UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin warns overseas league games risk ‘breaking’ football | OneFootball

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has issued a stark warning that relocating football matches away from their traditional community foundations risks "breaking" the sport.

His comments follow European football’s governing body reluctantly granting approval for one LaLiga and one Serie A fixture to be played overseas this season, citing ongoing uncertainty surrounding the legal framework.

Speaking at the General Assembly of European Football Clubs in Rome on Wednesday, Ceferin emphasised: "Football is not just about balance sheets. It’s not just entertainment. It’s life in our communities.

“It is the streets, the clubs and the fans that shape it, and if we pull it too far away from those roots, we risk breaking it. In uncertain times, football is our anchor."

The proposed fixtures include Villarreal and Barcelona’s desire to play in Miami in December, while AC Milan’s encounter with Como is slated for Perth, Australia, in February.

Ceferin concluded by stating that European football possessed the potential to be "unstoppable" and "eternal", much like the city of Rome itself, provided it maintained unity and inclusion.

Villarreal and Barcelona are set to play in Miami in December (AP)

He again maintained UEFA’s competitions were open to all, and that with the support of EFC – the new name for the European Club Association – it would never run anything akin to a closed Super League.

“Lasting value comes only from unity, from balance and from reforms that strengthen everyone, not just a few,” Ceferin added.

“UEFA will never and would never organise a competition for 12 clubs only. UEFA wants inclusion.

“UEFA wants that dream to stay alive and, together with EFC, we will make sure that our club football is inclusive and that everybody has a chance to win the best competitions.”

Glenn Micallef, the European Commissioner responsible for intergenerational fairness, youth, culture and sport, praised UEFA for its stance against the Super League and against domestic matches being moved overseas – even though it has granted permission for two games this season.

“(UEFA) was right again in its decision this week, you are showing leadership and you are showing maturity,” Micallef told the EFC gathering.

“But more than that, you are sending a very strong message that the soul of European football lies in the fans, in our community and in the integrity of the game.”

Football Supporters Europe said on Monday: “We urge LaLiga and Serie A to act for the greater good of football and withdraw their plans rather than push ahead in the face of overwhelming opposition from the rest of the football family and the European institutions.

“We call on FIFA to uphold and reinforce their current regulations and reject the applications to relocate these domestic fixtures abroad. There is still time to do right by clubs, players, officials, supporters, and communities.”

Now that the clubs have approval from their confederation, UEFA, all that remains is a green light from the host confederations – CONCACAF, the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The current regulations on staging matches overseas were agreed by the FIFA Council in 2018, but were challenged in the United States courts by marketing agency Relevent. The settling of that case in April 2024 has opened the door for leagues to stage games overseas, with a new framework still under discussion.