The European Football Association (UEFA) is preparing for a decisive meeting next September 11 in Albania, where the file of establishing Barcelona against Villarreal in Miami, USA, will be the focus of discussion, amid widespread controversy in Spanish and European circles.
Why does the Barcelona Villarreal match request raises a crisis?
The Spanish League Association submitted an official request to hold the 17th round match between Villarreal and Barcelona on December 20 in Miami, with the approval of the two clubs. However, the decision was met with great rejection by Real Madrid, in addition to the signing of 42 clubs from the first and second degrees on a petition against the transfer of any local match outside Spain. This opposition made the situation different from the Italian experience, as Al -Ittihad agreed there to play Milan and Komo a match in Australia without objections.
What is UEFA’s position on the idea?
According to Spanish press reports, UEFA is studying legal extent and the feasibility of organizing a European local match outside the continent. European Commissioner for Sports Glenn Mikalif clearly said: “European competitions must be held in Europe, European football must remain in Europe.” On the other hand, Javier Tibas, president of the League, responded, stressing that the Barcelona and Villarreal confrontation “is just one of 380 games” and that the final decision may return to FIFA if UEFA approval.
New controls that the European Union may adopt
The upcoming meeting will also address controls in the event of agreeing to transfer matches outside the continent, such as determining the number of matches permitted, the distance that the players travel, and the teams that can participate, in order to ensure the fairness of competition between clubs.
Champions League final 2027 stadiums
On the other hand, the meeting will discuss the determination of the Champions League final 2027 for men and women. For men, the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid tops the candidacy race at the expense of the Olympic stadium in Baku, while in the women’s competitions, the race between the national stadium in Warsaw and the St. Jacob Park stadium in Basel, after Camp Nominations, left the nominations, in commitment to not holding the two finalists in the same country.
