Uefa has confirmed that it will allow Barcelona to play their LaLiga fixture against Villarreal in Miami in December and AC Milan to play their Serie A match against Como in Perth, Australia next February, but says it remains opposed to domestic league matches being staged outside their home country.
The landmark ruling follows separate requests from LaLiga and Serie A to play the games abroad, which were “reluctantly” approved at a meeting of Uefa’s executive committee last month. However, Uefa president Alexander Ceferin said the decision was “exceptional” and would not set a “precedent”.
The final decision to allow the games to be held abroad now rests with Fifa, which is still in the process of finalising new regulations. In a statement, Uefa said it felt it had no option but to approve the requests from LaLiga and Serie A due to a lack of a “clear and detailed” framework.
The Independent has previously reported that domestic leagues such as Spain’s LaLiga and Italy’s Serie A see the staging of games overseas as crucial in attracting wider audiences and competing with the financial muscle of the Premier League.
However, the European Union sport commissioner, Glenn Micallef, warned last month that staging domestic league matches abroad “isn’t innovation, it’s betrayal” and the subject of playing games overseas has been criticised by Football Supporters Europe (FSE).
“League matches should be played on home soil, anything else would disenfranchise loyal match-going fans and potentially introduce distortive elements in competitions,” Ceferin said in a statement.
“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.”