Introduction to the Controversy
The decision to allow two European league games to be played abroad caused widespread consternation earlier this month. While European football’s governor, UEFA, said it had made the decision "hesitantly" because there was no legal framework to stop it, the feeling among most fans, pundits, and players was that it would further undermine the fabric of the game.
Universal Resistance
"There was absolutely universal resistance," Martin Endemann, head of policy at Football Supporters Europe, which advocates for fans on the continent, said. "We issued a statement against this that was signed by 600 fan groups from 29 countries across Europe. We also had the support of organizations in North America and in Australia, where the games are scheduled to take place."
League Games Abroad
On Tuesday, Spain’s La Liga announced that the scheduled game between Barcelona and Villarreal in the United States had been canceled. La Liga boss Javier Tebas said opposition to the game that forced the U-turn meant Spanish football “missed an opportunity to move forward, present itself globally and strengthen its future”. In addition to fans’ frustration, players and coaches, including Barcelona’s German coach Hansi Flick, had also expressed their opposition to the idea. All that remains now is the Italian Serie A game between Como and AC Milan in Perth, Australia in February.
Financial Motivation
The overriding motivation for playing games abroad is financial. In her statement on the game in Perth, Como cited the English Premier League’s TV rights packages as the reason the league will "dominate the global stage", adding: "Most clubs in Italy are not profitable. This is about ensuring survival and building a future in which Serie A remains competitive, respected and admired worldwide."
The German Bundesliga Exception
The Bundesliga has a similar financial imbalance with the Premier League. Only Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are on the Forbes list of the 30 richest clubs in the world. There are 12 English teams on the list. However, there is also a different club ownership structure than in the other major European leagues, which gives club members (usually fans) a much greater say in the running of the club. In Germany, the 50+1 rule essentially states that 50% plus a proportion of a club’s total shares must be owned by members, meaning that ownership by rich individuals or even nation states, as in the Premier League, is out of the question.
Fan Movement in Germany
"The fan movement in Germany is very well organized. Fan groups are strong. They oppose all sorts of stupid ideas. The protection of fan rights is very important to German fans," said Endemann. “The German football officials who have spoken out against it are doing so not necessarily because they never want to open up new sources of income, but rather because they know what a mess it will be in their own clubs and how great the resistance will be during games and at general meetings,” he added.
Bundesliga’s Stance
The Bundesliga is run by the DFL (German Football League), which has publicly opposed the idea. "As long as I am responsible for this league, there will be no foreign games in terms of competitive games. That’s over," said Hans-Joachim Watzke, chairman of the DFL supervisory board and former Dortmund managing director. Bayern Munich have also spoken out against this idea, which is particularly important as these two are the only German clubs that have a significant global following.
German Fans’ Opinion
As Endemann noted, resistance from fans everywhere was strong. And this is particularly true in Germany, where fan engagement is strong. Our Curve, an organization that represents fan groups of various German clubs, told that it does not yet believe protests are necessary given the DFL’s position. But the group also made it clear that it opposed the idea of overseas games. “Relocating league games abroad would be a further step towards alienating professional football from its base,” said Jost Peter, chairman of the organization.
Future Possibilities
The cancellation of the Spain game calls the entire concept into question for the time being. But football is increasingly chasing money, said Endemann, and Germany is not completely immune either. "Bad ideas spread quickly. If these plans work – and that’s a big if – and they really generate a lot of money, German clubs, as they have done in other ways in the past, would probably pursue this too and argue: ‘We need to compete with the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A to be competitive in Europe.’"
