OFFICIAL: UEFA issues a ruling on Barca that surprises everyone

Fans are furious with UEFA following an "unprecedented decision" to move the Barcelona vs Villarreal and Como vs AC Milan matches to Miami and Perth.

UEFA has formally approved the proposal to hold two matches belonging to La Liga and Serie A on different continents, despite previously opposing the idea of domestic matches being played outside their home countries. This decision has sparked intense anger among supporters, especially since Barcelona will play an official match in Miami, USA.

Accordingly, UEFA has "reluctantly" agreed to the proposal for the Villarreal vs Barcelona match on December 21 to take place in Miami, and the AC Milan vs Como game on February 8 to be held in Perth, Australia. FIFA will be the final authority to approve whether these two matches can be played at a foreign "neutral venue."

In a statement, UEFA reaffirmed its "clear opposition to hosting domestic league matches outside their national territory." The organization said that after last month's Executive Committee meeting in Tirana, they consulted further with stakeholders to assess the impact of this issue. The results showed widespread opposition from fans, leagues, clubs, players, and other European organizations against taking domestic games abroad.

However, UEFA explained that because FIFA's regulatory framework is currently "not sufficiently clear and detailed," they had to approve the two requests "as exceptions." UEFA also emphasized it will actively collaborate with FIFA to improve future regulations to "protect the integrity of domestic leagues and maintain the bond between clubs, fans, and local communities."

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin also expressed concern that holding matches outside the home territory "will deprive loyal fans of their rights" and could distort competitive balance. He stressed: “Domestic matches must be played at home; otherwise, loyal supporters lose the chance to watch their teams live, which may cause imbalance in the competition. The approval of these two matches is purely exceptional and must not set a new precedent.”

Ceferin further affirmed: “We regret having to allow these two matches, but this decision is entirely exceptional. UEFA's commitment remains clear: to protect the integrity of national championships and keep football connected to its roots.”

On social media platform X, numerous fans have strongly criticized the move. The account @Bluenose_Andy called it a "cowardly act": “You knew this would happen but did nothing to prepare, then let it spiral out of control. Now you expect FIFA to save the situation. Ridiculous.”

User @Philireland sarcastically commented: “We might as well have created the Super League since at least home games would have been played at home. Absolutely laughable.”

Another user @HavertzHub was harsh: “So you actually oppose nothing. Totally unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, @retiredjosh_ expressed concern: “This is how football is gradually turning into a global circus. Good for promotion, but damaging for the sport.”

Finally, @WhiteTeeTurnip observed: “I understand football is now international, but I don't like this. They are taking away the rights of season ticket holders and harming local businesses that depend on matchdays.”

Although UEFA maintains its opposition stance, approving these two La Liga and Serie A matches abroad raises concerns that it might open the "door" for other leagues to follow suit. If FIFA also gives the green light and does not promptly update regulations, the question remains: will other European leagues pursue commercial profits by hosting official matches overseas?

Regarding the Premier League (the most popular domestic league worldwide), the idea of staging a match abroad has been discussed many years ago. However, the current compromise is to hold all-English friendly matches in the US during the pre-season, starting in 2023.

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