Selling the soul of the game – The dangerous precedent of exporting domestic fixtures

Credit: Tom McCarthy

The recent green light given by UEFA for a number of high-profile “home” domestic football fixtures to be hosted on foreign shores should serve as a stark warning to supporters everywhere.

While the prospect of witnessing giants like AC Milan facing Como 1907 in Perth or Barcelona taking on Villarreal in Miami might seem exciting, this trend represents a corrosive force threatening the very soul of the beautiful game.

It’s a dangerous precedent, where the wishes of millionaire owners and the lure of lucrative foreign markets are placed above the loyalty of lifelong supporters and the integrity of domestic club-based competitions.

The undermining of local game and identity

For many, these overseas matches, often arranged through extensive lobbying such as the recent fixture reportedly secured for Perth by the WA State Government are a temporary thrill.

If the government truly wanted to assist the Australian game, that money would be better spent addressing grassroots issues like the exorbitant registration fees associated with junior football.

However, these blockbuster matches quietly perpetuate the damaging sense that our local game is inferior. Why attend a local A-League or National Premier League (NPL) match when, occasionally, you can see a European giant?

A recent Twitter poll by the Football Supporters Association Australia (FSAA) highlights these concerns: only 7% of participants believed matches played in Australia by larger overseas clubs gave the local football ecosystem “a significant boost,” while a staggering 37% believed they undermined our own domestic football competitions.

These figures are a clear signal from the grassroots that the perceived benefits are an illusion.

Football clubs are not mere global brands; they are intrinsically and historically linked to the communities that house them.

The connection between a club and its hometown is woven into the social fabric, passed down through generations. To treat a domestic fixture as a product to be sold to the highest bidder is to sever those community ties.

Sporting integrity and a dangerous precedent

The issue fundamentally boils down to sporting integrity. The moving of domestic matches across continents mirrors the local anger felt over the A-league’s decision to award its Grand Final hosting rights to NSW based on a corporate partnership with Destination NSW. In both cases, sporting sanctity is sacrificed for commercial gain.

It is worth noting that UEFA reluctantly approved the AC Milan game being played in Perth under “an exceptional basis” due to the San Siro being occupied for the Winter Olympics, but even this label carries a caveat.

This “exceptional” approval, alongside the Miami fixture, provides a crack for the financial vultures to fly through. Every overseas venture involves a host of promoters and consultants all taking their cut, turning a sporting contest into a pure money-making exercise before a ball is even kicked.

This is the central danger: just as these fixtures have been awarded to a foreign city for a season, they can be taken away just as quickly, likely by a higher bidder. Today, it’s Perth; tomorrow, it could be a revolving global circus, entirely at the expense of local, loyal football supporters who attend week in and week out.

The fan push-back

The fans are not oblivious to this corporate encroachment. We have already seen the formidable power of organised supporters in recent years. Fan associations like Football Supporters Europe (FSE) led the charge to shut down the reviled European Super League, an ultimate example of owner-driven, financially motivated self-interest.

These overseas matches are merely a smaller, slower version of that same fundamental threat. They set a dangerous precedent by normalising the commodification of core domestic football assets.

We must heed the warning. If we allow owners to sell our domestic fixtures today, what will be left of the home game ritual tomorrow?

The time for apathy is over; fans must push back now to protect the integrity and community heart of domestic football before it is sold off entirely.

This article was originally published on The Far Post Perth