With news that some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League are considering changes to the Champions League, fans have vowed to resist any plans to have Champions League games played in the United States or Asia. The plan to make changes to the Champions League format will likely have an effect on online betting during the Champions League next season.
According to reports, officials from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United met with American Businessman Stephen Ross, who owns the NFL’s Miami Dolphins franchise. The high-profile meeting fueled speculation that there could be an attempt to make changes to the format of the European tournament.
Since reports of the meeting made headlines, the clubs denied they were attempting to leave the Premier League to join a rumoured super league. However, the clubs admitted that the meeting was to discuss the upcoming International Champions Cup, which Ross’ company organises, and changes to the Champions League’s current format.
According to another report, the clubs supposedly also discussed playing some Champions League games in the United States and the Far East to meet the demands of a growing audience.
The ICC is a preseason tournament played in the United States, China, and Australia. The tournament is contested between the top European Clubs and has been a commercial success since it started. However, any plans to have Champions League games played in any of those countries will be met with resistance from English fans.
Sean Bones, the spokesperson for Manchester United Supporters Trust, told reporters that he will not support any proposal to have Champions League games played in the United States or Asia.
Bones, who said he was 100 percent against the proposed changes, said that Manchester United’s owner Brian Glazer, who is American, is all about maximising profits, but the team’s fans would rather the traditions of the club and football maintained.
Liverpool recently angered fans when the club raised the price of tickets. The price hike led to Liverpool fans protesting and walking out of a game and ultimately resulted in the club scrapping their plans.
If the clubs decide to move Champions League games to the United States or Asia, they will have to deal with the backlash from their fans, which will surely affect their bottom lines.
Alan Galley, the chairman of Manchester City Supporters Club said the possibility of moving Champions League games to North America and Asia was crazy. Galley said the club owners are already making a lot of money as it is, and the fans will be the ones that suffer when changes like the proposed moving of the games are made.
The prospect of playing Champions League games in other countries was first proposed in 2008. At the time, England’s Football Association, UEFA, and FIFA were against the idea, which is why it is so surprising that they now think it is a good idea.
According to Tim Rolls, the chairman of Chelsea Supporters Trust, the Premier League clubs contemplating the move should be wary of alienating their supporters. Rolls admitted that he couldn’t speak for fans in other countries, but he believes that fans in countries like Spain and Italy can’t be too thrilled about the possibility of Champions League games being played elsewhere either.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
