MADRID (AP) — The Spanish soccer league said Tuesday that plans for Barcelona to play a regular-season match against Villarreal outside Miami in December have been called off, a decision that follows increased opposition to the match domestically.
The league said the decision was made after discussions with the promoter of the scheduled Dec. 20 match and cited the “uncertainty that has arisen in Spain in recent weeks.”
Game promoter Relevent said it has informed La Liga of the need to “postpone the scheduled match” because “there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this magnitude.” It added that “it would also be irresponsible to start selling tickets without a confirmed match.”
The League had finally succeeded in obtaining approval from football organizations such as UEFA and the Spanish Federation to organize the first regular season match abroad.
But opposition from players, some clubs and fans had increased recently in Spain.
The Spanish league “strongly regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish football, will not be able to progress.”
The league said that “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 football in a strategic market like the United States.”
It said that “the project fully complied with all federal regulations and did not affect the integrity of competition, as confirmed by the competent institutions responsible for ensuring compliance, which opposed it for other reasons.”
But criticism of the match had increased recently, with players protesting during the weekend league matches stand still a few seconds after kick-off.
Earlier Tuesday, Real Madrid made a goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois criticized Spanish league president Javier Tebas and lamented the league’s decision to censor the players’ protests. The television feed of matches switched to an exterior view of the stadiums before kick-off, showing only part of the pitches from a distance.
Madrid was one of the clubs that protested the loudest against the game, saying it affected the fairness of the competition. Villarreal was officially the home team for the match to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“Teams have to play home and away,” Courtois said. “It’s not the same to play a team at home and away. It’s difficult to play on the road in the Spanish league. Playing on the road at Villarreal’s pitch is very tough. Every team has to play at home and away unless there is an important reason why that shouldn’t happen.”
Barcelona and Villarreal agreed to play the game abroad. Villarreal fans would be able to travel to the match for free and those who chose not to attend would receive a significant discount on their season ticket.
Barcelona said it respected the decision but regretted “the missed opportunity to expand the competitive image in a strategic market with the capacity for growth and resource generation for the benefit of all.”
“The club appreciates the support and unconditional affection it has received from our fans in the United States and deeply regrets that they will not be able to attend the official match in the country,” Barcelona said in a statement.
La Liga said the game was important for the league “in an increasingly competitive global landscape, where leagues such as the Premier League or competitions such as the UEFA Champions League continue to expand their reach and ability to generate revenue.”
“Initiatives like these are essential to ensure the sustainability and growth of Spanish football,” the league said. “Foregoing such opportunities hinders the generation of new revenues, limits the capacity of clubs to invest and compete, and reduces the international projection of the entire Spanish football ecosystem.”
The league said it will “continue to work as always to bring Spanish football to all corners of the world, promoting an open, modern and competitive vision that benefits clubs, players and fans alike.”
La Liga has a long-standing partnership with sports and entertainment group Relevent Sports, which is part of Stephen Ross’ portfolio of companies including Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins, the Miami Grand Prix of Formula 1 and the Miami Open tennis tournament.
The plans for the La Liga match in Miami were then renewed FIFA withdrew from legal proceedings brought before a court in Manhattan by Relevent. Weeks later, FIFA said it would review the rules and set up a working group that also includes UEFA lawyers.
