October 07, (THEWILL) — UEFA has granted permission for Italian and Spanish domestic league fixtures to be held overseas, despite maintaining strong opposition to the concept. The European governing body described the approval for two matches, Milan versus Como in Perth during February and Villarreal against Barcelona in Miami this December, on an exceptional basis due to unclear regulations at global level.
President Aleksander Ceferin called the decision regrettable and emphasised that domestic league matches should take place on home soil. The approval follows consultation with stakeholders, including fans, leagues, clubs, players and European institutions, which confirmed widespread resistance to relocating domestic fixtures abroad. UEFA stated that FIFA’s current regulatory framework lacks sufficient clarity, forcing the executive committee to reluctantly authorise both requests.
Spain’s football federation approved the Barcelona-Villarreal match at Hard Rock Stadium in August, whilst Italy’s Serie A continues working towards staging its fixture in Australia. The possibility of overseas matches emerged after Relevent Sports settled a six-year lawsuit against US Soccer Federation in April. Germany’s Bundesliga has rejected moving any matches abroad, whilst England’s Premier League abandoned similar proposals in 2008 following supporter backlash.
Ceferin warned that relocating matches would disenfranchise loyal supporters and potentially introduce distortive elements into competitions. The UEFA president thanked the 55 national associations for constructive engagement on the sensitive issue, reiterating the organisation’s commitment to protecting league integrity. European Commissioner for Sport Glen Micallef previously described such proposals as a betrayal of community-based football clubs.
This decision marks the beginning of broader debates about football’s future rather than an isolated incident. Legal experts indicate that UEFA’s position reflects constraints arising from American anti-trust law following the Relevent case outcome. Questions remain about how governing bodies will respond when additional leagues request permission for further overseas fixtures next season, with concerns that initial experiments could lead to expanded international scheduling.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
