by W.H. Garcia

Created on: February 14, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

This "gem of an idea", quoting Alex Ferguson's sarcastic remark regarding Richard Scudamore's grand plan to take Premier League games overseas, has confounded the critics and created excitement among its overseas supporters at the same time. As a fan in Asia, I am fully supportive of this idea. My answer to this question is a big yes - the Premier League should bring games outside of England, despite the fact that I still have some reservations regarding its feasibility and implementation.

I can understand the somewhat xenophobic reaction by the English towards this idea. Bringing games outside of England might, to a certain extent, mean sacrificing a part of their ownership of this well-established league. People have to start to realize that the Premier League is already a global brand. The league is on the globalization train and Richard Scudamore is taking the next logical step in speeding up the train.

Some observers have commented that this is another version of British Colonialism, which smacks of paranoia, to say the least. Clearly, it is the financial gain that can be expected from this venture that has lead to such comments. In fact, Richard Scudamore has not put up a facade by saying that this is a way of bringing something back to the fans. He has bluntly expressed his target of leveling the playing field in terms of finances for all twenty clubs in the top tier of English football. Besides the clubs involved, overseas fans stand to gain as well. A typical Asian fan would have to fork out in excess of a couple of thousand dollars to witness a live match in England. A hundred dollar ticket to a live match near you would suddenly seem like a bargain. Of course, that hundred dollar ticket would not let you experience the crowd atmosphere of an Old Trafford or an Anfield, but it is the next best thing for most of these fans who probably would never have an opportunity to visit England, let alone watch a live match.

So far, the responses from the Asian footballing authorities have been lukewarm. Many countries have opposed this plan on the basis that local sports should be protected. I am not sure that the football fans in these countries share the same sentiments. This is an all too familiar knee-jerk reaction to the "invasion of foreign football culture", reminiscent to the ludicrous circumstances surrounding Manchester United's canceled trip to Kuala Lumpur not too long ago. The footballing associations of these countries need to accept the fact that

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