Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has revealed he is “determined” to stage a Premier League match in New York City and dreams of fixtures being played on the same day in different locations worldwide.
Werner raised the prospect of his own club playing in New York despite what is likely to be overwhelming opposition from Liverpool fans on Merseyside to such a move.
“I’m determined one day to have a Premier League game be played in New York City,” Werner told the Financial Times. “I even have the sort of crazy idea that there would be a day where we play one game in Tokyo, one game a few hours later in Los Angeles, one game a few hours later in Rio, one game a few hours later in Riyadh and make it sort of a day where football, where the Premier League, is celebrated.”
Anticipating a potential fan backlash, he added: “Let’s figure out a way to offer them very cheap travel [and] accommodations so that if Liverpool is playing Nottingham Forest, we will support fans coming to New York.
“[Let’s] make this an attractive thing for the fans as well.”
However, the club’s majority shareholder, John Henry, appeared to pour cold water on the plan, telling the same publication: “It is not something that I advocate or am particularly interested in.”
Henry was among those forced to issue a grovelling apology to his club’s supporters three years ago after Liverpool agreed to sign up to the doomed Super League.
Paul Khan, the chairman of Spirit of Shankly, told Telegraph Sport: “Anyone determined to play competitive LFC matches abroad should remember that we as fans are determined they do not. There are lots of things that need to change in football – ticket prices, an independent regulator, financial fairness and more. Where we play, does not.”
Werner’s comments come after Jon Miller, a leading executive at NBC Sports – which shows the Premier League in the United States – told The Athletic he “would love to see” and would “continue to push for” for games in England’s top flight to be played in America.
Fifa rules banning domestic league matches being staged outside their country of origin are close to being torn up following a battle over the legality of the embargo.
The chief executive of the Premier League, Richard Masters, has repeatedly stated the competition has no plans to host fixtures overseas.
The world’s richest league was forced to abandon plans for a round of matches outside England – the so-called 39th game – more than 15 years ago amid fierce opposition.