The English Premier League's proposal to add to its schedule a 39th game that would be played in international arenas across the globe received its latest, and possibly last, blow on Thursday after the Football Association declared the scheme "unsustainable." Following a five-hour meeting, the FA board told league CEO Richard Scudamore the matter needed to be cleared up "sooner rather than later" so it wouldn't impact England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Scudamore now has three months before the next FIFA Congress to come up with a proposal that assuages the concerns expressed by FIFA, the FA and the directors of several soccer confederations across the world.
According to the Daily Mail, FA execs wanted to see a "brutal and emphatic end" to the proposal, but chairman Lord Triesman assured Scudamore that he could take the issue directly to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, which he will do next week. Blatter, however, has called the idea an "abuse of football" and has publicly warned the Premier League that the plan could be detrimental to England's World Cup bid. That said, the FIFA President has not seen the proposal, and Scudamore believes he can change his mind.
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