2018 England

The proposed 39^th game in the Premier League will not affect England’s chances to host the 2018 World Cup. This is for the simple reason that it won’t happen…at least in the near future. Originally planned for the 2010/11 season, this proposal was publicised too early, even before discussions with all parties, including club officials and FIFA, took place. The idea behind the proposal may not be entirely wrong. Yes, it would bring a huge amount of revenue for the clubs, and if, as proposed, the money will go into a fund and be distributed between all clubs, everyone will benefit from a 39^th game. However, the idea is too far-fetched and the people behind the idea will have to work out ways in order to convince everyone. And this process takes time…meaning that it won’t affect the very least England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

Premier League Games Abroad to damage World Cup bid?

Personally, I don’t think that fans of Premiership clubs will be happy that their clubs need to travel abroad in order to get revenue. A loyal supporter would feel cheated if this were to happen. Neither would players feel happy that their schedule will be increased by another exhausting game, combined with the turning down of proposals for a winter break. The good or bad news (call it whatever you like) is that FIFA President Sepp Blatter opposes the idea with all force. Now this guy is no stranger to coming up with crazy proposals himself, with the most recent being that female footballers play in shorter shorts and kits that expose more of their breasts. But when it comes to English football, all we see from Blatter are words of criticism, sometimes making an example of England league football. In spite of this, he’s the boss and it will be as he says. As long as he’s president of FIFA, the Premier League must shelf their plans, or else work harder to convince the concerned parties. This is unlikely to happen until the hosts of the 2018 World Cup tournament are announced, so England remain major favourites to host the tournament. If in extremely rare circumstances, this proposal would be accepted before this time, it would have a very minimal bearing on the decision of the World Cup host. If Blatter says it, that alone doesn’t make it true.