Jurgen Klopp not impressed with Todd Boehly

• Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is not impressed by new Chelsea owner.
• Todd Boehly’s idea of an ‘All-Star game’ in the Premier League.
• Merseyside club do not want to stage a US style All-Stars game, says Klopp.

Jurgen Klopp is unmoved by new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly’s concept of a US style ‘All-star game’ in the Premier League..

A north against. south matchup was proposed by Boehly, a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team as well as the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Sparks basketball teams.

He said he hopes the Premier League “takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports”.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well?”

After Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League victory over Ajax, questions regarding Boehly’s proposal were directed at the German.

The American asked: “Why don’t we do a tournament with the poorest four sports teams, why isn’t there an All-Star game?” earlier that day at a conference in New York.

“People are talking about more money for the pyramid, in the MLB All-Star game this year we made $200m (£173m) from a Monday and a Tuesday.

“So we’re thinking we could do a north versus south All-Star game for the Premier League, for whatever the pyramid needed, quite easily.”

The NBA’s All-Star game, which is played in February during the regular season, pits players from the Eastern Conference against those from the Western Conference. Fans, players, and members of the media vote on the starting lineups for the exhibition game, and the head coaches choose the reserves for each of the 12 teams.

When asked about his opinion on the crammed football calendar, Klopp answered, “When he finds a date for that, he can ring me. These athletes have four-month off seasons in American sports.

“Maybe he can explain that. I’m not sure people want to see that – [Manchester] United players, Liverpool players, Everton players all together. North-east too, so Newcastle. It is not the national team. All the London guys together, Arsenal, Tottenham, great. Did he really say it?”

Boehly responded, “Everyone likes the notion of extra cash for the league, when asked what his fellow football club owners would think of an All-Star game.

“I think there’s a real cultural aspect, I think evolution will come.”

Boehly also suggested that relegation positions for the top-flight may be decided by a four-team tournament rather than the customary system of the three bottom sides going down immediately. In May, Boehly led a group to a £4.25 billion takeover of Chelsea.

The weakest performing teams receive the first picks of new talent in a draught in the US’s main sports, which has led to charges that some clubs “tank” for a better pick.

“The economics of going into the Championship are materially different,” he added.

“When you go into the Championship those numbers fall off a cliff. So there’s no one thinking about tanking, and those relegation games are some of the highest broadcast games.”

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