Liverpool chairman reveals ‘crazy’ plan to play Premier League games in FOUR different continents

LIVERPOOL chairman Tom Werner has revealed his “crazy idea” to play Premier League games abroad.

The American, 74, has been with the Reds since Fenway Sports Group’s purchase in 2010.

During a recent chat with the , Werner revealed a plan that may not go down well with supporters.

Addressing the possibility of taking the English top flight overseas, he said: “I’m determined one day to have a Premier League game be played in New York City.

“I even have the sort of crazy idea that there would be a day where we play one game in Tokyo, one game a few hours later in Los Angeles, one game a few hours later in Rio, one game a few hours later in Riyadh and make it sort of a day where football, where the Premier League is celebrated.”

When Werner had it pointed out to him that many loyal Liverpool fans would not be able to attend games overseas, he had a counter ready.

He said: “Let’s figure out a way to offer them very cheap travel [and] accommodations so that if Liverpool is playing Nottingham Forest, we will support fans coming to New York.”

“[Let’s] make this an attractive thing for the fans as well.”

FSG bought Liverpool from Tom Hicks and George Gillett in 2010 for £300million – with the club now valued at around £4.2bn.

In an attempt to justify his controversial proposal, Werner claimed: “It’s a very competitive business.

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“I think 20 years ago there was a lot more low-hanging fruit, where a Theo Epstein could find success in an avenue that other people weren’t looking at. But sports is now big business, right?

“Teams even in the NBA are going for over £3billion. I don’t think we have any secret sauce, is what I’m trying to say.”

While Werner is enthusiastic over the possibility of taking Prem games abroad, FSG’s owner John W. Henry is not so keen.

Commenting on the idea, he bluntly stated: “It is not something that I advocate or am particularly interested in.”

Last month, Fifa opened the door to games being taken overseas at their meeting in Bangkok.

Fifa chiefs approved the establishment of a new working group expected to officially confirm backing for “out of territory matches” – which could see pressure on the Prem to play games abroad within a handful of years.

Premier League chiefs have insisted that there are “no plans” to take matches abroad – despite US broadcaster NBC being determined to bring games to the States.

It has since been confirmed to SunSport that the new Football Regulator, which has all-Party support in its passage through Parliament, would be able to ban clubs from playing games outside UK soil.

Clause 48 (1) of the Football Governance Bill states: “A regulated club must notify the Regulator where the club considers that there is a reasonable prospect of the club entering into arrangements whereby a relevant team operated by it would play its home matches at a ground other than the club’s home ground.”

It means the Prem would need approval by the Regulator for ANY matches to be staged abroad.

And given the scale of the pushback by fans against the Super League and the initial supporter response to Fifa’s move, it appears extremely unlikely that such assent would be given.

LaLiga, meanwhile, are eager to push through with plans to take matches overseas – having already moved their Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia.

Boss Javier Tebas said: “I don’t know when, but this time LaLiga will play official games abroad. I think it could be from the 2025-26 season.

“An official game in the United States would strengthen our position in the North American market, which is the second [biggest] for LaLiga after Spain.

“Other really competitive leagues are coming, so we can’t always do the same thing. They would jump ahead of us.”