FIFA and U.S. promoter Relevent Sports have reached an agreement to “end their legal fight over the ban on big European football leagues and clubs playing official matches in the US,” according to Samuel Agini of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Relevent yesterday told the Manhattan federal court that they “expect the agreement ‘will resolve the claims between them’ in the litigation.” There is “no guarantee that the resolution will result in European league games taking place in the US." But Relevent in a statement said that FIFA was considering “changes to its existing rules about whether games can be played outside of a league’s home territory.” The agency and match promoter, which is owned by Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, had initially sued the U.S. Soccer Federation, accusing it of “conspiring to block foreign leagues from playing official season matches in the country.” The lawsuit came in response to Relevent’s efforts in 2018 to “organise a fixture in Miami” between La Liga teams Barcelona and Girona. Relevent later “broadened the lawsuit” to add FIFA as a defendant. Relevant and FIFA's agreement did "not include US Soccer," and Relevent’s case “against it would continue” (FINANCIAL TIMES, 4/8).
