EUROPEAN football governing body UEFA has reluctantly approved the staging of a Spanish La Liga and an Italian Serie A match in the United States and Australia respectively.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin stated this decision is exceptional and should not be seen as setting a precedent for future matches.
The approval came after Spain’s La Liga agreed to move a late December game between champions Barcelona and Villarreal to Miami, Florida.
Italy’s Serie A also decided to stage the February 8 encounter between AC Milan and Como in Perth, Australia to avoid a clash with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro stadium.
European supporters groups have branded the moves as absurd, unaffordable, and environmentally irresponsible.
UEFA reiterated its clear opposition to domestic league matches being played outside their home country in its official statement.
The governing body found no clear regulatory framework in FIFA’s statutes that would allow it to oppose the moves despite widespread lack of support from fans, leagues, clubs, players and European institutions.
UEFA’s Executive Committee reluctantly took the decision to approve the two requests on an exceptional basis.
Other sports including the NFL and NBA have been playing regular season games outside their home countries for years or even decades.
The NFL has held games in London since 2007 while expanding to Mexico and Germany with future matches planned for Madrid and Melbourne.
The NBA has relocated regular-season matches to Japan since 1990 and to Europe since 2013 with six games already scheduled in Berlin, London, Manchester and Paris over the next three seasons.
Rugby union has also hosted significant matches abroad including the French Top 14 final in Barcelona and international matches in Chicago and London.
Football has previously hosted matches abroad but these have typically been glorified friendlies rather than competitive league games.
The Spanish and Italian Super Cups are already regularly held in Saudi Arabia after previous editions in China, Morocco, Qatar and Libya.
La Liga has been trying for years to host games in the United States, home of its commercial partner Relevent Sports.
FIFA shifted its opposition to relocating matches by launching a working group in May to revise their rules.
This policy change opened the door for UEFA to grant La Liga and Serie A permission to stage matches abroad.
Serie A thanked UEFA for recognising the exceptional nature of this initiative in its official statement.
The Italian league emphasised this is only one match out of 380 in the league, describing it as an extraordinary event rather than a structural change to the schedule.
Serie A president Ezio Simonelli expressed hope that approval from FIFA and the Australian Football Federation would complete the authorisation process.
He stated that a contingency linked to the unavailability of the San Siro Stadium has been transformed into an opportunity for Italian football fans in Perth and to increase international visibility for Italian football. – AFP