 "Barcelona-Villareal’s La Liga match at Miami, USA, in December has been cancelled. Image: Reuters")
Barcelona’s La Liga match against Villarreal in Miami late this year has been cancelled by the footballing body after protests in Spain. As a means to “ensure the sustainability and growth of Spanish football,” La Liga had scheduled a league match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami this December.
The match was to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, but protests from fans, players and clubs like Real Madrid have forced La Liga to cancel the historic first La Liga game in the USA.
La Liga rues missed opportunity as Barca’s US match is cancelled
The announcement was made by La Liga a few hours after Barcelona defeated Olympiacos 6-1 in the UEFA Champions League match. La Liga said that it had decided to cancel the match due to the uncertainty in Spain, but with its decision, it has lost an opportunity to gain better “visibility” in a bigger market.
“LALIGA announces that, following conversations with the promoter of the Official LALIGA Match in Miami, the decision has been made to cancel the organisation of the event due to the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks.
“LALIGA deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer, will not be able to move forward.
“Holding an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global growth of the competition, strengthening the international presence of clubs, the positioning of players, and the visibility of Spanish soccer in a strategic market such as the United States.
“The project fully complied with all federative regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as confirmed by the competent institutions responsible for ensuring compliance, which opposed it for other reasons.
“In a context of increasing global competitiveness, where leagues such as the Premier League and competitions such as the UEFA Champions League continue to increase their reach and ability to generate resources, initiatives such as this are essential to ensure the sustainability and growth of Spanish football.
“Passing up such opportunities makes it difficult to generate new revenue, limits clubs’ ability to invest and compete, and reduces the international profile of the entire football ecosystem.”
Barca president left red-faced after La Liga’s decision
Interestingly, Barcelona president Joan Laporta had defended the match and criticised Real Madrid for their opposition just hours before the cancellation. “We’re already used to this. The Miami issue is fully agreed upon with LaLiga and Villarreal. We see it as an opportunity to bring joy to the Barca fans in the United States and to promote Barca’s image in an interesting market.
“They are what they are. Madrid are free to do whatever they want. We’re following the plan, which is to play the match on December 20 in Miami.”
The La Liga’s plan to move the league game to the USA witnessed a unique protest from the players last weekend as Barcelona and Girona players did not play until 15 seconds after the kick-off to express their feelings. A similar protest was witnessed in other La Liga games.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong had also called hosting a La Liga game in the USA “unfair.”
“I can understand the clubs - they’ll profit from it. I wouldn’t have decided it myself. I don’t agree with it either. It’s also unfair, competitively speaking.”
La Liga is not the only major European league that was planning to host a match outside its country. Italy’s Serie A has also scheduled a match between AC Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, for next February.