1. Broken into two parts:

Will the 39th round attraction new fans to clubs?

Overseas fans are attracted to the best in the world. They will support teams like Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. They MIGHT support Villa, Spurs, Newcastle or the Hammers out of ancestral reasons, but 90% of fans go for the big 4. Why then, would a city be attracted to Derby vs Bolton? Sunderland vs Birmingham? The answer’s pretty clear by the Premier League proposal that cities bid for “weekends” and not for the actual teams it hosts. No one wants to watch the clod-hoofers in action. We want Ronaldo, Drogba, Fabregas and Torres. I don’t think watching Premier Leage stragglers will add to their overseas fan base. Strip the EPL of its TV highlights, and it’s a pretty ordinary game.

Would the 39th round increase the TV rights coffers substantially?

Yes. Without a doubt. There’s 19 extra games. But that’s the case if you added a 39th domestic round as well. So would an overseas 39th round increase TV rights? No, because overseas fans are still watching it on TV (other than the cities that are hosting). English fans are watching on TV. The number of bums on seats are the same. The number of bums in front of TV sets is the same (probably; you will get a bit more curiosity in the host cities, especially if you’re in a non-soccer country).

2. I’ve covered this. I want to watch Arsenal at Emirates, not at a half-empty MCG. Take the football away from the local environment, and you lose the atmosphere.

3. I’ve got to go, so I’ll keep this brief. Yes, and no. The EPL wants to sell shirts and make money. To them, any growth in the local game is coincidental. Should the A-League bend over to accomodate them? The proposed round is smack in the middle of OUR season. Would they be willing to cross-promote Melbourne Victory vs Sydney United? Somehow, I doubt it.

4. 39th round – unbalanced. How is this emotive? And how can you argue against it?

5. I’m Ipanema Bob. If you want to argue with me, argue properly and back up your claims.

1. Expands the market

The EPL has reached saturation point in the domestic market. There’s an increasing overseas interest the league. The next broadcasting deal is tipped to be the first where the overseas rights are worth more than the domestic. If the EPL is to grow, it must find a way to increase its exposure to these new markets.

Friendlies, tours and pre-season cups are the tradition method of increasing exposure in a foreign market. There have been initiatives from the larger clubs (Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea), with varying degrees of success. The problem is that with pre-season matches, everyone knows they’re meaningless and market-driven. The fans you’d attract are fickle, and ready to give their allegiance to whatever team fancies them next. To grow a genuine (and loyal) fan base, you need to service them with genuine (premiership) games. Hence, you need to give them Premiership games.

2. Overseas fans deserve it

I’m not English. I support Arsenal. I’d love to see them play, one day. If I patronize their services (shirts, TV subscription, website membership ) and am exposed to their advertising (I wouldn’t dream of flying anything except Emirates), I deserve to see them play. After all, I contribute a bit of that massive windfall in pay TV rights. And it’s unlikely I’ll trek to London to watch them play. So, they should come here so me and my fellow fans can watch them. Right?

3. Grows the game

This has a bit of merit in countries where football is “soccer”. In Australia, we know the A-League is technically deficient. We know the EPL is “the best in the world”. Domestic soccer is growing, but it still lacks media exposure. Dominant codes (Aussie rules and rugby) will hog attention. Something like an annual EPL weekend would attract the media, and, properly harnessed, would attract people to soccer who normally would not be interested. There is a large section of the population who will watch it if it’s the “best in the world”, as evidenced by the TV ratings for the 2002 World Cup.

1. Did you ask whether I thought the African or South American FAs would be invited to bid? Sorry, I didn’t see the question. And answer is no, I don’t think so. They have no money, see.

2. Well yes, all clubs “force” lifelong fans to part with money. I’m not sure all those season-long ticketholders really want to see their side play Derby or Bolton. But aren’t Man Utd the only one to expand the concept to a cup competition that no one (apart from Tottenham) cares about? Yes, I’m talking about degrees, but I’m still right.

3. Frankly, yes, being FIFA president is about being crazy. That’s why Blatter’s so good at it.

4. I understand your point. I really do. I would like to counter your point with this point – just because people have been wound up by the media, doesn’t mean they’re wrong. Sometimes, the mob does get it right. To think otherwise is to sink into that “bias” you seem so against.

drifting off topic. and I noticed you didn’t answer the bit about whether FAs in South America and Africa would be interested in hosting EPL games or not.

