Premier League Could Play In Asia

After receiving initial criticism, the idea of staging Premier League matches in Asia has been accepted as something that could possibly boost the continent’s standard of football, according to Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam.

Initially opposed to matches with top English teams, Hammam said he has warmed to the 39th-game proposal, where a round of games would be played outside England.

“The Premier League is a brand which has a huge fan-base across Asia, and I believe it has the will and initiative to help develop and support the game there,” he said.”There is a lot of knowledge the Premier League can transfer to us.”

Now, he said, it is the responsibility of the AFC to improve its skill level and it is the responsibility of the Premier League to present him with new ideas about how this could work. “I am willing to listen and give my advice,” he added.

The problem, Hammam said, currently stands with Asian broadcasters screening Premier League matches instead of their local leagues.

“They are willing to pay tens of millions to show Premier League games but not a few thousand to show domestic matches,” he said. “That might take years to change, and the Premier League can give us technical assistance and help improve the skills of our administrators, marketing and media staff.”

Though now keen on the idea of hosting Premier League matches, Hammam maintains that the 39th-game proposal is not definite. However, he said the AFC is open to the option and will consider the possibility of bringing English matches to Asia in the year to come.

“We’ve never been confident that the 39th game will happen,” he said, “but we are confident that we will spend a year absolutely examining it and looking at the various options.”