Former NFL superstar and current minority owner in Burnley, JJ Watt has blasted Birmingham City CEO Garry Cook for a comment he made on their fixture with Wrexham.
Wrexham travelled to Birmingham City on Monday night looking to extend their unbeaten run to six matches in League One.
The Reds got off to the best start possible, as Jack Marriott finished brilliantly from inside the box to put his side ahead.
Phil Parkinson’s men then sunk deeper into their half and paid the ultimate price, with Jay Stansfield capitalising on a rare Arthur Okonkwo error to equalise.
Following this goal, the game then fell into a pattern of Birmingham dominance, as Stansfield scored quickly in the second half before Tomoki Iwata scored their third of the match.
The Blues secured an easy win in the end but one talking point heading into the game has prompted a response from JJ Watt.
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JJ Watt gives his thoughts on Wrexham vs Birmingham City being played in the United States
Sharing common ground with their American owners, there was talk of Birmingham vs Wrexham being played in the United States before the season kicked off.
Wrexham have a huge following in the US, as seen in pre-season and so do the Blues, who are part-owned by NFL legend Tom Brady.
An EFL fixture being played abroad would have been a first in football history and Birmingham CEO Garry Cook was behind the idea.
“Personally, I think that is a great idea,” Cook said. “But I think the EFL wouldn’t see it that way and I think the history and the tradition of our sport and our league tries to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
Former NFL defensive end JJ Watt, who is a minority owner in Burnley, didn’t agree with Cook’s wish as he believes the beauty of the English game is the history, tradition and passion, replying to these comments on X.
Birmingham City vs Wrexham fixture proved why it should remain in England
On Monday night, the atmosphere inside St. Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park was raucous, as both sets of sides cheered their team on throughout the ninety minutes.
Of course, the game had added spice with both Rob McElhenney and Brady in attendance but league positions also dictated why this fixture was special.
Wrexham arrived in Birmingham as the front runners while the hosts are expected to run away with the league title after flexing their war chest of funds this summer.
Given the match attracted over 30,000 fans for a League One match, which was a brilliant advertisement for the division, the idea of playing this fixture in the US loses its appeal even further.
That will be disappointing for the Americans wanting to watch their team in the flesh however, they should stick to paying their pre-season matches in the US, as opposed to moving a league fixture there.