(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-02-18 11:45

LONDON - Reading chairman John Madejski said on Sunday proposals to play extra Premier League matches abroad had "already been consigned to the trash bin".

Madejski told BBC radio that Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore should have consulted more widely before announcing plans to extend the season from 38 to 39 games with an international round of fixtures in January.

Scudamore said he had the support of all 20 Premier League clubs.

"If he had approached some of the governing bodies before announcing his plans, we would have moved forward on it. Now it's in tatters," Madejski said.

"It's already been consigned to the trash bin. I don't think it's going to grow legs now. There are too many people against it."

FIFA president Sepp Blatter condemned the plan last week and said it could harm England's bid to stage the 2018 World Cup. The English FA told the world governing body on Friday it had serious reservations about the proposed expansion.