La Liga has announced a shocking decision to cancel plans to host Villarreal’s home tie with Barcelona in late December in Miami, USA. The announcement comes less than two weeks after the league confirmed the game.
The plan was on the table for the past eight years, but never now because of disagreements. This time La Liga had all the necessary green lights from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and UEFA, which may have stopped their plans. However, two months before the fight, the organizers of the event pulled out.
Miami Game canceled due to ‘uncertainty created in Spain’
On Tuesday night, La Liga issued a press statement announcing that it ‘deeply regrets’ that the game will not continue, calling it a decisive step towards global expansion. They also noted that the decision was not based on ‘damaged competition’, the basis of Madrid’s original complaint, and that it was approved by all relevant bodies.
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However, it seems that the appeal, who were selling tickets and advertising the game, pulled out. La Liga says this is because of the ‘uncertainty created in Spain’ in recent weeks, but does not give details on their reasons.
Protests over the Miami game
The truth is that there has been little strong opposition, apart from the real complaints of madrid making the LIGA Liga unequal, due to the change in the ‘home and away’ nature of the competition. The Spanish Footlers Association (AFE) staged protests during the games this past weekend, but their stated issues were with the organization of the games, rather than the concept itself.
It is worth mentioning that Realization recently bought the TV rights from UEFA for the Champions League matches in the USA. The Governing Body in Europe said that while they had no legal basis to oppose the decision, they were not in the mood.
Official statement of La Liga
laliga deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity to deliver global football, cannot continue.
The hosting of an official game outside our borders would be a decisive step in the expansion of our world, strengthening the international presence, the position of the players, and the product of Spanish football in a high market like the United States.
The project fully complied with the Federation’s rules and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as it was approved by competent institutions responsible for compliance, which was opposed for other reasons.
In the context of increasing global competition, where teams such as the Premier League and competitions such as the UEFA Champions League continue to increase their reach and resources, efforts such as this are essential to ensure the strength and growth of Spanish football.
Crying out for these types of opportunities prevents the generation of new funds, limits the clubs’ investment and competition, and reduces international access to the entire ecosystem of Spanish football. Finally, Laliga would like to thank the clubs for their willingness and cooperation in this project, as well as their continued commitment to the growth of the competition.
We will continue to work, as always, to bring Spanish football to all corners of the world, painting an open, modern, and competitive vision that benefits clubs, players, and fans.