12-05-2025
Regulator is still bad idea but at least this one knows how football works
The 39th game. Everyone hated that. Hated it, and saw it off. The public reaction to Richard Scudamore's proposal to play an extra league match abroad, for the money, was so negative the idea has never resurfaced. We know some owners would entertain it, though, because Liverpool's chairman, Tom Werner, said his dream was to stage Premier League matches around the world. And he won't be alone.
This is why, in the football regulator bill, there is a clause covering the issue. Clubs must seek the regulator's permission, it says, 'to move home games elsewhere'. That's not strong enough, apparently. Amendments have been proposed specifically to prevent games from being taken abroad. And, at first glance, it's a populist tap into an empty net. Isn't
