New Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is eager to bring some of the North American sports formula to the English Premier League. Boehly, who is also part owner of MLB franchise Los Angeles Dodgers, recently said that the Premier League should have an All-Star game.
During an appearance at the SALT New York conference, Boehly proposed a North vs. South All-Star game that would increase the league’s revenue and also benefit the entire English soccer pyramid.
“So we’re thinking we could do a North versus South All-Star game for the Premier League, for whatever the pyramid needed quite easily,” Boehly explained.
In Boehly’s opinion, “Premier League can take a bit of a lesson from American sports,” and should consider several other changes besides an All-Star game. The most notable would be playoff-style tournaments for the bottom four teams that would determine who gets relegated.
It didn’t take long before Boehly’s proposal was mocked in England. There doesn’t seem much enthusiasm for his ideas, with Liverpool’s head coach Jurgen Klopp wondering when Boehly plans to stage these games, considering the packed schedule that soccer teams have as opposed to those in American sports.
“It is completely different in football,” Klopp added. “What can I say? Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well and let them play against a football team?”
