UEFA 'reluctantly' approves European league games in US, Australia

LAUSANNE — European soccer's governing body UEFA said on Monday that it had "reluctantly "approved the staging of a Spanish La Liga and an Italian Serie A match in the United States and Australia, respectively, despite fan protests.

"While it is regrettable to have to let these two games go ahead, this decision is exceptional and shall not be seen as setting a precedent," UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement.

UEFA made its ruling after Spain's La Liga agreed to move a game scheduled for late December between champion Barcelona and Villarreal to Miami, Florida.

Italy's Serie A also decided to stage an encounter between AC Milan and Como on Feb 8 in Perth, Australia, to avoid a clash with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony at Milan's San Siro stadium.

But the plans sparked protests from European supporters groups, which branded the moves "absurd, unaffordable and environmentally irresponsible".

In its statement, UEFA said that it had "reiterated its clear opposition to domestic league matches being played outside their home country".

But despite "the widespread lack of support that had already been raised by fans, other leagues, clubs, players and European institutions", UEFA said that it had found no clear regulatory framework in FIFA's statutes that would allow it to oppose the moves.

"The UEFA Executive Committee has reluctantly taken the decision to approve, on an exceptional basis, the two requests referred to it," the organization said in its statement.

NFL, NBA precedent

While the idea of relocating European soccer matches to other continents seems shocking to many, other sports — particularly US ones — have been doing something similar for years, even decades.

The NFL has held games in London since 2007, while it has also expanded to Mexico and Germany.

Last year, it added a game in Sao Paulo and, this year, there has been one played in Dublin for the first time. Another is slated for Madrid in November, while Melbourne, Australia will host a game in 2026.

The NBA, which has relocated regular-season matches to Japan since 1990 and to Europe since 2013, has already scheduled six games in Berlin, London, Manchester, England, and Paris over the next three seasons.

In rugby union, the French Top 14 club competition took its 2016 final to Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium, while Ireland and New Zealand played an international match in Chicago that same year — with Ireland claiming their first ever victory over the All Blacks.

Last weekend, Argentina played its final "home" Rugby Championship match against South Africa at Twickenham in London.

It is not unheard of in soccer to host matches abroad, but, until now, those had only ever been glorified friendlies. The Spanish and Italian Super Cups are already held in Saudi Arabia, after previous editions in China, Morocco, Qatar and Libya, as governing bodies seek to cash in on the global reach of the beautiful game.

La Liga has been trying for years to host games in the United States, home of its commercial partner Relevent Sports.

Soccer's world governing body FIFA shifted its hitherto opposition to relocating matches, with a "working group" launched in May to revise their rules.

That opened the door to UEFA granting La Liga and Serie A the permission to branch out.

On Tuesday, Lega Calcio Serie A thanked "UEFA for recognizing the exceptional nature of this initiative".

"It should also be emphasized that this is only one match out of 380 in the league: an extraordinary event, not a structural change to the schedule," a Serie A statement said.

"I hope that approval from FIFA and the Australian Football Federation will complete the authorization process," added Serie A president Ezio Simonelli.

"For us, a contingency linked to the unavailability of the San Siro stadium has been transformed into an opportunity to please the many Italian football fans, who will have the chance to follow the match live in Perth, and also for the two teams and Italian football to increase their international visibility and fan base."

AFP