League matches being played abroad....thoughts?

[Tombstone]

Uefa 'reluctantly' approves La Liga & Serie A games to be played abroad

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin says the decision to allow two European league matches to be played abroad is "exceptional" and insists it "will not set a precedent".

www.bbc.co.uk

So there is a Spanish league match which will be played in the US and an Italian league match which will be played in Australia. UEFA approve it "reluctantly", they say it isnt setting a precedent but lets face it, if those 2 matches bring in more money than if they were played in home country, then you'd have to think that other clubs in other leagues will start considering something similar.

It all reminds me of an interview that Micah Richards gave where when asked, he said he couldnt see any reason why Champions League matches and perhaps even the Champions League Final, couldnt be held outside of Europe.

Thoughts? Are these 2 matches a slippery slope? Or are they good for the game, raising their leagues following in places outside of Europe. Might we head to a time where Liverpool v Man City and Arsenal v Tottenham league matches are played in Los Angeles and Tokyo ?

 

[Eddie]

There's so much wrong with the modern game.

I took a break from football for a good few years but since coming back and seeing what it's like these days I don't think it'll be long before I lose interest again.

This is just another nail in the coffin.

 

[UTmaniac]

It wouldn't be so bad if a number of league matches between a handful of teams were all going to be played abroad over a number of weeks and they all used the same plane.

But flying to the other side of the world, over or across "the pond" for a single match?

Trump's idea of "fake news" regarding climate change and global warming is alive and kicking!

 

[Ayahuasca]

Games gone etc etc

 

[Josh]

No doubt this will come in before the 3pm broadcast ban ends.

Games gone

 

[Reuben klang]

Terrible idea. Frustrating as well. Morons running the games. It’s going to happen here as. The owners are not interesting in legacy fans what so ever. They’d love it if there wasn’t any season tickets either.

 

[MissChief]

Uefa 'reluctantly' approves La Liga & Serie A games to be played abroad

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin says the decision to allow two European league matches to be played abroad is "exceptional" and insists it "will not set a precedent".

www.bbc.co.uk

So there is a Spanish league match which will be played in the US and an Italian league match which will be played in Australia. UEFA approve it "reluctantly", they say it isnt setting a precedent but lets face it, if those 2 matches bring in more money than if they were played in home country, then you'd have to think that other clubs in other leagues will start considering something similar.

It all reminds me of an interview that Micah Richards gave where when asked, he said he couldnt see any reason why Champions League matches and perhaps even the Champions League Final, couldnt be held outside of Europe.

Thoughts? Are these 2 matches a slippery slope? Or are they good for the game, raising their leagues following in places outside of Europe. Might we head to a time where Liverpool v Man City and Arsenal v Tottenham league matches are played in Los Angeles and Tokyo ?

All I’ll say is that if any Manager of those four teams complains about too many matches, especially the Serie A match in Australia (Estimated flights have at least one stop and involve at least 18 hours travel time one way, potentially more), they should immediately have their next match marked void and suffer an automatic 3-0 loss.

 

[sigma]

Whilst it is annoying for local/regular fans, in the EPL at least the teams/players/managers/owners aren't all English so there's not much English or local aspects left anyway, does it matter if they play abroad? They are global brands now and all about money.

 

[Tombstone]

Whilst it is annoying for local/regular fans, in the EPL at least the teams/players/managers/owners aren't all English so there's not much English or local aspects left anyway, does it matter if they play abroad? They are global brands now and all about money.

Would be a bit annoying if instead of being able to watch Liverpool v Man City at a reasonable hour, I have to watch it at 2am because its being played in Sydney Australia

 

[sigma]

Would be a bit annoying if instead of being able to watch Liverpool v Man City at a reasonable hour, I have to watch it at 2am because its being played in Sydney Australia

I wouldn't watch that match if you paid me to. More than happy with it on at 2am.

 

[Tombstone]

I wouldn't watch that match if you paid me to. More than happy with it on at 2am.

Well obviously you have to replace the match with a match that you very much would want to watch, if you are ok with watching one of your teams key games at 2am then alls good

 

[kaiowas]

Very weak from UEFA. The article doesn’t seem to explain what is “exceptional” about the circumstances here and it very much is setting a precedent. Looks to me like UEFA are basically saying “If you want do do it, we can’t legally stop you so crack on” whilst putting out a worthless statement to try and make it look like they’re not complicit in the prostitution of the game.

 

[Slogan]

Hate it but it has been coming for a long time. The idea that a meaningful fixture (to win, qualify for Europe or even survive in the league) could be held in another continent just doesn't sit right.

They'll give it a soft introduction before eventually increasing the importance of what the fixture is. I even hate the idea of a game 39 but this becoming accepted or part of the norm is the next logical step to getting there.

 

[Rroff]

There's so much wrong with the modern game.

I mostly watch lower leagues these days rarely watch the top 2 flights but I hate the amount of as they say "playing the man rather than the ball" - if I wanted to watch rugby I would...

 

[Gray2233]

The sport turned into a business yonks ago, this is the natural progression of that.

I've never been a big fan of it, but I've always been an advocate of local teams being filled with local people. Not this entire import/trade nonsense that turned it into a business, fund Newcastle locals to play for Newcastle and train them up. Have a little local pride and investment, instead things turned into importing/buying talent from all over Europe to play for a team they've no loyalty or care for beyond a paycheque owned by people that have nothing to do with the country let alone the team or where it's from. It's little wonder the next step is advertising playing abroad to see if even more money can be made, I'd rather visit the local youth teams for free than follow the lunacy the sport has turned into.

I've heard the argument too many times for 30 years now that having players enter into big UK teams regardless of origin results in a higher state of play and never agreed with it as you're in turn not fostering local talents. Global football became a business before a sport and it's suffering for it now more than ever, you reap what you sow.

Edit/Clarification: No, this is not some political thing. I think the entire player trading aspect is nonsensical and it turned me off the sport, I don't want to watch business being done I want to watch good football that I can actually get behind. That's impossible when a dude from the USA owns whatever team I support and 80% of the people involved aren't even from the UK let alone the area the team is named after.

 

[Rroff]

but I've always been an advocate of local teams being filled with local people.

I remember the first time my home town team nearly made the Championship with a somewhat local team - that was special even if they ultimately didn't quite make it. Almost the entire team now are on loan players and a smaller number of permanent players who weren't local to the area.

 

[Gray2233]

I remember the first time my home town team nearly made the Championship with a somewhat local team - that was special even if they ultimately didn't quite make it. Almost the entire team now are on loan players and a smaller number of permanent players who weren't local to the area.

I bet you felt awesome when they did if you were behind the sport though? How can you feel good about being part of X local team that has little to nobody local involved? I really don't get it.

 

[Bluebozzy]

Players already complain about rest time between games, especially those teams competing on multiple front. Adding in more across-the-globe trips to this will be insane.

 

[adam cool dude]

There's so much wrong with the modern game.

I took a break from football for a good few years but since coming back and seeing what it's like these days I don't think it'll be long before I lose interest again.

This is just another nail in the coffin.

I have been thinking about this for a long time. It isn't what it used to be. People who support teams in the Championship have it good tbh. My friend who is a Nottingham Forest fan had a season ticket but cannot afford to go anymore. Life long fan since he was a kid but it is just too expensive now.

 

[Manbatius]

Sheesh no one's thinking of poor Barcelona in these responses. They must have another financial lever to pull !

Also think it's weird how it's classed as the other teams home game.

Joking aside, I disagree with it.