Speaking at the Soccerex Forum, Francisco Roca Perez, CEO of the Spanish league, said: "I thought it was a great idea, it seemed quite natural. I was really surprised by the reaction and many of the criticisms were misunderstandings of what the objectives are. I think this first step has reached a mass opposition but eventually it will become normal as this league and these teams are so well liked all over the world.”
Tom Bender, director of marketing for the Bundesliga, also backed the plan, but said it had been badly presented. "It was not sold very well. I think it's a great idea, commercially fantastic, but the repercussion was tremendous and they (the Premier League) did not fight back”, he said.
Earlier this year the Premier League proposed to play an extra international round of fixtures, in five cities around the world from the 2010-11 season, but after a widespread opposition and a rejection from the FA, momentum has slowed.
