay for signing the top players, etc
We all understood, of course, that once this Trojan Horse was allowed through the gates, the pressure would only increase and some of the 38 regular rounds of Premier League matches would need to be added.
Fortunately, at the time, strong pushback from everyone from FIFA to Premier League team supporters succeeded in pushing it back.
But this problem has never really gone away.
The owners will never stop trying to break the system because they see the possibility of massive extra riches on top of the enormous riches they already generate, as demonstrated by the failed Super League attempt by the six Premier League clubs and their criminal partners on the continent. The Premier League is the dominant league in the world, and as such, the financial gap between it and rival leagues / countries continues to grow every year.The situation is made worse by the increasing number of American owners of Premier League teams, who come from a culture in sports where the goal is for all club owners to gain as much money as possible amongst them, via any means necessary. Relegation doesn’t exist, but if a City’s team isn’t profitable, it can be moved thousands of miles away, and the team could be let go. American football games have long been played outside of the United States, with games taking place in London and other foreign places due to the constant need to increase profits.
Regardless, the prospect of Premier League games being held abroad has resurfaced because of a FIFA DECISION