Fan groups urge Fifa to block overseas LaLiga and Serie A matches
Fifa has been urged to block plans for domestic leagues to play in-season matches overseas.
Supporters’ groups say that “relocating domestic league matches abroad would set a dangerous precedent” amid news that both the Italian Serie A and Spanish LaLiga are working on staging matches overseas.
AC Milan and Como are looking to play one of their Serie A matches in Australia, while Barcelona and Villarreal want to play their LaLiga match in Miami before Christmas.
But the Football Supporters Europe have sent a letter to Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, insisting that such movies abroad would entail “stripping clubs of their roots and undermining the trust of supporters”.
The letter was co-signed by the FSE, the Independent Supporters Council, Football Supporters Association Australia and a Spanish fan group.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) executive director Ronan Evain said: “Fifa must take a clear stand to protect the integrity and identity of domestic football.
“Those behind the proposals claim they are only interested in a one-off event, a claim we reject. If permitted, this would open a Pandora’s box of disarray for football. Short-sighted commercial interests cannot take precedent over protecting domestic football and the communities our clubs grew out of.”
Fifa for overseas matches?
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters previously said that any previous plans to explore a 39th game abroad for the English top flight are no longer necessary, saying the idea is “not anywhere near my in-tray”.
And the European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef described Italian and Spanish plans to play matches overseas as a “betrayal” of fans.
Football’s global governing body Fifa and its council last year approved plans to investigate the legal framework surrounding domestic matches being staged overseas.
Added Evain: “We reaffirm our commitment to constructive dialogue with Fifa, Uefa, Concacaf, AFC, and other relevant stakeholders, with the shared goal of safeguarding the long-term integrity, community roots, and identity of football worldwide.”