The Premier League‘s chief football officer, Tony Scholes, has insisted there are “no conversations taking place to” play matches in the USA.
With half of the 20 Premier League clubs now owned by majority shareholders whose wealth comes from America, there have been fears rumbling on that there could be an effort to take games over the Atlantic.
These worries were furthered when Premier League CEO Richard Masters said that while “it is not part of” their current plans, “the door looks ajar for matches abroad.”
President of acquisitions and partnerships at NBC, who own TV rights for the Premier League in America, John Miller told the Athletic: “This is a point that we’ve had conversations with the Premier League and they’ve been very open and receptive to listening to me.
“At some point in the future, I would love to see a couple of Premier League games open the season here in big stadiums on our opening weekend.
“I know that’s something that we’ll continue to push for because I think that there’s an American audience here that would like to see regular season games.”
Thankfully, the Premier League‘s chief football officer, Scholes, has now attempted to allay fears, saying (h/t SportsPro) : “Over the last couple of years we have played a number of pre-season games in the US.
“We have an excellent broadcast partner in the US and viewing figures are strong there.
“So, I would personally say I don’t see a need to do that and I could absolutely say there’s no conversations taking place to do it.”
Liverpool’s stance on Premier League matches abroad
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner caused a stir in last June when he told the Financial Times that he is “determined one day to have a Premier League game be played in New York City.”
A month later, Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan rejected that stance.
“In that case, Tom was speaking personally,” Hogan told the Athletic, reflecting on Werner’s comments.
“I think not too far after that John was quoted as saying that’s not something we’re actively looking at or pursuing.”
Asked whether he sees the situation heading towards fixtures being played in the US, Hogan replied: “No, I don’t believe so.
“From our perspective, ultimately, that’s not a Liverpool decision and our owners have said that’s not something we’re interested in.”
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