La Liga announces cancellation of Villarreal-Barcelona Miami game as it laments outcome in push for league’s growth.
Because of the negative reaction to the plans in Spain, La Liga has decided not to hold the Villarreal vs. Barcelona match in Miami this December, citing “uncertainty.”
In a lengthy statement issued Tuesday night, the Spanish top flight lamented its inability to carry out the plans, which included setting high expectations for holding some of its matches overseas.
The decision had been taken – in conjunction with the game’s promoter, Relevent – to “cancel the organisation of the event due to the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks”, La Liga said, adding that it “deeply regretted” such an outcome. “Holding an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global growth of the competition,” it said.
“In an increasingly competitive global landscape, where leagues such as the Premier League or competitions like the Uefa Champions League continue to expand their reach and ability to generate revenue, initiatives like this are essential to ensure the sustainability and growth of Spanish soccer,” it said.
“Renouncing such opportunities hinders the generation of new income, limits clubs’ capacity to invest and compete, and reduces the international projection of the entire Spanish soccer ecosystem.”
La Liga’s excitement for international matches has been lacking in other areas. This past weekend, demonstrations interrupted the most recent set of fixtures. The Spanish football players’ association claimed that the league’s “lack of transparency, dialogue, and coherence” over the Miami match was the reason behind the decision to “symbolically protest” by having players remain motionless for the opening 15 seconds of games.
Real Madrid’s manager, Xabi Alonso, has complained twice about the move to the Spanish sports ministry, claiming that his team opposes it because it “distorts the competition.” Thibaut Courtois, the goalie for Alonso, stated: “La Liga does whatever it wants because it suits them.”