UEFA President Čeferin optimistic about European football's future but warns about overseas matches

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has renewed his opposition to staging domestic league matches abroad, warning clubs and leagues not to sacrifice local supporter loyalty for short-term commercial gains.Speaking at UEFA’s 50th ordinary Congress in Brussels on February 12, Čeferin argued that domestic competitions draw their strength from local identity and match-going fans, and said exporting fixtures risks weakening the bond that underpins European football.He said: “Domestic leagues draw their strength from their territory, their traditions and match-going fans. Exporting domestic matches abroad might serve short-term interests but it weakens connection and erodes loyalty.“How do you build identity if you remove the game from its home... how do you sustain local passion if you trade it away?”Čeferin’s comments follow recent attempts by LaLiga and Serie A to stage games overseas, proposals that were later shelved.A Villarreal v Barcelona match had been scheduled for the United States, while AC Milan v Como had been slated for Australia, but both plans were ultimately cancelled.The UEFA president also used his address to underline UEFA’s view that the European football “pyramid” must remain open, a clear reference to the European Super League project that launched in April 2021 and collapsed within days amid political and supporter backlash.He said: “It is for all. And what belongs to everyone is stronger than any single force... we chose unity over fragmentation. We chose stewardship over improvisation.”The Congress came a day after UEFA reached an agreement of principles with Real Madrid and European Football Clubs designed to end the remaining legal disputes linked to the Super League. Real Madrid had become increasingly isolated as other clubs abandoned the breakaway concept, with Barcelona also moving to formally withdraw earlier this month.Čeferin framed UEFA’s redistribution model as a central argument against closed or profit-first structures, pointing to solidarity payments flowing beyond the Champions League.He said: “This season alone, more than 400 million euros will be redistributed to the clubs outside of the Champions League league phase. And out of that, 308 million will go to clubs that don’t participate in European competitions at all. Would this exist in a system driven only by profit? I am sure the answer is clear.”FIFA president Gianni Infantino attended the Congress and welcomed the settlement that has effectively closed the Super League chapter, praising European football’s leaders for resolving the dispute.He said: “Yesterday, we heard the great news about the agreement between UEFA, the EFC and Real Madrid. Because football wins when we unite.”The combined messaging from UEFA and FIFA signalled a coordinated effort to portray the Super League’s end as a reset moment, while also drawing a line under overseas league fixtures as the next major flashpoint in the debate over football’s commercial direction.