Why European football should stay in Europe
Plans to stage LALIGA and Serie A outside Europe have sparked outrage across the football community. Leagues may pursue financial gains and global reach, but football is not just a trade. It's tradition, culture, and pride tied to European soil.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is still consulting stakeholders, but time ticks fast. Should fast gains break deep trust? The clear call is no. This sport grew with fans, and moving it abroad risks the bond that holds it whole. Here's why the game should stay in Europe, or the heart that drives it may start to fade:
Controversial proposals
LALIGA’s push to stage a league match in Miami and Serie A’s bid to play in Perth have sparked fierce debate. UEFA knows the stakes but stalls on a decision.
EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture, and Sport, Glenn Micallef, calls it a betrayal of fans. Groups like Football Supporters Europe also warn of 'deterritorialisation', the stripping down of the game's home roots. Leagues feel the heat grow as they chase rich new crowds. What seems like bold growth might cut deep ties that shaped the game.
Fans and tradition must lead
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin draws a clear stance: clubs belong in Europe. To him, profit must not uproot the game. Fans also stand firm on this ground.
The message from supporters is clear: clubs rise from local roots, thriving through fans who show up, travel far, and preserve the chants of generations. These ties span time, passed from kin to kin. Strip that away, and the game risks more than money can fix.
Profit cannot replace passion
LALIGA and Serie A push back hard. Their justification rests on global exposure, financial gains, and maintaining a competitive edge. LALIGA President Javier Tebas dismisses it as just one match out of 380.
However, doubt grows as critics warn that once money steers their focus, fans lose their place. A small shift may grow fast, with roots cut bit by bit. True growth should lift the base, not push aside the crowd that gave the game life.
Rules and responsibility matter
UEFA has limited legal power to prevent leagues from holding games abroad, instead leaning on talks with key groups. The risk of approval is stark. Letting LALIGA or Serie A play overseas would set a difficult rule, opening the path to more challenges to long-standing norms.
It could also draw scrutiny from the EU Commission, with difficult issues on rules and fairness. These frameworks exist to shield the game’s roots and trust. Bending them for growth abroad could crack this integrity. In turn, the foundation of Europe’s football grows weak.
Europe must protect their sporting heritage
As Glenn Micallef puts it, fans must see their teams at home. Lawmakers, he adds, must guard the game’s core. This debate cut past sport, reaching deep into pride and politics. Europe has stood firm in global matters, like its ban on Russian teams, to defend principles. They must now shield their own field from potential erosion.
Tradition over profit: The future of football starts at home
A fair path is clear: playing friendlies, tournaments, or exhibitions can showcase European football abroad, but it's crucial to keep league ties at home. This compromise lets clubs gain reach and court new crowds while maintaining trust in local and European play.
Global reach may be tempting, but roots, pride, and loyal fans must come first. The game’s fate rests with the communities that hold it up. To guard both trust and bond, UEFA, leagues, and authorities must keep dialogue with fans at the heart and set a firm bar against shifting league ties abroad.
