EPL chief reckons 39th game WILL happen
Richard Scudamore still believes in his ridiculed 39th game idea. He thinks it will only be a matter of time before the English Premier League turns it into reality.
The 55-year-old EPL chief executive lobbied for an additional round of fixtures to be played abroad, but the unpopular proposal - which was slammed by media and fans - was canned in 2008.
Despite that, Scudamore isn't giving up - even though it was rejected by the English Football Association and Fifa.
He believes EPL clubs want it to happen.
Scudamore told the BBC: "The clubs wanted it then and they all would still probably want it now.
"It will happen at some point - whether it is on my watch, who knows?"
Concession
But he conceded that a contest for points was not needed to attract fans as he pointed to Manchester United's recent pre-season tour of the United States.
The Red Devils' match at the Michigan Stadium against Real Madrid drew a US record of 109,318 spectators, while an all-EPL final in the International Champions Cup against Liverpool brought more than 50,000 fans in Miami.
Scudamore said: "What has been interesting over the summer, particularly in the US, watching those audiences, you could argue that we don't need to do it (the 39th game).
"To get 102,000 to what we would call a pre-season friendly - you wouldn't get more even if there was three points, six points, or even nine points riding on that particular game."
Source: BBC
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