Uefa to consult stakeholders on moving matches to other continents | OneFootball

UEFA will "consult" European football stakeholders regarding the request from LaLiga and Serie A to move two matches to the United States and Australia, respectively, the organization announced this Thursday.

Meeting in Tirana, the executive committee of the European institution "reviewed the requests" submitted by the Spanish and Italian federations for the Villarreal-Barcelona match on December 20 in Miami and Milan-Como in early February 2026 in Perth.

But "before reaching a final decision," UEFA "will initiate a series of consultations with all European football stakeholders, including the fans" — whose representatives are clearly opposed to such a project.

"There are numerous issues to be resolved," emphasized UEFA in a statement, although acknowledging "that this is an important issue of growing interest."

Last week, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin admitted to Politico that he had limited leeway, while FIFA was forced to begin a reform of its rules that prohibit holding championship matches abroad last May, following a legal agreement with football rights giant Relevent Sports.

"We are not satisfied, but we have little flexibility from a legal standpoint if both federations agree," summarized the Slovenian official.

In a statement, the organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) expressed its gratitude for UEFA's willingness to engage in dialogue, reiterating its position expressed last Wednesday in a text signed by more than 430 fan groups from 25 countries.

"European football belongs to our stadiums, our cities, our communities: one national game abroad is already too much," writes the FSE, a position similar to that of the European Commissioner for Sports, Glenn Micallef.

In the face of seeking new markets — for Milan-Como, it is argued that it is impossible to use the San Siro stadium, reserved in early February for the opening ceremony of the Winter Games — fans denounce a logistical and environmental aberration, as well as a violation of the sporting equity guaranteed by home and away games.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.