Premier League news: Premier League clubs will bank as much as €6.7 million each for playing an extra round of fixtures in foreign cities under hugely controversial plans outlined by the league yesterday.

Proposals for an additional "international round" of fixtures unveiled by the Premier League's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, will see clubs receive an increase in revenue of more than 10 per cent for playing a 39th game in overseas cities that will bid for the rights to stage games.

The plans, which came as a surprise to many in the game, including the English Football Association, may yet be blocked by Fifa and were immediately opposed by supporters' groups.

They also received a lukewarm response from the government, the new culture secretary, Andy Burnham, calling for "careful consideration" before any final decision is made.

Club chairmen are unlikely to be so circumspect given the prospect of the additional round of matches parcelled up as a fresh package of rights in the league's next round of broadcast negotiations.

Outlining the plans to club chairmen at a shareholders' meeting in London yesterday, Scudamore said they could expect to earn up to €6.7 million for their foreign expedition on top of their regular-season rights, delivering a significant increase on the €54 million they are currently guaranteed.

The international round is scheduled to be introduced from the start of the 2010-2011 season, which will be the first of the Premier League's next television deal. Scudamore heralded the proposal to expand overseas as "an idea whose time has come" and there is a logic to the move from a league the commercial creativity of which has set standards for British sport.

Under the plan, five cities would bid to stage two Premier League games each over a weekend in January, probably after the third round of the FA Cup. The fixtures would be decided by a draw at the start of the season. The league is considering using seeding to try to make the system fair, and it will want to ensure that the major clubs are spread throughout the venues.

The cities would be spread across time zones, allowing British viewers to watch five back-to-back games on the Saturday and Sunday.

The games would also afford endless marketing opportunities in the cities they are staged in, and with a clear week before and after the games the clubs would have ample opportunity to promote their brands.

Scudamore rejected criticism of the decision to add a round of fixtures rather than take existing games overseas, and said the move would not affect the integrity of the competition.

"There is a difference between symmetry and integrity. What we currently have is a perfectly symmetrical league, and what this proposition does is alter by 1/39th the perfect symmetry that exists, but these will be genuine matches, they will be drawn and they [the clubs] will know the rules when they join. Every club knows they will have an equal chance of being treated unfairly."

He acknowledged that the proposal would have critics but insisted it was the only measure that allowed the league to play overseas without sacrificing the principle of equal distribution among the 20 clubs.

"The idea of a single game, say Arsenal v Manchester United, being held in New York was anathema to us [but] if we are going to move this league forwards then we are going to have to do something, because standing still is not an option. This proposal today seems to have captured the imagination of the 20 clubs."

The FA appeared as surprised by the announcement as anyone, with its chairman, David Triesman, and chief executive, Brian Barwick, informed only hours before the news became public.

They offered qualified support.

• Guardian Service