Liverpool vs Man U in KL? Let social media decide
FOOTBALL is truly a global game. That’s why footballers collect so many air miles in pre-season (and increasingly post-season) from jetting around the world to play in glamour friendlies with their clubs.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham have all played friendly matches in Kuala Lumpur in recent years. But what about a proper competitive Premier League fixture? Could we see one of those in Malaysia or elsewhere in the region?
Possibly. The Spanish La Liga (surely in Malaysia it should be called Liga Lah) has just announced a deal to play one of their league games in the United States from next season. The decision has reportedly been met with outrage by players.
The English Premier League has even more global appeal than Spain’s top flight and so this move is likely to reignite debate about the EPL doing something similar. Indeed, an even more radical proposal was put forward a decade ago by former EPL Chief Executive Richard Scudamore.
Scudamore’s “39th Game” scenario would have seen an entire round of fixtures added to the league calendar, with games played in different cities across the world. Opposition from fans as well as FIFA and UEFA, killed the idea back then.
But I’m sure it’s not off the agenda and will still be discussed among club chairmen. The EPL resembles the Kardashian family in its pursuit of ever greater fame and fortune.
The biggest clubs in the world are becoming detached from national boundaries. An estimated 10,000 fans at every Barcelona game are tourists from outside Spain. I’ve been in that figure myself on two occasions.
English clubs such as Manchester United are also attracting many “tourist fans”.
But how much more lucrative might it be for clubs to go to their fans overseas instead? The Liverpool vs Manchester United friendly in the US last month drew a crowd of over 100,000.
That was for the game that Jose Mourinho subsequently claimed he wouldn’t have wasted his money on. I think the Man U boss prefers to waste money on players. If the EPL does decide to play fixtures abroad, Jose probably won’t be put in charge of marketing.
I’m unlikely to get that job either since I think the idea is a terrible one. The clue is in the title: English Premier League; the games of that league should be played in England (and Cardiff, in Wales).
English football is phenomenally popular all over the world and doesn’t need to chase every passing pound or dollar.
The more the EPL attempts to court fans abroad, the more it risks alienating those at home – who go to games regularly while suffering high ticket prices and kick-off times designed to suit television viewers.
The league is a pure form of globalisation; it draws global talent, is watched by a global audience, and many of its clubs are international brands.
Owners and executives are perfectly entitled to view their clubs as brands. But fans don’t support a “brand”, they follow a club. Local supporters generally do not choose their club; they are inducted into it.
Overseas supporters have more choice but they are no less loyal.
The loyalties of football clubs are becoming more complex though: those who go to games, those watching on TV, international supporters, and in some cases the stock exchange – not necessarily in that order.
Playing games abroad would be good for some of those groups but keeping them all content simultaneously is no easy task.
So, should EPL games be played outside of England? Let’s have a debate on Twitter and Facebook. And maybe we’ll see an EPL game here in Malaysia sometime soon.
CraigWilkie. Football Writer. Football Coach. Football Fan. Follow him on Twitter@ ciwilkie