Petition Against The PL's Proposal

I guess I'll sign it too. Considering Brazil's recent aviation history, there ain't gon be no planes comin' here.

A Premier League's game in Tokyo, never, what a stupid idea.

We need to pass this to as many people as possible, if this happens, the league will be knackered within ten years. It sounds a lot but when you consider it's been running for nearly 100 years......well that's a lot of hard word to become undone by one ridiculous notion.

As an Arsenal fan in Australia, I think it's a great idea to have ONE extra fixture in the entire season overseas. It would give supporters from other countries a rare chance to see their teams in action maybe once a year. It's all well and good to say that it's the responsibility of overseas supporters to make the trip to the UK, but there are a lot of fans who simply are unable to because of the costs involved. For example, if I wanted to go to the Emirates stadium to watch a game (assuming I can get tickets) it would cost upwards of 1,000 pounds for the trip and accommodation alone, never mind the tickets. There aren't many supporters who would be willing or able to cough up this kind of cash on a regular basis. I don't think one game would make a dramatic impact on overall standings in the context of a whole season - an extra 90 minutes out of 3,500 minutes of League football played per season is not a lot. However, it will do a great deal in promoting the best football League in the world to a wider audience.

I'm an Arsenal fan from Australia too madgoon and I agree with Rocky too. We have our own league, watch that if you wnat to watch live football. You chose to be an Arsenal fan, Arsenal didnt chose you. When you chose to be an Arsenal fan you didnt do it expecting Arsenal games to come to you, you did it cos you liked the sport and the team, nothing should change in that just because football is becoming more and more a business amd the people who run it greedier doesn't mean a domestic league should go international. The Club World Cup is a big enough joke as it is without this going on.

You didn't so much ask Kev, as give his name out.....I know it was all in fun, but that wasn't the petitions intention!!! HTH's

OziGooner - I do watch and support the A-League. And no - I didn't support Arsenal because they would be playing local fixtures. But I don't see any harm in giving fans from overseas a chance to see their team in competitive action.

I dont see any harm in bringing the odd exhibition game to Australia or China or where ever it may be madgoon but adding an extra round to a competition that already has every team play home and away just so you cann make a few extra bucks is the point where it stops being sport at all and is just plain expoitative business.

"I would refute this is a commercially driven exercise." Peter Scudamore. hahahahhaahahahahahaha anyone want fries with that whopper?

If they'd eliminate the league cup, and make it like a...Budweiser Cup of Foreigners yadda yadda. The winner would get an waffle cup position. And a nice trophy. That would leave the nearly virginal(to you brits) premier league intact. -----What's my real name?Why the hell are you lot calling me Kevin if you don't know think it's Kevin -.-'.And yes, it is kevin.

Of course there are fans all over the world, but the basis that all football clubs are able to run on is that of paying customers. And adding a fixture to a season in such a random haphazzard way can only be bad. All you are looking at is the chance to watch your team in the flesh, you're not considering the implications of completely overhauling the structure of our league that has stood for over 100 years. It might be nice for fans in other parts of the world to see the team play, but at the cost of ruining football?!?! Use your head here man.

What a bunch of reactionaries! I'm an American Arsenal fan and i try to get over to London at least once a season to see the lads in action live... why is it such a hardship to have the team come over here to America once a season. I'd love to see some REAL football here at home once. Face it fellow supporters, the Arsenal is a global team now. We love its london and English roots and always will, but I don't think it's such a sacrilege to think the team could get outside the UK once a year. Think of we overseas supporters!

Signed Rocky. I support OziG's views here, I am not from the UK, and maybe someday I will see the Arsenal live at the Grove. In the meantime, there is always the opportunity to travel to pre-season, and Champions League games. This move does impact the integrity of the League. Lets say, that ManU and Arsenal are level on points after 38 games, and the random draw throws up Derby for ManU, and West Ham United for Arsenal. The same impact will be felt for relegation battles too, while the 18th ranked team might face one of the top 5 teams in their 39th game, while the 17th ranked team might play the 15th ranked team. This idea reeks of stupidity from every angle. Also, what is the demand going to be overseas for a Derby Vs Bolton game (in case the random draw throws up such a fixture) ? Its the top 6-8 teams that have a truly global following, and if necessary, they could play friendly pre-season fixtures against each other, to enhance the appeal of the Premiership. I'm extremely disappointed that PHW agreed to such a scheme. Teams and managers are struggling to cope with competitive fixtures, and one extra game will only add to that. I dont think managers will be too pleased. Petitions like this, where we voice our dislike for the proposal will hopefully get the PL to change their minds when they investigate the viability of this proposal further.

prits: Maybe they have to iron out some of the details on how they formulate the draw but is this the issue or the fact that it will played overseas? They could structure it so that 1st plays 20th, 2nd plays 19th, etc. Would you consider that to be fairer? As to who would pay to watch a Derby Vs Bolton game, you'd probably find that the attendance would be at least on par with either team's home crowd. Giving these "lesser teams" more international exposure can only help to improve their fan base.

