UEFA approves Barcelona and AC Milan games abroad in a “regrettable” decision

UEFA approved Barcelona and AC Milan to play league games abroad in what President Alexander Ceferin described as a “regrettable” decision.

Barcelona should face Villarreal in Miami in December In what will be the first match of the European League which will be held abroad.

Milan will have to face the Como in Perth, Australia, in February.

Although it is opposed to the plans, the director of European football reluctantly gave the green light so that the matches continue.

UEFA gives the approval of the “exceptional” decision

UEFA underlined its clear opposition to the games, but actually conceded that it was powerless to prevent them from being detained abroad due to the absence of a legal framework through which to do so.

A UEFA press release said: “UEFA reiterated its clear opposition today to the matches of the National League played outside their country of origin.

“After the meeting of its executive committee in Tirana last month, UEFA undertook new consultations with the stakeholders to assess the extent of the implications of the issue, following the requests it received from national and Italian football associations.

“This consultation has confirmed the general lack of support that had already been raised by fans, other leagues, clubs, players and European institutions around the concept of national league matches that move abroad.

“However, given that the relevant FIFA regulatory framework – currently being examined – is not clear and detailed enough, the UEFA executive committee reluctantly made the decision to approve, in an exceptional manner, the two requests sent to it. UEFA will actively contribute to the current obligations between clubs, their supporters and their local communities.

“In parallel, all the national UEFA associations have confirmed their commitment to engage with UEFA before submitting future requests. In doing so, they expressed their collective determination to protect the broader interests of European football. ”

President of UEFA: no precedent is defined

“The League matches should be played on a soil at home; everything else would be disinfecting fans of faithful matches and could potentially introduce distortive elements in competitions,” said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

“Our consultation has confirmed the extent of these concerns. I would like to thank the 55 national associations for their constructive and responsible commitment on such a sensitive issue.

“Although it is regrettable to have to let these two games go ahead, this decision is exceptional and will not be considered as a previous one.

“Our commitment is clear: to protect the integrity of national leagues and guarantee that football remains anchored in its family environment.”