Things are back to normal. A few months ago, UEFA gave exceptional agreement to the holding of championship matches abroad. A way to give lip service to the FC Barcelona-Villarreal and AC Milan-Como meetings, organized respectively in Miami (United States) and Perth (Australia). Since then, LaLiga has canceled the holding of the Barça match outside its borders and today, it is the turn of Serie A to announce the same news on its official website.
“Plans to host the first official match of a European championship outside national borders in Perth have been canceled, following an agreement between the Serie A Football League and the Western Australian government. Both parties made this decision due to uncontained financial risks, onerous approval requirements and last-minute complications beyond their control. The proposed match would have been the first high-level European championship points match to be played outside national borders, representing a unique opportunity for Western Australia to make international football history. The proposal was approved by the 20 Serie A Football League clubs, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). However, the onerous additional conditions imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to allow the match could not be met without financial risks to the Western Australian Government and the Serie A Football League. The Government and the Serie A Football League explored all possible options to stage this historic match in Western Australia. Analysis of Perth’s bid reveals that, since April, it has already generated more than $280 million in global media exposure, with the Australian city being widely reported on by major international media outlets in the US, UK, Italy, Indonesia and France. The Cook Government remains committed to attracting major international events that bring economic benefits to the state, helping to diversify the economy and promote Western Australia’s tourism and hospitality sectors. »
