Sadiq Khan says it is inevitable that Premier League matches will be played abroad | Premier League

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, likes to portray himself as a football fanatic, but he has risked upsetting many with his claim that Premier league It is inevitable that matches will be played abroad.

The idea of ​​competitive English top-flight matches being staged outside the country was first proposed by the Premier League in 2008 and was met with immediate backlash from local fans and a number of organisations, including the Football Associationmaking their objections clear as well. The proposal, which would have seen clubs receive around £5m for their participation in an additional “international round”, was quickly scrapped but resurfaced earlier this year when Jon Miller, an executive at NBC Sports, which owns the rights to broadcast the Premier League in the United States, outlined the broadcaster’s desire to hold matches there, with Premier League chief executive Richard Masters declaring shortly afterwards that the “door seems ajar” for such a move.

And now Khan, who in his eight years as London mayor has been a staunch supporter of American sports, specifically the NFL and Major League Baseball, by holding competitive matches in the capital, has waded into the debate with tentative support for soccer to go in the other direction. “I think that’s the way it’s going,” the 53-year-old told the Sports Agents podcast. “We’ve seen other leagues in Europe holding some of their competitive games elsewhere. All 32 NFL teams have played in London and they’ve all had a great experience. We’ve got some of the best baseball teams playing in London now.

“We have seven Premier League clubs in London, but if you look at how the Premier League works, a lot of the revenue they get is from TV rights. Liverpool, the team I support, are currently on tour in the United States. I think the Premier League and some of the owners would raise the point: why can’t their fans in those countries benefit from a competitive match? For me, the key thing is to make sure our fans don’t lose out. What we’ve learned from American football is that often when players come back to the States, the next game is a problem because of time zone, diet, etc.”

Following the comments from Miller and Masters, the Football Supporters Association made clear his opposition to any competitive English match held abroad. “We beat the 39th game in 2008 and would attack any attempt at a revival with a full-blown tackle, two feet off the ground, with studs on the knee,” the FSA said, coming back to the fore in reaction to Khan’s comments. “Dear @MayorofLondon, quick question. Are you really saying you’d like to see the North London derby played in LA or New York?” he wrote on X. “We suggest you speak to the match-goers (or the PM!) to find out what the fans really want, and we’d be happy to hear from you.”

Khan may be aware that Liverpool chairman Tom Werner expressed his desire last month to watch a Premier League match played in New York, as well as in other cities around the worldan idea that was quickly dismissed by club owner John Henry and rejected outright by Liverpool supporters’ union Spirit of Shankly. “Anyone determined to play competitive LFC Premier League matches abroad should remember that we, as fans, are determined that they don’t,” he said.