Businessman Todd Boehly, who recently took over Chelsea Football Club, has suggested that the Premier League should take more inspiration from across the pond and consider a North vs South All-Star game.
Speaking at the annual SALT conference in New York earlier this week, the US entrepreneur said, “I hope the Premier League takes “a little bit of a lesson from American sports”, posing the questions: “Why wouldn’t we do a tournament with the bottom four teams? Why isn’t there an All-Star game?”
#𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗡𝗬 has got a bit of everything. #ChelseaFC chairman Todd Boehly offers a fascinating glimpse into his global vision for the English Premier League club. pic.twitter.com/wa9aBHuGKe
Aside from the immediate whiplash reaction to the comments, many football fans online have been left divided, and although some instantly rejected the idea for simply not aligning with the identity of UK football, others are now debating the pros and cons.
Whether they had specific reasons in mind or not, it’s clear that plenty have been allured by the Hollywood-esque appeal of the proposal.
Some already have suggestions as to how it could work.
North vs. South isn't the answer though. Just tweak the current NBA formula — vote for the top 30 or whatever (maybe put some limit on players per club), two top vote getters become captains and they pick the teams playground style.
How could a North vs South All-Star game benefit the football pyramid?
Boehly’s foremost argument was the revenue it would generate for the league and all the way down to grassroots football, insisting that “you could do a North vs South All-Star game in the Premier League and fund whatever the pyramid needed very easily”.
He cited Major League Baseball’s (MLB) recent All-Star game which generated $200 million in just two days. In addition to the increased parachute payments which would benefit lower league teams, it goes without saying that special events like these would no doubt bring more eyes to the Premier League – especially from the US, where the popularity of football is growing every year.
Moreover, not only could this present the possibility of more American investment and sponsorships, but some people believe the annual exhibition would be more interesting that the FA Community Shield – which many already see as a largely inconsequential pre-season friendly.
So what are your teams north vs south? Scrap the community shield and have it as a curtain raiser for the season. Semi competitive with players showing flair. What would the football version of a slam dunk and 3 point shootout contest be though?😂
All that being said, it’s worth noting that US sporting culture is very much based around franchising – a model which has seen teams go so far as to uproot and move cities entirely and simply would not fly in the UK given how closely linked clubs are to our local communities.
Of course, this is not to say that more transatlantic investors would necessarily mean football would be Americanised in this way, but if the Super League has taught us anything, it’s that we need to proceed with caution.
Both Manchester United and Liverpool’s American owners were two of the biggest ringleaders behind the failed proposal which threatened not only the spirit of competition, but the footballing pyramid as a whole and could have led to entire clubs, north or south, ceasing to exist.
With that in mind, many on social media are much more hesitant, regardless of how tempting it might be to see how quickly a team full of the best United, City, Liverpool, Everton players and more would turn over a southern side.
Spoilers: they would.
I am very much against the Americanisation of our game but there’s no denying a North vs South Premier League all-star game would be a fantastic watch.
Love Todd Boehly telling us the Premier League needs to learn from American sports. The last time American owners decided to teach us about American sports, they tried to drag us into a European Super League and we needed a fan uprising to stop it.
Several have also noted that even beyond messy details like TV rights and the corporate scramble to see who gets the next blockbuster fixture, events like this could also create significant scheduling conflicts in a season already overly-congested compared to much of Europe and the US.
At best, he's very naive but I find it a bit arrogant to assume that because something works in the US you can do the same thing in a completely different country and sporting culture. It'd be best for him if he just kept his head down for a while and stopped talking
Following their Champions League victory on Wednesday night, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp laid out his feelings on the idea in no uncertain terms, quipping: “He hasn’t waited long!… Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well?”
As he went on to argue: “It’s completely different in America… they have four-month breaks’ and while it might be commonplace among their sports franchising model, he’s ‘not sure people want to see that.”
🗣 "He forgets in the big sports in America, they have four month breaks. Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well?"
Jurgen Klopp's response to Todd Boehly's idea of a north vs south "All Star" game pic.twitter.com/hpb03mUMFU
It will be interesting to see what the likes of Pep Guardiola and Erik ten Hag have to say on the matter as the two will undoubtedly face similar questions as the two Manchester clubs prepare for their European games in the next 48 hours.
Gary Neville, who has long called for an independent regulator to vet potential takeover bids, believes that rumblings like this only further pay further credence, adding that US investors ‘just don’t get it’ and won’t stop until they get what they want.
I keep saying it but the quicker we get the Regulator in the better. US investment into English football is a clear and present danger to the pyramid and fabric of the game. They just don’t get it and think differently. They also don’t stop till they get what they want! 🛑
Would a North vs South match be a worthwhile watch, or would it signify football as we know it moving even further away from its roots than perhaps it already has?
Featured Image: Premier League
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Pep Guardiola aims not-so-subtle dig at ‘destructive’ FIFA Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is the latest to voice his concerns surrounding the ongoing 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, delivering a not-so-subtle dig at the competition.
Ahead of Man City‘s round of 16 match against Al Hilal in this year’s Club World Cup, of which they won all their group stage games, the Catalan head coach has once again come out to criticise the increasingly congested fixture calendar.
His comments come after former Liverpool manager and now Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull, Jürgen Klopp, labelled the current off-season summer run of matches “the worst idea ever.”
Somewhat echoing his statement – or at the very least aligning with it (albeit indirectly) – Pep Guardiola gave his two cents also, claiming that the now extended, 32-team tournament could “destroy” his squad and their fortunes in the next campaign.
