In the latest chapter of the saga between Relevent Sports and the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF), the sports event promoter filed an antitrust lawsuit against the United States’ governing soccer body in federal court on Monday.



The antitrust suit essentially charges U.S. Soccer with conspiring alongside FIFA and Soccer United Marketing (SUM), Major League Soccer’s commercial arm, to block foreign leagues from scheduling sanctioned games in the United States and to prevent companies like Relevent from promoting those games.



The lawsuit also takes aim not only at U.S. Soccer’s authority to determine what games can be played in the U.S., but also FIFA’s control over such issues on a global scale. Should Relevent win its case, it would significantly alter U.S. Soccer’s control over professional soccer in the country, as well as open the door for soccer leagues around the globe to stage games abroad.



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