Five years after Relevent Sports sued the U.S. Soccer Federation and later FIFA for what it described as illegally “closing the doors of the United States to international soccer,” the soccer promotion company and FIFA reached a settlement Monday.
Though the settlement does not resolve Relevent’s claims against the other defendant, U.S. Soccer, it does potentially signal a shift toward allowing European leagues to hold regular-season matches in the U.S. in the future.
Relevent, which is owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, is in the business of organizing and promoting soccer events in the U.S. Its portfolio includes a 50-50 joint venture with Spain’s LaLiga in North America that covers the league’s media rights, sponsorship assets, fan events and grassroots efforts. It has sought to stage matches from FIFA-affiliated teams in LaLiga and similarly situated leagues.
Represented by famed sports antitrust litigator Jeffrey Kessler, Relevent has accused U.S. Soccer and FIFA of excluding superior matches in ways that deprive American soccer fans and run afoul of antitrust law.
FIFA, a Swiss nonprofit association, denies any wrongdoing, contended Relevent has failed to show there are anticompetitive market effects from FIFA rules and insisted Relevent failed to establish the New York court has jurisdiction over FIFA. FIFA has certain rules that its affiliated associations, including U.S. Soccer, must follow and that are intended to provide quality control and meet similar objectives.
Details of the settlement, which must be approved by U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni of the Southern District of New York, are not known. However, in a statement shared with Sportico, Relevent says the deal “paves the way for collaborating to bring international league play to the U.S.” The company’s CEO, Danny Sillman, adds that FIFA will consider “changes to its existing rules about whether games can be played outside of a league’s home territory.”
The legal fight dates back to 2018, when Relevent announced plans to host a regular-season LaLiga match in Miami between Lionel Messi’s Barcelona and Girona. In response, FIFA clarified its foreign match policy, which said official league matches must be played within its member association’s geographic territory (in this case, Spain). When Barcelona withdrew, Relevent organized a 2018-19 match between Girona and Guayaquil in Miami. U.S. Soccer refused to sanction that match and Relevent sued, starting the legal process.
Relevent is not the only firm (and LaLiga is not the only league) eagerly following the status of FIFA’s rules and the outcome of this battle. As soccer becomes a truly international business, almost every major stakeholder is looking at the U.S. as a major growth area. European teams are opening U.S. offices, partnering with U.S. clubs, holding American training tours, and playing summer exhibitions on U.S. soil. Holding actual league matches is an extension of those opportunities, and one that more directly cuts in leagues like LaLiga or England’s Premier League.
Throughout the process, Relevent has been adamant that it would eventually host regular season LaLiga games in the U.S. Sillman told ESPN two years ago that it would happen before the 2026 men’s World Cup in North America.
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