FOOTBALL 92 Premier msafi ri In a new global survey, African world. James Knott B arclays Premier League fans across the globe most popular domestic league on the planet. League's inception. on the planet. FANTASTIC FANS Global interest in Barclays Premier League football has lives, ahead of partners and even family. choice football fans voted the Barclays Premier League as the best in the analyses the statistics and kicks off the debate have reunited for an in- depth study into top fl ight football. Following the inaugural 2005 research, the second Barclays Global Fans Survey was conducted to fi nd out the current opinions of supporters around the world on the The Barclays Premier League is watched in 600 million homes in 211 countries worldwide, reaching a global audience of 4.77 billion. There are currently 290 foreign players in the Barclays Premier League and players from 86 different countries have participated in matches since the More than 32,000 Barclays Premier League fans representing 185 countries took part in the survey which provides a fascinating insight into the mindset of football fans across the globe, revealing that amongst African fans, top fl ight English football is still regarded as the best never been higher, with fans preferring it to the FIFA World Cup, European Championships and Olympics. No less than 86% of fans in Africa highlighted football as their most regular topic of conversation and almost half ( 46%) said that football was the most important thing in their Loyalty is an important trait amongst fans in Africa. More than half ( 51%) have been supporting their team for over a decade. A loyal 89% of fans say that they would Cristiano Ronaldo