FC Barcelona and AC Milan win UEFA approval amid regulatory gaps

The UEFA Executive Committee «reluctantly» greenlighted requests submitted by the Spanish and Italian football federations to hold two national championship matches abroad «on an exceptional basis amid regulatory gaps at the global level.» Yet, UEFA remains strongly opposed to staging national league matches overseas, according to the organization’s press release.

UEFA’s statement does not specify the clubs involved; however, earlier reports said that the Italian federation requested to hold a February game between AC Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, while the Spanish federation asked to stage a December match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona in Miami, U.S.

After receiving these applications, UEFA held additional consultations with the parties concerned to assess the potential consequences of such arrangements. The consultations confirmed a lack of support for the practice of relocating national league matches abroad.

«However, given that the relevant FIFA regulatory framework — currently under review — is not clear and detailed enough, the UEFA Executive Committee has reluctantly taken the decision to approve, on an exceptional basis, the two requests referred to it,» the statement read.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin believes that national tournament matches should be held at home, as otherwise it would violate fans’ rights and could introduce bias into competitions.

«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,» he said.

UEFA intends to enshrine the principles of fairness in domestic tournaments and the fans’ perspective in FIFA’s future regulations.

This is the first time matches from European leagues have been scheduled to take place abroad.