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serie a player Adrien Rabiat He has been told to “respect his employer” by league chief executive after criticizing him. UEFA-approved plans for league matches to be held abroad.
uefa Controversial and “reluctantly” Two overseas fixtures sanctioned In a statement on Monday, together with the governing body “confirm[ing] This was opposed “for principle” and both games were approved only “on an exceptional basis”.
sanctioned games are one AC Milan to clash Aswhich will be held in Perth, Australia in January, while league Club Villarreal and barcelona Will play in Miami this December.
Rabiot, who plays for AC Milan, told le figaro The idea was “really absurd”.
“It’s all beyond our control,” said the French international. “There’s a lot of talk about schedules and player health, but it all feels really absurd. It’s crazy to travel so many miles to Australia for a match between two Italian teams. We have to adapt as always.”
Serie A chief executive Luigi De Siervo was asked about Rabiot’s comments at a league assembly meeting in Rome. He said: “He is right, but Rabiot forgets, like all footballers who earn millions of euros, that they are paid to do an activity, to play football.
“He must have respect for the money he has earned, while complying with the wishes of his employer, Milan, who accepted and pushed for this match to be played abroad.”
The league has previously said the plans would “introduce new audiences to the excellence of Italian football”, “in return for a small sacrifice required for Milan and Como fans”.
Rabiot’s stance might not have gone down well in Serie A, even if De Siervo personally agrees with the sentiment. But it put him in line with UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin, who on Monday described the move as “regrettable”.
Ceferin stressed his opposition in talks with officials at the General Assembly of European football clubs this week, saying: “[Football] There is life in our communities, the streets, the clubs and the fans that shape it. If we pull it too far from those roots, we risk breaking it. ,
UEFA argued that it essentially had no choice but to agree to the fixtures as a result. fifa There is no regulatory framework “Clear and detailed enough” on the issue. The final decision on whether to allow the game to go ahead rests with FIFA, which is still in the process of finalizing the new rules.