LONDON (AFP) - Plans to stage a round of Premier League fixtures in cities across the world suffered another blow on Thursday when the English Football Association said the proposal is "unsustainable" in its current format.

The scheme has already been widely criticised by leading figures in the game including FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini.

Now FA board members have decided that the disruption to fixtures, as well as the impact on relations with other international associations, would be too problematic.

It is believed there was almost unanimous agreement among the board members that the League's proposals to hold a 39th set of fixtures overseas could not be supported.

FA chairman, Lord Triesman, said: "The whole of the process, I think, certainly does require some fresh thinking and some really substantive answers to the questions I've posed.

"At the moment, we have not seen a sustainable plan to which we can agree. If the Premier League has things it wants to say about changes or new variants, well then they will come forward.

"But personally, I would prefer it happened sooner rather than later because I don't want this to drift on particularly as we are to launch our World Cup bid (for 2018).

"In general I think uncertainty is not very helpful if it goes on for any length of time but that is a matter for them."

Triesman, along with Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, will meet with Blatter next week to discuss the proposal.