Geneva. A tradition-busting plan to play domestic league games for Barcelona in the United States and AC Milan in Australia failed to make key progress Thursday, with fans promised more say in the decision.

The UEFA executive committee said it needed more time to weigh proposals by the Spanish and Italian leagues and talk more with fan groups. Fans overwhelmingly oppose taking competitive games outside Europe, which soccer's world body, FIFA, previously blocked.

Spain's La Liga wants to stage Villarreal's “home” game against Barcelona in Miami on Dec. 20, and Serie A wants to move the AC Milan-Como game in February to Perth, Australia.

UEFA said its executive committee that is meeting in Tirana, Albania, acknowledged “an important and growing issue” and wanted “to ensure that it has the views of all stakeholders before coming to a final decision.”

The plans have been fiercely opposed by more than 500 fan groups in the Football Supporters Europe network, which is officially recognized by UEFA. Fans object to clubs being taken out of their home community and upsetting the balance of sporting integrity in leagues.

“We welcome UEFA’s commitment to meaningful consultation,” the FSE said in a statement, praising the “dedication to preserving the integrity of European football.”

In Brussels, the European Commission’s top official for sports, Glenn Micallef, has called the proposed game in Miami a betrayal.

There are no similar proposals from the leagues in England and Germany, which would face a stronger backlash by fans than in Spain or Italy.

La Liga and Serie A have been financially outmuscled by the English Premier League's global popularity and see a chance to build the fan base and brand for clubs and leagues, following the example of US professional sports leagues.

La Liga and its commercial partner Relevent, a US marketing agency co-founded by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, first tried in 2018 to put a Barcelona game in the city but were blocked by a FIFA veto.

Fresh plans for so-called “out of territory” games were inevitable last year when FIFA withdrew from a court case in New York filed by Relevent.

Relevent is now a major commercial partner for UEFA, with rights awarded this year to sell six seasons' worth of broadcast and sponsor deals from 2027 for the Champions League and other European club competitions.

FIFA has created a working group to review its rules on domestic games abroad, and its 37-member ruling council, with eight from UEFA, is due to meet next month.

UEFA leaders have previously said they do not support taking games abroad, but seemed to lack the legal power to block them.

“European football belongs to our stadiums, our cities, our communities," the FSE group said. "One domestic match abroad is one too many.”

Add as a preferred source on Google +