FIFA has been warned it will “set a dangerous precedent” if it sanctions domestic league matches being played abroad.
Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A are attempting to export regular-season matches abroad this season. La Liga is hopeful of staging December’s fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami, Florida, while the Italian top-flight is planning to stage February’s meeting between Milan and Como in Perth, Australia.
In May 2024, FIFA approved a working group to look into potential changes to its rules after world football’s governing body was dropped as a defendant by Relevent, creating the possibility of European domestic games to be held abroad. FIFA had previously opposed attempts from La Liga to stage games abroad.
In April, Relevent Sports settled a six-year-long lawsuit with the U.S. Soccer Federation, clearing the way for European regular-season games to be held in the United States.
However, supporters’ groups have now written a joint letter to FIFA, world football’s governing body, urging it not to sanction such matches being moved abroad.
“Relocating domestic league matches abroad would set a dangerous precedent, stripping clubs of their roots and undermining the trust of supporters,” said Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe.
“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.”
The groups — Football Supporters Europe (FSE), the Independent Supporters Council (ISC), Football Supporters Association Australia (FSA Australia), and FASFE, Accionistas y Socios del Futbol Espanol — say that such a move would “undermine sporting integrity” as it would disrupt the home-and-away balance in leagues.
They also say the plans place “commercial interests above sporting values”, will “alienate local supporters”, “erode the cultural identity” of clubs, generate “environmental burdens through long-haul travel” and “contradict Articles 3 and 6 of FIFA’s own regulations governing international matches”.
Last month, European commissioner for sport Glen Micallef said he was “deeply disappointed” by the proposals from Serie A and La Liga, calling the move a “betrayal”.
Serie A said exporting matches would “promote Italian football on a global scale” and highlighted the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) playing regular-season matches overseas.
La Liga president Javier Tebas, meanwhile, said: “There are thousands of fans around the world — many of them European residents — who also deserve the chance to see their teams live at least once.”
