Posted on 16th December 2008
During what was one of the hottest weekends of the year football fans have once again had to voice complaints about their treatment – particularly around access to water and other heatwave essentials such as sun cream.
Fergie gives Game 39 the hairdryer treatment
This is a story from the FSF archive – the FSF and SD merged to become the FSA in 2019.
Manchester United may be out in Japan for the Fifa Club World Cup, but Sir Alex Ferguson has slammed Richard Scudamore’s plans for globalisation of the Premier League.
Ferguson was furious Premiership clubs weren’t even consulted before Scudamore announced his plans for what the FSF dubbed Game 39, back in February.
The Football Association, Fifa and Uefa all rejected the Game 39 plans, and the FSF co-ordinated a campaign of action against it, which was backed by football fans the length and breadth of the land.
The strength of opinion from fans was enough to ward off Scudamore although there have been rumours that his plan to take Premier League fixtures global will be back.
Scudamore’s recent insistence that Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hamman is warming to the idea proves the Premier League chief executive still believes there’s mileage in it.
But fiery Scot Sir Alex has once more given the whole idea another blast of the infamous Ferguson “hairdryer” treatment – and branded Game 39 “impossible”.
“I don’t think there will ever be a 39th game and I don’t believe there should be either,” Ferguson said.
“I am not in favour of it at all. You look at our domestic programme allied to our cup competitions – it is impossible.”