It is wrong to say that the formation of the Premier League in 1992 changed the competition - it didn't - it just changed the name that is all. The League has endured for more than a century because of it's essential fairness. What is being proposed is to introduce a random element where the title, issues of european qualification and relegation will all be resolved by the luck of the draw. This compromises the fairness of the competition and financially will only serve to increase revenues at the big clubs. As someone else pointed out Arsenal-ManU might sell out the MCG but Derby-Wigan won't. If there is a need to play overseas then get rid of one of the European competitions in favour of a global one.

I dont agree with the premise of your 1st 'contradiction', Trennon. This not about foreign or domestic, if this same scheme involved playing the extra game at Wembley, it would face the same amount of opposition.

I completely disagree prits. An extra game at Wembly would have no reason to happen because it would provide no advantage to anyone involved in the game. So therefore it is only based on foreign. Most of the arguements against this come down to fixture overload and player fatigue from long travelling. United went and played in Sauidi Arabia in January for a small cash cow. The players, the board and the fans didnt moan one little bit about it. They came home and flattened Spurs in the FA cup. I truly believe that is simply about a load of people who have already made there mind up and so they are hell bent on signing petitions. I say lets see what plan they have and what the finer details are before handcuffing ourselves to the FA's entrance hall.

This is nothing to do with taking the game onto the international scene, which is bad enough, and everything to do with turning the league into a complete mockery. How you can not see that playing an uneven amount of games against random teams is not bad for the game is beyond me. Whilst I still think it would be a very bad idea, taking one of the existing fixtures and playing it abroad would be an infinitly better idea, which just goes to show how stupid this idea is.

Its a sign of things to come...i for one dont agree its a good idea. For one thing english football is loosing its soul just as Wenger has often said. Why not ask the same of Italian Serie A...or of the Spanish league...why the over-commercialization of the English PL??? They would be silly to endorse such an idea...its just best to have friendly matches or pre-season matches in any country...let each country develop its league..as Rocky said there are loads of fans here in england who can't afford to watch their teams play. The footballers - in the top teams- themselves have to endure the rigours of competeing for 3-4 cups.....now they have to add the effects of globe-trotting everywhere....amidst heightenend expectations...no way - its a dumb idea

I can imagine there are loads Arsenal/Manu/Chelsea/Liverpool fans world-wide...but how many people would turn up to watch Wigan play Birmingham in Singapore or Australia? i've been to other countries and i know that there are only 4-5 PL teams that are watched with more than a passing interest...every country should develop its own league. Its shouldnt be all about the money...there used to be a time when football meant more

Trennon, I guess Rocky and Amos have responded to what you're saying. The arguments you mentioned are not the biggest reason for opposing this idea. Its not a question of making my mind up soon, the proposal is out there for everyone to read. Trust me dude, I would love to see the Arsenal live soon, but not in this manner. And I am one of those international fans.

sport, you might need to read the fine print. This scheme involves 39 games for each club.

i say scrap one of the intl friendlies...and then play this game.........

Prits I meant English fans and season ticket holders still get 38games

As an expat whose last live match was Seaman's testimonial, I'd like nothing more than to catch a match in Bangkok, KL, or even Singapore, but a 39th league match? No fu(kin way... It would make a mockery of a system that no one can argue proves who is the best team over the course of a season... Surely something relatively unimportant such as the cc semi would be a better idea if the league insist on pursuing this line of 'thinking'... On a side note it's not as he the pl actually needs more international exposure is it?

Oops my bad soz people...

i think Arsenal will play in an Arabic city, most likey Dubai becoz of the Emirates connection. chelski will go to Korea, Manure to China, LiverFool to Singapore.

Already did.

I dont understand why even foreign fans support this idea. I have my local team in football and if they decided they were to take them to China to play legue matches I'd be livid , if any other international fan in favour of this idea has a local team in any sport not just football, think about it from that perspective.

Signed. And I’m from Hong Kong, one of the cities that could potentially ‘benefit’ from such a plan should it get inplemented; now living in London. Spending my holiday now back home these few days, I’ve chatted with my father (a good old ManU fan btw, who’s never been to Old Trafford) and my uncle (Liverpool fan who’s never been to Anfield either) and apparently even these fans don’t like the idea because it’s potentially very unfair and disruptive to the English game, even though they do want to see their teams very badly. And as Arsene said, 90% of our fans are overseas, then so what? Does holding a game with like 40,000 people watching help to change anything in 1% of them?!