Premier League All-Star game reportedly still in the works

Plans for a Premier League All-Star game just may be in the cards. Earlier in the month, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly received heavy backlash when he suggested bringing an All-Star game to England’s top flight. Critics accused the businessman of Americanizing the Premier League.

“Ultimately, I hope the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports,” Boehly said at a conference in New York. “People are talking about more money for the pyramid; MLB did their all-star game in L.A. this year. We made $200 million from a Monday and a Tuesday.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was quick to rebuff Boehly’s suggestion. “When he finds a date for that, he can call me,” claimed Klopp. “In American sports, these players have four-month breaks. Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well?”

Klopp also suggested that many fans would not want to see their favorite players alongside rivals. “I’m not sure people want to see that: United players, Liverpool players, Manchester City players, Everton players all together.”

Premier League All-Star game moving forward?

Nevertheless, The Times has reported that Boehly’s wishes could actually come true. While initial thoughts were to have the All-Star game feature all Premier League players, the potential format could be a little different.

The report claims that a Premier League XI would possibly face an All-Star team from Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A, and so on. These matches, if scheduled, would take place all over the world in an attempt to grow the sport in certain areas.

Perhaps the biggest concern for the Premier League on this issue would be schedule congestion. The upcoming Qatar World Cup has already forced clubs to squeeze matches into a tight timeframe. A recent study has even showed that Premier League players are already suffering more injuries that ever before.

It has been suggested that these All-Star games would be played either in the summer months or during winter breaks. This would essentially cut down recovery time for players.

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