1) No, Pakistan doesn’t. It’s a power-grab under the guise of democracy, pretty much like politics everywhere.

2) All clubs are ‘forcing’ lifelong fans to pay them money (you expect those diehard fans to do otherwise?).

3) Being an FIFA president is about being crazy?

4) Integrity and perception are linked, but as always, you’re off topic. My point was that the media’s hate campaign – designed to get them more attention – pretty much eliminates the option of discussing the pros and cons in a fair and objective setting. Everyone is emotionally biased for or against the issue (mostly against the issue) and now, like you, they rationalise their bias by spouting one argument after the other, stuff that they’ve read and heard elsewhere. Drones do a better job at being convincing and original.

2. I quite like Blatter. Yes, he’s corrupt and corpulent, and yes, he makes crazy comments… but isn’t that what being a FIFA president is all about? Anyway, he’s also the first one to organise World Cups outside of Europe and South America, and he’s the only one to have paid lip-service to the rest of the world. It’s not much, but as an Australian, it’s something (he promised Oceania a direct World Cup spot… and then took it back). And I wouldn’t mind seeing ladies in sexy clothes. I mean… who wouldn’t?

3. Extortion is when you force someone to pay you money. Man Utd supporters have to pay for Carling Cup matches in order to get their season tickets. I imagine a lot of supporters wouldn’t want to see ALL the domestic cup matches, but they feel compelled to agree because they want the season ticket. In effect, they’re being forced into paying for something they didn’t want – therefore, extortion. How else could you put it?

3. What do you mean by “selective understanding”?

4. You’ve got to be very careful when you start tampering with the integrity of a competition. What makes the FA Cup important and the Carling Cup junk? Nothing. Everthing. People’s perception. What makes a tour friendly a worthless game, but a Premiership game of vital importance? Again, people’s perception. If you start messing around with that, inserting an extra game, you’re on the path of admitting that the Premiership as just another money-spinning tournament; and that’ll destroy whatever value it had that made people want to watch it.

5. Out of curiosity, does Pakistan have the civic infrastructure to sustain a robust liberal democracy? By that, I mean independent judiciary, polic and bureaucracy, independent press with freedom of speech, rule of law… you know. It takes time for those institutions to emerge. Pakistan has only been around for 50 years, so you’re bound to get manipulation. Inevitable.

Your definition of extortion is quite interesting, so is your selective understanding of several issues.

2. I believe a 39th match is wrong. An unbalanced league will always be unfair. In Australia, the AFL has a 16-team, 22-round competition. That’s unfair. The only reason it works is that we tack on a finals system afterwards, and even then, it’s unfair. A 39th game WILL be unfair, no matter how you “weight” so that big teams don’t meet up. I agree, unless it’s an exceptionally tight championship and relegation race, it won’t matter, but still…. it’s unfair.

3. From the SBS interview (www.theworldgame.com.au), Frank Loewy was pretty firmly against EPL matches in Australia. Your Telegraph article doesn’t do his remarks justice.

4. You’re dropping footballers straight from the depths of winter into the kind of summer they’ve never known. And it’s in a competitive match, as well. It’s different from players who are accustomed to playing in that weather. Then again, it’s probably going to be shown at night, so who cares?

5. A global audience fan base does deserve to see its team. I think that’s all Wenger said. I agree. But not at the cost of the integrity of the competition.

6. Extortion is when you bundle Carling Cup matches into season tickets. Man Utd are the only team in England that does that (I think).

7. I like cheese. Do you like cheese?

2) Here – their priority is to developing the local football setup. I picked Australia’s name from the Wikipedia article directly, hence my point may not be completely accurate. Australia fit more into the category of FAs who remain to be convinced that the proposal could help them.

3) Dealt with here. Ditto for your logistics point.

4) What about South America, Bob? Middle East? Africa? Parts of East Asia?

5) If you want to read the other side – i.e. criticism of the proposal, browse the links at the end of the Wikipedia article on Game 39.

6) The article is about a lot more than just Game 39, btw.