UEFA opposed to league matches abroad, but approves Serie A and La Liga pair on 'exceptional basis'

UEFA has approved a landmark move to allow Italian and Spanish league encounters to be played abroad.

While the European governing body reiterated its opposition to domestic league matches being played overseas, requests from the Spanish and Italian national football associations were approved on "an exceptional basis amid regulatory gaps at global level."

UEFA’s executive committee’s decision has cleared the way for Villarreal to play their La Liga encounter with Barcelona in Miami in December, and AC Milan and Como to host their Serie A match in Perth in February. 

On the matter, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said: "League matches should be played on home soil; anything else would disenfranchise loyal match-going fans and potentially introduce distortive elements in competitions. 

"Our consultation confirmed the breadth of these concerns. I would like to thank the 55 national associations for their constructive and responsible engagement on such a sensitive issue.

"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. 

"Our commitment is clear: to protect the integrity of national leagues and ensure that football remains anchored in its home environment."

Barcelona have long been in conversations to play abroad, with La Liga having last year wanted to hold Barca against Atletico Madrid in Miami, before dropping the idea because of time constraints. 

Furthermore, in 2019, Barcelona also looked to take on Girona in Miami, but the idea was scrapped amid opposition from the Spanish FA and its players’ union. 

After the UEFA committee’s meeting in Tirana, Albania last month, the governing body consulted with stakeholders regarding the viability of domestic encounters being played abroad this term.

According to the body’s official statement: "Consultation confirmed the widespread lack of support that had already been raised by fans, other leagues, clubs, players and European institutions around the concept of domestic league matches being relocated abroad."

Yet, given FIFA’s rules on the matter are "not clear and detailed enough", UEFA reluctantly announced that the two requests would be approved "on an exceptional basis". 

UEFA, however, added that it would ensure that FIFA’s rules uphold the "integrity" of domestic competition and the bond between clubs and their communities. 

Serie A and La Liga have faced a backlash from fan groups, as well as the EU sports commissioner, Glenn Micallef, who in August described the proposal as "a betrayal" of the fans.

Micallef said: "I believe that clubs owe most of their success to their loyal fans and local communities … moving competitions abroad isn’t innovation, it’s betrayal."

In response to Micallef’s comments, Serie A argued: "Taking a match abroad does not mean exporting the championship, but rather introducing new audiences to the excellence of Italian football, strengthening the competitiveness of the system and generating resources that have a positive impact on the entire movement, including at youth and amateur level, in return for a small sacrifice required of the Milan and Como fans, who will nevertheless benefit in terms of increased visibility and popularity worldwide."

Meanwhile, La Liga president Javier Tebas said that while he understood concerns over the matter, he insisted fans living outside Europe had the right to see their teams play live. 

On X, Tebas said: "I understand the concern, but it’s worth putting things into perspective: we’re talking about one match out of 380.

"In many countries around the world, thousands of fans, including Europeans, live and have the right to see their teams play live at least once."

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