Wenger - We could play abroad but not just for money
Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers
Barclays Premier League
Emirates Stadium
Mon, Feb 11, 2008, 8pm
By Richard Clarke
Arsène Wenger is open-minded about the idea of Premier League clubs playing a competitive game overseas in the future - as long as it is for the good of the game and not just for money.
The idea was first mooted on Thursday and immediately brought condemnation from various sections of the football fraternity. The Arsenal manager wants to know much more detail about the proposals before he comes down for or against. However, speaking at his press conference on Friday, he refused to dismiss the notion without further examination.
"By principle, I am not against innovation," he said. "And I like that somebody is thinking 'how can we promote the League and promote English football?'
"But you have to respect basic criteria - the competitiveness of our League, the fairness of our League, and, as well make sure that it is a promotion for our football.
"If it's just to make £5m or £6m more then it's not worth doing. We have to check that it is really to give something competitive to the rest of the world, not just a chance to make a few more millions because that will go into the wages straight away and it will all be equal again. It's not worth doing it only for money.
"Having said that, it deserves a deeper look into because it's not a decision, and you have to think forward always. We are, at the moment, certainly creating a new fan-base.
"What you can say at the moment is that 10 per cent of our fans have access to our competitive games, and 90 per cent have no access at all to competitive games.
"Do you want to give them something? I can agree with that idea. But is this the best way to do it? That has to be checked because I am not completely sure."
