MX23RW : Thursday, November 14 03:09:29| >> :120:9554:9554:

Richard Scudamore: 'Premier League open to winter break'

Scudamore: 'Premier League open to winter break'
© PA Photos
Richard Scudamore claims that FA Cup replays would need to be scrapped in order to allow a winter break in the Premier League.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has revealed that he is open to having a winter break.

Many have called for the English game to introduce a break around Christmas time, similar to that of other European leagues.

However, Scudamore says that nothing is likely to happen at the moment and that something such as FA Cup replays would need to be sacrificed.

"We have tried, but unless somebody is prepared to give something up, it is pretty hard," Scudamore told The Telegraph. "We offered to start the season a week early, which is difficult in terms of summer holidays, but we don't really want to be starting the season in July.

"You can understand why the 20 Premier League clubs, having come down from 22 to 20 [in 1995], are disinclined to reduce their games, from 380 games to something like 316 or 308 games. But if you look at who is taking more dates out of the calendar, it is Uefa and Fifa. They are the ones who have come along and taken the dates, not us.

"The August friendly has gone, but they are replacing it with nine weekend double-headers over two years, which rules more weekends out for us. It's a small consolation, but it has actually made things worse."

Scudamore has held his position since November 1999.

ID:49939: cacheID:49939:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1975:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A general shot of a Premier League football ahead of the Premier League clash between Everton and West Ham United at Goodison Park on October 30, 2016
Read Next:
Tributes flood in for Taylor
>
Read more about Richard Scudamore Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!