'No, no, no!' - Gary Lineker speaks out as FIFA move step closer to giving green light to playing Premier League and La Liga games abroad

In a potentially groundbreaking move, football's global governing body, FIFA, is poised to establish a working group to assess the implications of hosting competitive domestic matches in foreign countries, according to BBC Sport. This initiative comes amidst discussions spurred by a legal settlement between FIFA and match promoter Relevant Sports in the United States.

While the Premier League currently asserts that it has no immediate plans to pursue this avenue, its chief executive Richard Masters believes that the recent developments have "left the door ajar" for such endeavours in the future. One must also note that it was the Premier League, under the leadership of Richard Scudamore, who first promulgated the idea of the "39th game".

Meanwhile, La Liga is already making preparations for overseas fixtures as early as the 2025-26 season. This decision follows the revival of La Liga's previous plans, which were interrupted when Barcelona's league match against Girona, scheduled for Miami in 2019, was ultimately cancelled.

As FIFA moves closer to potentially permitting domestic league matches to be played abroad, the initiative has already received a red flag from former England international Gary Lineker. He quoted BBC Sports's tweet and wrote "No. No. No." to express his disapproval.

Historically, FIFA has opposed the notion of playing league matches abroad due to concerns about potential financial repercussions for domestic clubs. However, upon further deliberations at the FIFA Council meeting in Bangkok, it was agreed that a working group would be tasked to "gather further information and issue recommendations" to the governing body before deciding on the next step. Key considerations include the scheduling of matches, maintaining the integrity of sporting competition, and evaluating the impact on the development of football in host countries.

Central to FIFA's deliberations is ensuring that "adequate provision has been made for fans of the teams playing a proposed out-of-territory match to attend the match in the host country".

Relevant Sports, a key proponent of overseas matches, has been instrumental in driving discussions around this concept. Notably, the organization has previously organized events such as the International Champions Cup and attempted to host an Ecuador League game in the United States in 2019. However, their attempt to host the domestic top-flight fixture abroad was thwarted by FIFA. The same organisation organised the Premier League summer series in the USA in 2023 which saw several top Premier League teams like Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brighton, Fulham and Brentford participate in the tournament.

This proposed shift has the potential to reshape the landscape of club football. It remains to be seen how swiftly FIFA comes to a decision regarding the proposed venture and if La Liga is allowed to march ahead with their target of hosting a league fixture away from Spanish soil as early as the 2025-26 season.