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05/15 03:53 CDT FIFA moves toward ending soccer tradition and letting league
games be staged in other countries
FIFA moves toward ending soccer tradition and letting league games be staged in
other countries
BANGKOK (AP) --- FIFA moved Wednesday toward ending decades of soccer tradition
by reviewing the rules that currently block domestic league games being played
in other countries.
Fans are likely to object to their teams' home matches potentially being moved
thousands of miles (kilometers) away.
The United States and Saudi Arabia are expected to be willing hosts to lure
competitive games from top European countries, and FIFA recently agreed to
withdraw from an ongoing court case in New York filed by promoter Relevent to
challenge the policy.
The new FIFA policy will likely be attractive to the growing number of
international owners of European clubs, including the wave of U.S. investors in
the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1, and
state-backed teams like Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City, Qatar-owned Paris
Saint-Germain and Saudi-owned Newcastle.
FIFA is now creating a panel of 10-15 people representing soccer stakeholders
to advise within months on amending the rules on so-called "out-of-territory"
games. The rules were last amended in 2014.
Attempts since then to have European league games abroad, including taking
Barcelona to Miami in 2019, were blocked as U.S. promoters seek to give fans
more than just preseason exhibition games involving the world's best club teams.
FIFA directed its working group, which is yet to be appointed, to consider
fairness and giving "advance notice to fans who may miss the opportunity to
attend a home or away match in the home territory."
Other factors for the FIFA panel include "respect for the recognized structure
of international football" and potential disruption to fans, teams and leagues
in the country hosting "out-of-territory" games.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
