Premiership to be cut to 18 teams?

[LFCNeil90]

Blatter.

 

Fifa wants 18-team Premier League

 

Blatter wants to ease fixture congestion

Fifa is heading for a showdown with the Premier League over its 20-club size.

On Thursday Fifa's Congress endorsed a proposal for Europe's top leagues to be reduced to a maximum of 18 clubs by the start of the 2007-08 season.

 

Fifa president Sepp Blatter said: We've been given the power to work on it. We'll do it. It'll give four more days to the international calendar."

 

But Premier League spokesman Dan Johnson ruled out a reduction: "There's no appetite for this kind of change."

 

Johnson added: "The only people who are going to tell us how to run the Premier League are the league's 20 member clubs' chairmen.

 

"They are the only ones who can change the composition of the league and they are just not going to go for this - no way."

 

Fifa's decision could also hit the Spanish, Italian, and French leagues.

[Guest Red Mist]

Piss off FIFA. Nobody tells us how to run OUR league. Certainly not a bloody Swiss. Worry about your own s***ty league Blatter, leave the word's finest leagues to decide for themselves how best to run it. We certainly haven't done too bad so far.

[stressederic]

You can set your watch by that rant from Blatter.

[Herbie von Smalls]

blatter at it again

 

he's ruffled more than a few feathers in germany with demands that his seat for all world cup matches he attends be level with the halfway line. not a metre off either side.

[Gomez]

Less games for the clubs = more internationals = more games for the international associations and therefore FIFA to profit from the players the clubs play the wages of.

 

F*CK OFF Blatter you tw4t

[Owen1978]

I hope so!

 

It increase the chances for the bluesh*te to get relegated!

Edited June 8, 2006 by Owen1978

[Gunga Din]

wont happen, as the clubs would lose too much revenue. Blatter is a c***. he should piss off and stop meddling

[jimmylibel]

FIFA come out with this old chestnut every couple of years. They impose a deadline and then nothing happens. If the Premiership had been reduced by 2 teams everytime FIFA had said so we really would be down to a 4 team league.

[hagi_complex]

FIFA have been coming out with these reports for as long as I can remember, just like the biannual World Cup idea.

 

I don't see anyhing changing, unless it's within a major restructure of the English game, like the introduction of a 2-tier Premiership with 16 teams in each, or something like that.

[fyds]

 

Byyyyyyyeeeeeeee!!!!

[Paul B]

Is it true Sepp's wife is called Fanny, or was someone winding me up?

[Guest Scot]

Make it a 16-team Premiership for one season when those Blue cnts finish 16th or lower, then revert the following season.

[Paul_LFC]

f*** off FIFA.

 

Who seriously can take Blatter seriously? What a clown.

Edited June 8, 2006 by Paul_LFC

[Dmitch]

f*** OFF FIFA It will never happen tho.

[surf]

I think it's a good idea, lots of games already with the FA, & League Cups and the CL. Our players were knackered in the CL final last year and the long season was a major factor in that. I've always felt that reducing the amount of teams in the premier league to 18 would make sense.

[Herbie von Smalls]

I think it's a good idea, lots of games already with the FA, & League Cups and the CL. Our players were knackered in the CL final last year and the long season was a major factor in that. I've always felt that reducing the amount of teams in the premier league to 18 would make sense.

i bet there's a hidden agenda in mind, which ultimately benefits fifa.

 

the papers are reporting today that the 24-man committee of big cheeses voted themselves a nice pension plan. €10m has been set aside for their retirement. couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of self-serving c****. as if the world cup host country bid sweeteners weren't enough.

 

it certainly won't happen to the timescale that blatter wants, what with tv contracts and that in place around the 'bigger' european leagues.

[oojason]

Wouldn't be opposed to an 18 team league - be even better if 4 teams were to be relegated every season - that'd make things a little more interesting.

[Rimbeux]

18 would be right. There is consistently at least one club miles off the pace who just shouldn't be in the league. If it happens it wont be to make room for more internationals, but because the CL and UEFA cup need more time.