Article:FA's "Global" Premier League Plan Shot Down by FIFA, England's World Cup Hosting Plans Damaged

The Football Association wanted at least one week where all 20 Premier League teams would play overseas, and mainly the United States. FIFA President Sepp Blatter shot that idea down. To add insult to injury, Blatter said that the possibility of England hosting the 2018 World Cup would be very much damaged. Blatter said this to reporters:

"This does not take into consideration the fans of the clubs and it gives the impression that they just want to go on tour to make some money," Blatter said.

Blatter's comments, in an interview with BBC sports editor Mihir Bose, are the strongest from the governing body since the Premier League's plans were revealed last week.

Top-flight clubs will consider plans to extend the season to 39 games with the extra matches taking place overseas.

But the idea has met with resistance in Asia, Europe and fans in England.

"The Premier League is richer than the others, they have more responsibility and what they are trying to do is contrary to this responsibility," he said.

"This is something I cannot understand and definitely the Fifa executive committee will not sanction such an initiative."

A Premier League spokesman said the clubs would "look forward to the opportunity to meet with Fifa in order to discuss this matter in full".

"This was always the starting point in relation to the issue of sanction for the proposed international round, and as such we will be making no comment until after that time," the spokesman added.

Blatter warned it could affect the FA's bid for the 2018 World Cup.

"When it comes to a decision of the executive committee concerning this matter of the 39th round, and I am sure they will be against it, then it will not have a positive impact on the bid from England for the World Cup in 2018," he added.

Scudamore's plans received a mixed reaction around the world, with the heads of the Asian Football Confederation and Football Federation Australia, which could host any proposed games, rejecting the idea, while Uefa chief Michel Platini called it a "nonsense". - BBC Sport

Here's a bit of a timeline for the total free fall of English football:

2008- Sepp Blatter confirms that this event will never happen, and that England's World Cup hosting plans are damaged.
Honestly, I didn't like the plan very much at all. The Premier League is already the most popular league to watch in the world (more than the NFL guys), and the only benefit has to be money. They already play abroad for preseason tournaments, UEFA Champions League, FIFA International Tournaments, UEFA Cup, FA Cup, and you want them to do it even more? Someone at the FA is in trouble for this plan, because now their chances of hosting a major FIFA tournament (the biggest one of them all) for the first time since 1966 have taken a hit.