EPL moves closer to Asian '39th round'

TOKYO (AP) -- The English Premier League's proposal to play a round of league matches in Asia has been revived after the league struck a cooperation agreement with the Asian Football Confederation.

Premier League chief executive Peter Scudamore and AFC president Mohammed bin Hammam met Friday on the sidelines of the Club World Cup and announced the organizations would work at an administrative and club-to-club level to close the gap between Asian and European football.

The closer relationship could clear the way for the Premier League to stage a "39th round" in Asia.

The league's initial floating of an idea to play regular season matches in places such as Japan and South Korea were heavily criticized by many, including bin Hammam, but Scudamore said people jumped to conclusions when the idea was mooted.

"We had a meeting with the 20 clubs to explore the possibility of playing games abroad in a year and it created a media frenzy," Scudamore said. "People approached it as though teams were on a plane ready to go but it was really just the start of a process."

Bin Hammam has softened his stance based on the initiative.

"We had many questions," Bin Hammam said. "What kind of legacy are (the teams) going to leave behind? Does the club just collect the money and go home or are they going to leave something behind? Now we know there will be benefits to Asian football."

Scudamore said the Premier League will offer expertise to teams in Asia mostly at the grassroots level.

"It will likely start with five or six clubs at an operational and coaching level." Scudamore said. "I doubt it will extend to joint commercial arrangements."

"This is good for Asian football," bin Hammam said. "Our fans will benefit, our youth will benefit and our coaches will benefit. They will be coming here based on our approval."

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