MY ACCOUNT
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has poured cold water on the idea of a Premier League all-star match after Chelsea owner Todd Boehly proposed the idea.
The new Blues owner floated the idea during his appearance in a conference in the United States, where he expressed his desire for English football to follow in the sporting footsteps of America.
Boehly specifically spoke about the potential of a relegation play-off as well as the introduction of an all-star match, where the top flight would be split into two halves, north and south, for an annual match.
Klopp, however, is not a fan of the proposal, highlighting that teams are already stretched by a packed schedule and the end of season period is not as extensive as those in America.
“He doesn’t hesitate, he doesn’t wait long! Great. When he finds a date for that he can call me,” he said after the Champions League victory over Ajax.
“He forgets that in the big sports in America, these sports have four-month breaks, so they’re quite happy they can do a little bit of sport in these breaks. It’s completely different in football.
“Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well and let them play a football team? I’m surprised by the question, so please don’t judge my answers too much, but maybe he can explain it to me at one point.”
Klopp was not convinced supporters would be keen on the idea, nor that rival clubs would be willing to compete together.
“I’m not sure people want to see that. Imagine that, [Manchester] United, Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle players all on one team that’s not the national team, just a north team. Interesting game,” he added.
“All the London guys together. Arsenal, Tottenham. Great. Did he really say it? Interesting.”
