Ex-LA Galaxy chief Tim Leiweke questions Premier League plans to play matches abroad
The man who took David Beckham to the United States has questioned whether plans to play Premier League matches abroad are pioneering or pirateering.
Tim Leiweke, who was president and chief executive of Anschutz Entertainment Group, the owner of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, and now holds the same position at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, addressed revived plans for Premier League matches to be played outside of the UK.
Leiweke, speaking at Leaders in Sport at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge home, said: "Is that good or bad for MLS? Is that a pioneer vision or a pirate move? Therein lies the debate.
"North Americans are spoilt, they have the best basketball players in the world, the best hockey players, the best baseball players and the best NFL players.
"We do not have the best soccer players in the world."
As MLS grows, competition may not come from traditional North American sports, but from 'foreign' pursuits such as the Premier League.
Leiweke added: "Are those competitors our partners or do they see that North American landscape and want to take money out of that landscape? Therein lies the challenge for Major League Soccer."