Could La Liga’s US venture spark a Premier export?

“I have a cupboard full of models as to how it could and couldn’t work,” Richard Scudamore said in 2008. Thankfully for the Premier League, the contents of its executive chairman’s cupboard were never fully revealed as plans to stage a 39th game in Asia or Australia were quickly consigned to history amid criticism from, among many others, Sir Alex Ferguson to Sepp Blatter.

The announcement that La Liga plans to host regular-season games in the United States as part of a 15-year partnership will, for many supporters, have brought back bad memories of the ill-conceived 39th step reportedly hatched by Scudamore and Rupert Murdoch’s associate Sir Rod Eddington. But while fans in England can breathe a sigh of relief for now, the chairman of Relevent – the American firm that has won the right to stage one Spanish league match thousands of miles from home every season until 2033 – has not ruled out a similar move in future.

“We have always stated that we would love to have a Premier League game here but it never got beyond the boardroom,” says Charlie Stillitano. “It’s one of the things that we have talked to them about over the years. If something like the 39th game ever got off the ground, we would put ourselves forward for it.”

Together with the Miami Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross, Stillitano has been the driving force behind Relevent’s attempts to build on the burgeoning market for the beautiful game in the US over the past decade. The latest edition of their International Champions Cup brainchild has seen 18 teams playing a series of pre-season friendlies spread over 22 venues but the new venture – described by La Liga as “an inflection point for soccer in the US and Canada” – represents a major breakthrough that could have major implications for the game as a whole.

“It’s something we have been working on for the past year and a half. A lot of leagues are looking to catch up with the Premier League and Spain is trying to make its mark,” says Stillitano. “This is a bold move for La Liga but it shows their ambition. A lot of leagues talk but these guys have really put themselves out there because they think this is the best way to build their brand.”

Yet within hours of the announcement on Thursday the critics were queueing up. David Aganzo, the president of the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE), strongly objected to the prospect of its members being asked to fly long-haul to play a regular-season match. “As per usual, La Liga has dispensed with the opinions of the players and has undertaken actions that only benefit them, regardless of the health or risks to the players, and even less the feelings of the following masses of the clubs who are being forced to compete in North America once a season,” he said in a statement. “Footballers are not currency that can be used in business to only benefit third parties.”

Those fears are likely to fall on deaf ears, however. The league’s chief executive, Javier Tebas, has long been a proponent of attempting to increase the marketability of his product and is understood to have pressed ahead with the deal despite widespread opposition among clubs.

Official approval has also yet to be granted by Fifa but provisional plans are already in place to host the inaugural match before the end of this season, with Miami the most likely destination given its large Hispanic community and the success of the friendly between Real Madrid and Barcelona that was held in the city last year. A repeat of the clásico has already been ruled out, although Ross, who also owns the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami as well as the NFL franchise team, hinted on Thursday: “I think you might have heard very much of one of the teams. One of the bigger teams.”

Stillitano adds: “They’re rumours. But it’s fair to say one of them has to be a recognisable team. If this builds and we do it right the first time, obviously by year three or four we could have two mid-level teams but we think the first couple have to be a team people in the States will recognise. There are four or five candidates in Spain – this wouldn’t work if you had two teams who are fighting against relegation, for example. But it will be this season, for sure. We have to look at schedules and work with the clubs but Mr Tebas is certainly committed to it, as is Mr Ross. We’re going to shoot for this year without question.”

Relevent will also have access to the rights to La Liga when the league’s $120m-a-season deal with beIN Sports ends in 2020, as well as controlling merchandise and academy initiatives at grassroots level. However, with NBC having paid the equivalent of nearly $170m a season in 2015 to broadcast the Premier League, there is no doubt who is the market leader.

Widespread opposition to the 39th game, which proposed an extra fixture for all 20 clubs being played at neutral venues around the world and all the implications that would have for a fair competition, made it a non-starter a decade ago. With Scudamore due to stand down by the end of 2018 after nearly 20 years at the helm, the Premier League currently has no plans to follow Spain’s example and is understood to have poured cold water over the prospect at a broadcasters’ briefing last week. But Stillitano insists that market forces could mean the prospect of English league matches taking place overseas is just around the corner.

“I would argue that England is a very special place when it comes to tradition and the success of the league makes it even harder [to play matches abroad],” he says. “If you went back 15-20 years, there were half-empty stadia and you could see the possibility of playing a game overseas. Now everyone is saying: ‘I don’t want to lose that home game’ and you can understand that. But we are working on solutions.”