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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher says the prospect of competitive Premier League fixtures being played abroad would cause as much uproar among supporters as the failed European Super League proposal of 2021.
It has been reported that a La Liga game between Villarreal and Barcelona will be played outside of Spain this season, which could set a dangerous precedent for the rest of Europe. Barcelona supposedly would take home €5M from the match, while Villarreal would earn €6M to make up for the loss of a home game.
In the past, similar conversations have been held about Premier League games being moved abroad. Almost 20 years ago, the idea of a "39th game" played abroad was first mentioned, though it never materialized.
But murmurs about odd fixtures here and there being taken elsewhere have never gone anywhere, with the United States often put forward as a possible destination. The Premier League already holds its Summer Series in the States, but those games are friendlies.
"I don’t think supporters would allow [games moving abroad] to happen," Carragher said on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet. "I think that would spark what we saw happen around the Super League.
"I think the Super League protests put a real dent and really scared ownership, and I think that’s put them on the back foot for another five to 10 years.
"It will come again, but supporters have got to do the same as they did — demonstrate outside stadiums, thousands of people, and don’t accept it.
"Even for fairness — how could one game be played abroad? How does that work with home and away — what if you win or lose the league by a point? It’s messy."
In addition to the Premier League at various points being considered for such a move, there have been whispers that UEFA could take Champions League games on tour.
And once one league or competition does so, others are likely to follow suit.
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Five of the last six Spanish Super Cup finals have been held in Saudi Arabia, for example, with the Community Shield often mentioned as one match that could be sacrificed from the English calendar.
The 2018 edition, where Barcelona beat Sevilla, was staged in Morocco.
Liverpool.com says: Playing games abroad is never something that is going to go down well with fans. However, if other leagues do it, the argument that the Premier League doesn't want to be left behind will become stronger.
In reality, the Premier League being so far ahead of everywhere else financially is probably the reason La Liga and Serie A are exploring the possibility of trying other revenue streams. The imbalance around the European game means there is a scramble for cash.
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