UEFA will not halt plans to host Villarreal-Barcelona game in United States | OneFootball

Europe’s governing body of football, UEFA, will not put any obstacles in the path of plans to host a Spanish league match in the United States. La Liga, Barcelona and Villarreal have agreed to hold their clash scheduled for the end of December in Miami, Florida, in the so-called USA game, and UEFA have decided not to oppose the matter.

La Liga have been pushing the concept for the past seven years, when an originally proposed Girona-Barcelona fixture was slated to take place in the United States. Meanwhile Serie A are also planning to host an AC Milan-Como clash in Perth, Australia, this season.

UEFA will not stand in way of USA game

According to Marca, UEFA have no plans to halt the proposal. During those eight years, permissions from first the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF),  and then FIFA, scuppered La Liga’s desire to ‘expand’ to the US. However over the past two years, both bodies have now given the green light to the proposal.

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UEFA were one of the last bodies that could have stood in the way of the event, and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin had publicly expressed his opposition to the idea. However after reviewing the proposal, and concluding that they have no legal basis to prevent either a La Liga game or a Serie A game abroad, they will pass the proposal onto FIFA, who as noted, have already given their green light.

UEFA had initially planned to discuss it at a meeting on Thursday, but the matter no longer features on the agenda.

High Council for Sport could oppose decision

The Madrid-based outlet say that only a strong opposition from the High Council for Sport (CSD) could perhaps force FIFA to reconsider their stance. However there are doubts about what power the CSD actually holds in the matter, beyond their voice.

Real Madrid have requested that FIFA, UEFA and the CSD reject the idea on the basis that it alters the fairness of the competition, while the Spanish Players’ Association have also opposed the idea, desiring more information on the event before they will back it.