FIFA is set to pave the way for Premier League games to be played outside of England.
The world boss has previously been vehemently against allowing national league games to be played outside their “national” territories.
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But last month, FIFA signaled a change of stance by dropping a court case between US football chiefs and event promoters Relevent Sports over the federation blocking attempts to stage La Liga matches on US soil.
And now, at its meeting in Bangkok, FIFA’s governing council approved the creation of a new working group that should officially confirm support for “games outside the territory” – which could put pressure on the Prem to play games abroad within a few years.
This would allow major European leagues, including the Prem, to play matches abroad – although such a move is likely to bring a huge backlash from fans.
It would also pave the way for UEFA to host its decisive games, including the Champions League final in the USA.
Earlier this month, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters admitted that FIFA’s judicial stance meant that “the door appears more open for games in the US”, although he insisted: “It is not part of our current plans . It really isn’t.”
But Jon Miller, a senior executive at Prem broadcast partner NBC in the US, went on record saying he wanted to see “some Premier League games opening the season here in big stadiums on our opening weekend”.
And with more than half of the Prem teams now under US control, the prospect of club bosses pushing for the “door” to be opened looks increasingly likely.
The working group will have between 10 and 15 members and will be made up of national associations, confederations, clubs, leagues, players, fan groups and “private entities involved in the organization of international games or competitions”.
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It was asked to consider a “revised legal framework” for FIFA to authorize games played outside national territories – a clear indication of the direction of travel.
But the new group must consider 10 different aspects before asking FIFA to approve the change.
They include addressing fans’ concerns about “fairness” and “missing the opportunity to attend a game home or away” by demanding “adequate provision” so fans can watch the game.
This could involve clubs and leagues funding fan travel to games played abroad.
The working group must also assess the “potential impact on the balance of competition” if each team stops playing the same number of genuine “home” and “away” games.
It seems certain that “international” games would not be allowed to clash with domestic games in the host country, while at the same time there would be a maximum limit on the number of games from any league or competition that could be played abroad.
Spain and Italy played their Super Cup competitions in Saudi Arabia this season.
UEFA has promised it will NOT play major games outside of Europe, with deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti promising: “Fans believe the final should be played in Europe and we will not do anything that could be seen by them as disrespectful.”
But FIFA’s new stance is a game-changer in every sense and will see the Prem leaders face pressure from both sides of the debate.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
