The fact that FC Barcelona will not be playing Villarreal in Miami after all is seen by Europe’s most important fan association as a “groundbreaking victory” – one that is to be followed by another.
On Tuesday evening, La Liga finally gave in to the ongoing protests: grudgingly, it announced that the league match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona scheduled for December 20 will not take place in Miami after all. Now, Europe’s most important fan association is calling for further consequences.
“Common sense and the rules of the game have prevailed,” Football Supporters Europe (FSE) rejoiced in a statement on Wednesday. “This is a groundbreaking victory for European soccer and for all those who believe that sport should be at the heart of our communities.” The “collective resistance of fans, players, UEFA, European institutions, and many other players in soccer” was “deafening,” the statement said.
Following this “historic” success, FSE has formulated two demands: the leadership of Spanish professional soccer must be reformed and given a “healthier, more sustainable, and more democratic” image so that decisions are no longer made in isolation from fan interests. And: “Now it’s Serie A’s turn.”
Appeal to Serie A – and FIFA
Italy’s upper house is also planning to hold a match far away from home this season: on February 8, AC Milan and Como 1907 are scheduled to meet in Perth, Australia. This plan must also be withdrawn, according to the FSE statement: “It’s not too late. The position of players and fans in Italy is crystal clear.” Otherwise, the Asian Football Confederation must intervene and reject the proposal. “The game has no place 15,000 kilometers away from its home.”
In order to prevent such debates, which had kept La Liga on tenterhooks, especially over the weekend, the FSE is also appealing to FIFA to provide clarity and adopt “appropriate regulations” – with the involvement of fan representatives. “Attempts to destabilize the foundations of the game must stop now.”