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FIFA has announced that the process of allowing foreign leagues to play games in the United States has taken another step forward.
The governing body revealed back in May that they were creating a working group to look into the viability of the matter.
This group was put in place to gain information and then recommend whether or not to adjust current rules. Currently, FIFA laws block leagues from playing official league matches overseas. However, this could soon change depending on the panel’s advice.
On Thursday, FIFA gave a new update on the working group. The governing body claimed that the panel will include 14 officials.
This will include members from several different associations and organizations. This includes a representative from each FIFA confederation, two members from the World Leagues Association, and two officials from FIFPro.
The inclusion of the latter is particularly interesting due to an ongoing lawsuit between the organizations.
FIFPro, the global soccer players union, previously announced legal action against FIFA due to the expansion of multiple competitions. Several star players have recently hit out at the governing body for fixture congestion.
In their statement regarding the working group, FIFA claimed that the panel’s main objective will be to review possible alterations to the FIFA Regulations Governing International Matches. This is the law that prevents league matches taking place overseas.
The group will look into two specific aspects of the rule. Firstly, the panel is set to review “the rules, procedures, and processes for authorizing interclub football matches or competitions.” Next, they will then look at the particular “criteria to be applied” for moving such games.
FIFA claims, just as they did in May, that the group will rule on the situation “in the coming months.”
The issue of playing foreign league games abroad has become an increasingly hot topic in recent months. There were previously suggestions that the Premier League could soon come to the United States. The move, however, is fairly unlikely to occur at the moment.
Nevertheless, Liga MX and LaLiga fixtures seemingly have a much higher chance of taking place in America in the near future.
The president of Club America, the most popular Mexican soccer team, revealed this past summer that a league match could be played north of the border this season. Club America’s home arena, Estadio Azteca, is currently undergoing renovations.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas is also pushing for a Spanish top-flight game to come to America. In fact, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona recently agreed to play their December matchup in Miami. The move, however, is not exactly popular with everyone within the clubs. Atleti’s third captain, Jose Gimenez, has publicly denounced the potential move.
The fixture change has to have the backing of both FIFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). The governing body of the sport in Spain previously blocked Barca’s efforts to play Girona in Miami in 2019. FIFA’s formation of the aforementioned working group will help determine their stance on the situation.
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