Wyness - 39th game not dead

Everton chief executive backs plans ahead of June meeting

Last updated: 27th May 2008

Keith Wyness Everton chief executive

Wyness: Backs exploration

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Everton chief executive Keith Wyness has insisted that the idea for an 'international round' of fixtures is 'not dead' as the Premier League plans to reopen discussions of its proposal in June.

The proposal for each top-flight club to play an additional fixture in a foreign city has been met with opposition by members of The Football Association and Fifa.

However, Wyness feels the idea has 'very strong potential' and firmly believes that all potential avenues must be investigated in order to move football forward.

"It (the 39th game) is certainly not dead," said Wyness in the Liverpool Echo. "It's going to be discussed again in June at the Premier League summer meeting and that's the next hurdle it has got to cross.

Opposition

"I think it's something that needs to be explored really fully because there is some very strong potential in it.

"I understand the opposition towards it and the arguments that have been made. But I do think it something that really needs to be looked at.

"We can't rest where we are now as a league. You see other sports trying new things and don't forget you have got the IPL and Twenty20 cricket coming up on the rails.

"They are trying to get cricket started off in America and China now, too. The landscape for sport is going to change dramatically in the next 10 or 15 years and we have got to stay up there."