Plans have been muted to change the way the Premier League season finishes. After the influx of North American owners, it was bound to get to a point where ideas from their sports made their way over here. Don’t worry though, soccer players aren’t about to be decked out head to toe in pads whilst chewing pumpkin seeds.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore has confirmed that the league was looking at a playoff system to decide the final Champions League place. Under the plans, any team as far down as seventh place would be in with a chance of making the promised land of Europe’s richest club competition.
Commenting on the plans, Scudamore told the Daily Telegraph, “We had a look at it.
“There was some interest but ultimately it was felt to stick with the current system.”
Under this system, the four teams who would have competed for the final place would have been Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton in what would have been quite the end to the season. If you compare it to the system that is currently in place in the Netherlands, 4th plays 7th whilst 5th plays 6th before the two winners qualify to play each other for a place in the Europa League. That would have meant the chance for an all-Merseyside of all-North London final and a chance at more money for the Premier League. Cha-ching.
Even if the Premier League are keen, the plans won’t get a proper airing until the current TV deal ends in 2013. The idea would make the end of the season a deal more exciting and mean that certain teams don’t simply take the foot of the gas come the end of the season. Arsenal were guilty of this as they saw a title challenge falter to a fourth place finish on the final day.
