Adrien Rabiot told to ‘respect his employer’ over controversial league games abroad plan | OneFootball

Serie A player Adrien Rabiot has been told to “respect his employer” by the league’s chief executive after he criticised Uefa-approved plans for league matches to be held abroad.

Uefa controversially and “reluctantly” approved two overseas fixtures in a statement on Monday, with the governing body simultaneously “confirm[ing] its opposition” to the principle and saying the two games had been approved only “on an exceptional basis”.

The games approved are an AC Milan clash with Como, which will be held in Perth, Australia in January, while La Liga clubs Villareal and Barcelona will play in Miami this December.

Rabiot, who plays for AC Milan, told Le Figaro the idea was “truly absurd”.

“All of this is beyond our control,” the French international said. “There's a lot of talk about schedules and player health, but this all seems truly absurd. It's crazy to travel so many miles for a match between two Italian teams in Australia. We have to adapt, as always.”

Serie A chief executive Luigi de Siervo was asked about Rabiot’s comments at a league assembly meeting in Rome. He said: “He's right, but Rabiot forgets, like all footballers who earn millions of euros, that they are paid to carry out an activity, to play football.

“He should have respect for the money he earns, complying with the wishes of his employer, Milan, who accepted and pushed for this match to be played abroad.”

The league has previously said the plans would “introduce new audiences to the excellence of Italian football”, “in return for a small sacrifice required of the Milan and Como fans”.

Rabiot’s stance may not have gone down well in Serie A, even if de Siervo seemed to personally agree with the sentiment. But it does put him in line with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, who described the move as “regrettable” on Monday.

Ceferin emphasised his opposition in conversation with officials at the European Football Clubs’ general assembly this week, saying: “[Football] is life in our communities, the streets, the clubs and the fans which shape it. If we pull it too far away from those roots we risk breaking it.”

Uefa argued it essentially had no choice but to agree to the fixtures as a result of Fifa not having a regulatory framework “clear and detailed enough” on the issue. The final decision on whether to allow the games to go ahead rests with Fifa, which is still in the process of finalising new regulations.