LaLiga statement: “We are not going to Miami”

A monumental surprise. Due to the content of the news and the timing of the announcement. When the clock was almost ten at night. When the Barcelona players were leaving Montjuïc after beating Olympiacos. And when Villarreal 's players were playing against Manchester City. Then, LaLiga issued a statement that shook the Spanish football scene. The match between Villarreal and Barcelona on December 20 will not be played in Miami, as planned. LaLiga will not travel to the Americas. The players, who had protested through the AFE union, Real Madrid , which had raised the flag of complaint, believing the competition was being tampered with, and the government, which did not approve of exporting the match, got their way. On the other side, the president of the employers' association, Javier Tebas, in one of his biggest defeats as a leader.

Until just a few hours earlier, Tebas had been responding to protest tweets from players like Dani Carvajal, the Real Madrid captain. But he lost the battle after securing approval from the Spanish Football Federation, UEFA, Barcelona, ​​and Villarreal, who were counting on significant profits from playing this match, in addition to bolstering their market in the United States. Villarreal CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles reacted visibly indignantly from the La Cerámica stadium, cell phone in hand.

The promoter has canceled the match due to the uncertainty generated in Spain.

According to LaLiga, it was the match promoter, Relevent, who made this decision. "LaLiga informs that, following conversations with the promoter of the official LaLiga match in Miami, it has communicated its decision to cancel the event due to the uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks. LaLiga deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the internationalization of Spanish football, cannot go ahead," the association stated, adding: "Holding an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global expansion of our competition, strengthening the international presence of the clubs, the positioning of the players, and the brand of Spanish football in a strategic market such as the United States."

Promoter Relevent issued another statement along the same lines, saying that in this context, "it would have been irresponsible to start selling tickets." Tickets were supposed to go on sale this Wednesday, but they will no longer be available.

LaLiga regrets that the project, which was a historic opportunity, cannot continue.

Barça reacted last night by issuing a statement at 11:00 p.m. "We accept the decision to cancel the match, just as we accept and respect the decision to play there that was made at the time," said the Blaugrana club, which "regrets the missed opportunity to expand the competition's image in a strategic market with the capacity for growth and resource generation for the benefit of all clubs."

The cancellation of the match in the United States comes just days after players protested this weekend by not playing during the opening seconds of each game. A measure to which LaLiga reacted angrily. The match will not be played in Miami, and Barcelona will play 19 away matches, like all other teams.