Graham Dunbar, Associated Press
7 minutes ago
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal (left) challenges Girona's Miguel Gutierrez for the ball during the Spanish La Liga match between Girona and Barcelona at the Montilibi Stadium on Saturday, May 4, 2024 in Girona, Spain. . (AP Photo/Joanne Monfort)
GENEVA (AP) — FIFA on Wednesday ordered a review of a policy that currently prevents domestic league matches from being played in other countries, moving to end a decades-old soccer tradition.
While fans are likely to object to their team's home games potentially being relocated thousands of miles (kilometers) away, U.S. professional sports leagues are trying to help build their brands and fan bases. It has become commonplace for matches to be held in Europe.
The United States and Saudi Arabia are expected to be active hosts in attracting competitive matches from top European countries, and FIFA recently challenged promoter Lilevent's veto in New York to host competitive league matches. They have agreed to withdraw from the ongoing litigation.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino did not take questions or hold a press conference at the football association's executive board meeting in Bangkok on Wednesday, setting up a working group to consider so-called “outside the territory” matches. agreed to do so.
So far, football authorities in Italy, Spain and France have been allowed to travel abroad to countries such as Saudi Arabia, China and Israel, but domestic Super Cups (mainly those holding the previous season's domestic league and cup titles) It is limited to holding ceremonial games between players.
FIFA's new policy means that a growing number of European clubs, including the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A, France's Ligue 1, and a wave of U.S. investors in state-run teams like Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester, will It will be attractive to international owners. City, Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi-owned Newcastle.
Premier League CEO Richard Masters was asked at a press conference last month about hosting matches overseas in light of the Relevent lawsuit, saying: “That's not part of our current plans, that's not really the case.'' Not,” he said.
FIFA is currently setting up a committee of 10 to 15 people representing football stakeholders who are expected to advise on changes to the rules for matches outside the region in the coming months.
The rules, last revised in 2014, require consent from FIFA member federations, the hosting federation, and each team's member federation for club matches outside their jurisdiction.
Since then, an attempt to bring Barcelona to Miami in 2019 to host a Europa League match overseas has seen U.S. promoters play more than just pre-season exhibition games involving the world's best club teams. was blocked because he was attempting to provide the service to
Back in 2018, Infantino spoke out against the Spanish league's international ambitions, saying, “I would rather see great MLS games in America than La Liga being held here.” .
FIFA has now instructed a yet-to-be-appointed working group to consider fairness and provide “advance notice to fans who may miss out on the opportunity to attend home or away matches on their home turf.”
Other factors for the FIFA committee include “respect for the recognized structure of international football” and the potential for disruption for domestic fans, teams and leagues hosting extraterritorial matches.
England and Germany are home to some of the most activist and athletic fans, and their opposition to the April 2021 Super League plan led to its failure. The plan was promoted by prestigious clubs Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, and was also supported by American-owned clubs Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
The Spanish Super Cup match, which took place in Saudi Arabia, is currently under criminal investigation.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
