TheGuardian has published a news article that could have a huge impact on world football, at least as we know it: FIFA has developed a new protocol for organizing matches abroad by national leagues. In practice, the experiments – attempted and failed – by Serie A (Milan-Como to be played in Perth) and La Liga (Villarreal-Barcelona to be played in Miami) would have a greater chance of being approved. According to FIFA’s provisions, in fact, each national league could organize one match abroad for each edition of the championship. One, no more.
According to the new protocol, any request to move a competitive match to foreign territory would only be considered if approved by all major stakeholders. In particular, this would involve the national federation of the clubs involved (FIGC for Italy), the continental confederation (UEFA for Italy, of course), the football federation of the country hosting the match, and the relevant confederation. Furthermore, FIFA would reserve the right of veto. The basis for this position would be potential concerns regarding player welfare, related to excessive workload and frequent travel. From a bureaucratic and commercial standpoint, the new protocol would stipulate that revenues from national matches played abroad be redistributed throughout the relevant football movement. Proof that plans have been made and, if necessary, compensation for fans of the teams wishing to attend the matches will also be required.
A date for the next working group meeting has not yet been set, during which feedback from stakeholders is expected to be considered. According to theGuardian, however, FIFA aims to have the protocol in place for the next season. Another crucial aspect concerns the “host” countries for international matches: they could not host more than five per season. From this perspective, the English newspaper writes, “there is a desire to protect MLS and the American football federation: the United States, in fact, would become the most attractive market for this type of operations, and there would be a real risk of hindering the local league’s schedule.” Obviously, everything is still to be confirmed, but it remains a very important news item.