Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s LaLiga have rejected criticism from a senior European Union official who described their efforts to host domestic league fixtures outside Europe as a betrayal of fans.
Serie A intends to stage a match between AC Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, in February 2026, while LaLiga is working on moving Villarreal’s clash with Barcelona to Miami this December.
EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef voiced strong opposition to the plans, insisting that European competitions should remain within the continent.
Writing on social media, he said he was “deeply disappointed” by the proposals and argued that clubs owe their success to their local supporters and communities. In his view, exporting matches abroad risks undermining European football’s identity rather than modernising it.
Serie A described the commissioner’s stance as exaggerated, stressing that one match abroad cannot be equated with abandoning the domestic game. The league argued that international fixtures are part of a wider strategy to expand Italian football’s global footprint and to compete with other sports in new markets.
Officials noted that while Milan and Como supporters would be asked to make a one-off concession, the broader benefits — in terms of international exposure, commercial growth, and building new fan bases — outweighed the short-term cost. In their view, the initiative reflects ambition, not disloyalty.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas echoed this defence, presenting the Miami proposal as an opportunity to connect with the competition’s global following. He argued that with football’s audience stretching far beyond Europe, fans overseas deserve occasional opportunities to watch marquee clubs live.
Tebas also highlighted that the plan involves just one game in a 380-match season and suggested that critics were losing perspective. He questioned why similar objections are not raised against other sporting projects that reshape the European landscape or against the persistent problem of piracy, which he said poses a more serious threat to football’s sustainability.
Both the Italian Football Federation and the Spanish FA have given preliminary approval for the overseas fixtures. However, the final decision rests with UEFA and FIFA, who must sign off on any move of domestic league matches beyond Europe.
The dispute highlights a growing tension within European football: balancing the loyalty of local fan bases with the commercial and strategic pressures of global expansion.
