Goal: UEFA’s Milan-Como decision forces FIFA to redraft regulations – the reasons

UEFA’s decision to allow AC Milan and Barcelona to play ‘home’ games abroad seems to have rubbed FIFA up the wrong way.

With San Siro not available for a period in February due to the Winter Olympics, Milan put forward the idea of playing their game against Como – scheduled during that period – in Perth, Western Australia.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed the game can go ahead down under, thanks to a decision from UEFA. This has ignited a lot of debate, with Milan midfielder Adrien Rabiot even publicly criticising the decision.

FIFA unhappy

According to Goal, FIFA is ‘redrafting its regulations concerning domestic league games played in foreign countries’ and ‘seeking legal advice on potentially banning them outright’ in response to UEFA approving the plans. In addition to Milan-Como, they green-lit Barcelona playing Villarreal in Miami.

FIFA were ‘frustrated’ as the 2014 rules do not grant it the power to stop such games, provided all necessary parties approve, and a loophole in the existing regulations has therefore been exploited.

UEFA stated: “Given that the relevant FIFA regulatory framework – currently under review – is not clear and detailed enough, the UEFA executive committee has reluctantly taken the decision to approve, on an exceptional basis, the two requests referred to it.”

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

UEFA president, Aleksander Ceferin, claimed it will not set a precedent “League matches should be played on home soil; anything else would disenfranchise loyal match-going fans and potentially introduce distortive elements in competitions.

“Our consultation confirmed the breadth of these concerns. While it is regrettable to have to let these two games go ahead, this decision is exceptional and shall not be seen as setting a precedent. Our commitment is clear: to protect the integrity of national leagues and ensure that football remains anchored in its home environment.”

The report adds that the final decision on Milan-Como now rests with the host federation (Football Australia) and the appropriate confederation, which is the Asian Football Confederation.