October 25 – On Thursday, FIFA, responding to its commitment in the US following legal action by sports marketer Relevent and LaLiga, has set up a working group to review its rules around allowing leagues to play matches outside their domestic markets.
With a growing number of complaints over a congested international calendar FIFA is facing rebellion from players and leagues. This working group is not tasked with finding a solution to that – or the predicament the increasingly unloved 2025 Club World Cup finds itself in – but its findings may end up having a bearing on that issue.
FIFA said “the working group’s primary objective will be to review and recommend potential changes to the FIFA Regulations Governing International Matches, specifically:
- i) the rules, procedures and processes for authorising interclub football matches or competitions; and
- ii) the criteria to be applied for authorising such matches or competitions.”
The issue of staging domestic league matches on foreign soil was front and centre again last week with LaLiga saying it had scheduled a Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid regular season match for December 22 in Miami. and aim to organise a competitive domestic game in Miami next season.
In 2018, La Liga’s plan to stage the Barcelona – Girona match in the Sunshine State was thwarted by opposition from FIFA and the Spanish FA.
Relevent Sports Group, which has a marketing relationship in the US with LaLiga and is owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, sued FIFA and the US Soccer Federation and after losing the case won an appeal earlier this year with the parties reaching an agreement to drop FIFA from the suit, on the basis they would reopen discussion on the possibility of La Liga staging matches in the United States in the future.
With LaLiga forcing the issue with the scheduling of the December fixture (LaLiga has also opposed the organisation of the 32-team 2025 Club World Cup in the US), FIFA has now replied saying that at its FIFA Council meeting on October 3, it agreed to establish a working group.
Mindful of criticisms and separate legal action from stakeholders in Europe over FIFA’s unilateral calendar and competition decisions that have been taken without wider consultation, the governing body has invited player, club and league representatives to join the working group.
Two representatives from member associations, one representative from each Confederation, two representatives from the European Club Association, two representatives from FIFPRO, two representatives from the World Leagues Association and one representative from a match organiser will make up the panel.
FIFA said that “the working group is expected to issue its recommendations in the coming months”.
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