Overseas games risk breaking football, Uefa tells Spanish and Italian leagues
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has aimed a shot across the bows of Spanish and Italian football chiefs, warning that taking domestic league games overseas risks “breaking” the sport.
The European governing body this week “reluctantly” gave its permission for LaLiga and Serie A to export league games to the US and Australia this season but reiterated its opposition to the concept and insisted that its “exceptional” move would not set a precedent.
Speaking at the general assembly of European Football Clubs, as the European Club Association has rebranded itself, Ceferin doubled down on the message.
“Football is not just about balance sheets. It’s not just entertainment. It’s life in our communities,” he said.
“It is the streets, the clubs and the fans that shape it, and if we pull it too far away from those roots, we risk breaking it. In uncertain times, football is our anchor.”
Spain’s LaLiga has been the keenest to stage games overseas and Uefa’s approval is a major boost to its plans for Barcelona to play Villarreal in Miami in December.
Serie A in Italy has its own proposal for AC Milan to face Como in Perth in February and, while the final say may rest with Fifa, both matches look increasingly likely to be moved.
Why do some leagues want overseas games?
Fifa blocked previous attempts by LaLiga to host matches in the US but last year pledged to draw up a framework for such games after settling a lawsuit with promoter Relevent.
European Commissioner Glenn Micallef, a vocal critic of plans for overseas games, praised Ceferin and Uefa for clearly stating their ideological opposition.
“[Uefa] was right again in its decision this week – you are showing leadership and you are showing maturity,” Micallef told the EFC congress.
“But more than that, you are sending a very strong message that the soul of European football lies in the fans, in our community and in the integrity of the game.”
LaLiga and Serie A want to take games overseas in order to grow their popularity in new markets and boost revenue that is currently dwarfed by the Premier League’s but has faced pushback from supporters’ groups.
The Premier League has shown no appetite to follow suit, having been pilloried for floating the “39th Game” proposal under long-serving former chief executive Richard Scudamore.