'premier League Will Not Be Cut To 18 Clubs'

The Premier League will not trim successful size from 20 to 18 clubs, says main executive Richard Masters, amid tensions pinch world governing assemblage Fifa complete nan congested world calendar.

The top-flight play originates connected 15 August, kicking disconnected 11 months of competitory action which will extremity successful nan US for nan World Cup last connected 19 July.

The play starts 3 weeks aft Chelsea hit Paris St-Germain to triumph nan Club World Cup - and 2 weeks aft nan last information of Summer Series matches.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri suggested past twelvemonth that players are adjacent to going connected onslaught because of nan summation successful games.

Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1 were reduced from 20 to 18 teams for nan 2023-24 season.

But Masters told BBC Sport: "I don't deliberation we should beryllium forced into that decision.

"I americium each for nan maturation of nan crippled and nan breathtaking competitions our clubs tin participate successful - but not astatine nan disbursal of home football."

Fifa and players' national Fifpro person agelong been successful conflict complete subordinate burnout.

Masters sides pinch nan national successful claiming Fifa has not consulted nan crippled properly, connected nan implementation of nan expanded 32-team Club World Cup aliases adjacent summer's World Cup, which will beryllium nan first to see 48 countries.

This is not nan only logic nan almanac is squeezed - Uefa's description of each 3 nine competitions past play was nan main logic FA Cup replays had to beryllium scrapped and nan Carabao Cup 3rd information now has to beryllium played crossed 2 midweeks successful September.

But Masters said nan awesome leagues astatine slightest had an input into nan decision-making process.

"The assemblage is retired astir nan competitiveness of nan format and nan scheduling and nan underlying economics, but it is not my occupation to measure nan occurrence aliases different of nan Club World Cup," Masters said.

"It is my occupation to measure whether these caller competitions person an effect connected nan home almanac and home competitions, of which nan Premier League is one.

"Since 1994 nan Premier League has been 380 matches, 20 clubs. We haven't changed style astatine all.

"Now we are now starting to redesign our home almanac astatine nan altar of European and world description .

"We are asking nan players to play successful much matches. There has to be, astatine nan apical of nan game, a due speech betwixt Fifa and each nan stakeholders astir really these things spell forward.

"That has been sadly missing."

While Masters is correct successful stating nan Premier League has remained nan aforesaid since it reduced its numbers from 22 to 20 for nan 1994-95 campaign, it has been blameworthy successful nan past of forcing clubs into a schedule they do not want.

The latest rumor has centred upon Chelsea and City, who some wanted a delayed commencement to nan caller run fixed their summertime exertions.

This was rejected, meaning Chelsea will meet Crystal Palace astatine Stamford Bridge precisely 5 weeks aft beating PSG astatine MetLife Stadium.

"It is nan butterfly effect of decisions taken beyond our power by different footballing bodies that straight effect connected home leagues," said Masters.

"When you decorativeness a tourney successful mid-July and person to supply nan players pinch 3 weeks' break, location is only a week to spell earlier nan commencement of nan season.

"It doesn't adhd up. It puts america successful unnecessary conflict pinch our ain clubs. It's not conscionable those progressive successful nan Club World Cup. It is nan clubs they are playing and we person to beryllium adjacent to everyone."

Masters said he does not recognise suggestions that location is wide disquiet wrong nan Premier League astir cardinal backing being utilized connected nan Summer Series.

League officials person spoken of nan wider commercialized use of bringing nan tourney to nan US for nan 2nd clip successful 3 years, particularly pinch broadcasting elephantine NBC now 1 of its astir important partners.

Rather than scrap nan biennial tourney - which began successful 2003 arsenic nan Asia Trophy and has had 25 different clubs participate - Masters is assured it will hap again successful 2027.

"I americium judge we will beryllium back," he said. "We can't denote it yet because we haven't organised it, and we request to get nan clubs onside, but it is portion of our maturation schedule and very popular."

The 'growth agenda' should not beryllium underestimated.

At nan Summer Series arena 2 years agone Masters told BBC Sport he was "not excessively concerned" astir nan threat posed by nan Saudi Pro League.

Since then, recruitment wrong nan convention has go much strategical but, much importantly, Fifa has awarded nan 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia, meaning finance successful shot successful nan state is apt to grow.

This comes arsenic immoderate reason nan Premier League is becoming much predictable, pinch nan past six promoted clubs instantly getting relegated and nan biggest clubs becoming much fierce successful their recruitment.

"I americium not oblivious to nan truth nan Premier League exists successful a highly competitory environment," Masters said.

"We ever support an oculus connected what is going connected and intelligibly nan Saudi Pro League is processing and moving forward. But truthful is nan Premier League.

"Of people we person our issues, but nan fans want to watch, domestically and information nan world.

"You person jeopardy. You don't cognize who is going to win. Clubs tin aspire to emergence up nan league. There is title astatine nan bottommost and for European places and hopefully for nan title.

"As agelong arsenic that remains nan case, I americium very optimistic astir nan early of nan Premier League."