Clearly, Pep is far from the biggest of fan of the recently refreshed format, even despite having won the thing on four occasions in the past – the most recent being with Manchester City back in 2023.
Reflecting on what impact he fears the Club World Cup may have on his team next season, Guardiola said: “I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious. We will rest [for as much time as] the Premier League allows us to.
“And game by game, month by month, we will see. And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: ‘So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.’ I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our [lives] that that’s happened [a 32-team CWC]. So we will see…”
Unpredictable weather in the United States, where the action is being hosted, has also been the subject of outrage in some cases, with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca stating, “It’s a joke! It’s not football”, after a major storm delay mid-game pushed meant that one of their games took five hours to finish.
The 54-year-old also insisted that those who were against the tweaked concept “fought a lot” here in England, in UEFA meetings and so on, as was the case with the revision of the new layout of the Champions League, but to no avail.
Jurgen Klopp: "NBA player earns a lot of money & has 4 months of rest per year. Van Dijk didn't even have that in his entire career. Tournaments such as the Club World Cup cannot take place at the expense of players" [Die Welt]
Regarding Klopp, who set this latest chain of criticism, he claims that whoever wins the 2025 Club World Cup is ultimately “pointless” and will be “the worst winner of all time because they’ll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league.”
In his eyes, the decisions are being made by people who have “never been involved” with the pressure of day-to-day life in professional football and the physical toll of multiple competitions, in particular.
As for who might win the 2025 CWC, it could very well be Man City for a second time, as the Blues are the only team remaining that has a 100% win ratio this year, having most recently thrashed Juventus 5-2 in their last game.
Nevertheless, it seems that the stance of Klopp, Guardiola, Maresca and more is pretty plain: this particular tournament will go down in the record books for the wrong reasons, and they won’t be happy until the format is revisited.
Do you agree with Pep and co. on the Club World Cup controversy?
Featured Images — Man City (screenshot via YouTube)
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The latest on Salford Red Devils financial situation as ‘winding-up’ petition is adjourned
Danny Jones
The current situation at Salford Red Devils is far from ideal, with the rugby league team currently owing hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt, not to mention facing further stress over finances with players owed wages, key personnel leaving and remaining uncertainty over future ownership.
So, why is the board expressing reassurance among supporters following the recent adjournment of a ‘winding-up’ petition, and what exactly does this mean?
It is no doubt a complex issue, but with the season concluding in October and the Greater Manchester club essentially being given a stay of execution, for lack of a better phrase, it’s possible that a corner could hopefully be turned soon.
Here’s everything we know so far about the situation in Salford and where the Red Devils’ finances are currently at.
Salford Red Devils’ finances and more – explained
For a start, they’re late on payroll again this month.
Salford Red Devils players have been told they will not receive their salaries today.https://t.co/ofHTR0uZyN
According to recent reports, Salford Red Devils owe more than half a million pounds to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at present, with current estimates said to be in the region of £600,000.
The Super League side has fallen into debt due to a number of factors: their own performance as a business, cuts to local funding and a period of spending in terms of recruitment and pre-season preparation under the assumption of a subsidy from Salford City Council (SCC).
However, this would-be uplift – despite it being promised late last year – never came as the Council (having already provided £315k in ‘immediate’ financial aid back in March 2024) U-turned on the decision after it was revealed further backing was not in the budget.
SCC ended up owing around £2 million itself after stepping in to save both SRD and fellow rugby league outfit Swinton Lions, handing out loans to both clubs even prior to purchasing Salford Community Stadium and the surrounding area.
The Council ultimately shelled out north of £7.7m to buy the ground and sever commercial ties with previous owners, Peel. They had hoped to further alleviate pressure on the club, but Salford Red Devils (SRD) had already spent the money they were expecting to receive on new players, training and more.
SRD were then told to sell off a number of players by the league.
With all this in mind, something called a ‘winding-up’ petition – basically a document sent by creditors that demands the immediate liquidation of a company/organisation that owes them money – was filed by HMRC back in May, with the tax authorities demanding payment of the outstanding sum.
However, special dispensation appears to have been made not only due to the complicated and unforeseen circumstances Salford have faced along the way, but also for the sake of the Rugby Football League (RFL) itself, with the Red Devils still seen as a valuable sporting and community asset.
One of those unexpected twists was the takeover by a new consortium led by Dario Berta, whose investment failed to clear in time and resulted in the club being hit with the financial sustainability problem that saw them cutbacks.
In a small bit of good fortune, it has now been decided that the petition to liquidate the SRD has been postponed, though not indefinitely.
As expected, there is good news that the winding-up petition filed by HMRC against Salford Red Devils has been successfully adjourned by the club's representatives in London until after the season has finished in September.
It's important to focus on supporting Salford as they…
— The Game Caller 🗣🎙📻 (@TheGameCaller) June 25, 2025
What could happen next?
The date for coughing up what debt they owe to the tax authorities has now been pushed back to September, meaning they have until then to find the finances, or else they could very well be made insolvent in a matter of months.
However, as per BBC Radio Manchester, those involved in the ongoing process are “confident” that bridging loans will be put in place over the coming days to keep HMRC at bay.
And, nevertheless, head coach Paul Rowley has insisted that he can see “green shoots” starting to emerge around the club, despite still sitting bottom of the table with just one win to their name.
What’s for sure is that the local area isn’t giving up on them, with numerous fundraisers and charity events being set up to help support the club via the official Salford Red Devils Foundation.
Fingers firmly crossed that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Danny Jones -
14th September 2022 
