Just as the NFL returns to the UK for its International Series, La Liga and Serie A have sparked controversy after announcing that certain domestic football matches will similarly be held abroad. While the NFL’s expansion to different countries has brought sold-out games to a growing global fanbase, the decision by the Spanish and Italian leagues has faced staunch opposition.
La Liga have announced that Barcelona will play Villarreal in Miami in December, while Serie A’s AC Milan and Como will travel to Perth, Australia, in February. The latter fixture stands out, as the two clubs, initially separated by less than an hour’s drive, must now travel across the world for a league game. An initial concern raised has been over player welfare and the fixture’s sporting impact – why, in the middle of the season, is it wise to fatigue your players as they fly more than 20 hours each way? Not to mention, this would put the two teams at a disadvantage when returning to play domestic games. Supposedly, the San Siro (Milan’s home stadium) will be used for the upcoming Winter Olympics, but this fails to justify the choice to play in Australia. Como have released a lengthy statement arguing that the ‘sacrifice’ of playing abroad is to secure the league’s survival, citing the need to challenge the Premier League’s financial hegemony on the global stage.
However, the statement presents one of the central issues to moving domestic games abroad: the fans. Como invited 50 fans to represent the club in Perth, but this isn’t enough – Football Supporters Europe (FSE) have criticised the plans, reinforcing the fact that “European football belongs to our stadiums, our cities, our communities.” UEFA, football’s governing body in Europe, has “reluctantly” allowed the games to go ahead, but only due to a lack of framework preventing it, making clear its opposition to domestic games being held abroad.
By comparison, the NFL’s circumstances are massively different – American Football is far more insular, and the US is the clear centre of the sport, making international games the best way to globalise its fanbase. Admittedly, the NFL is depriving fans of a matchday experience, but the move across the pond is less detrimental, given teams might otherwise have travelled across the USA. There is also a framework in place to offer financial incentives for all 32 NFL teams, but it’s uncertain whether La Liga and Serie A will follow suit, so the benefit might even differ between the two travelling teams.
Regardless, the cultural impact is paramount. A friend of mine recently went to London to watch a Denver Broncos game, a rare and cherished opportunity as an NFL fan without an equal alternative in the UK. La Liga are similarly trying to widen their fanbase in the USA, but with an increasingly popular MLS team in Inter Miami, the demand just isn’t the same.
Hopefully, there will be safeguards implemented to stop this recurring, because the move otherwise sets a dangerous precedent. To hold domestic football matches abroad already makes little sense, but to do so for financial gain ultimately undermines the heart of the sport.
Illustration by Erika Bunjevac