La Liga had planned to host a Barcelona match in Miami, USA, this December. However, that plan has now been cancelled. In a statement on Tuesday, Spain’s top-tier league authorities announced that due to uncertainties surrounding the event within the country, the decision had been made to call it off.
The reigning champions, Barcelona, were scheduled to play against Villarreal in the United States on December 20. Had it taken place, this would have marked the first-ever European league match played outside Europe.
According to La Liga’s statement, the decision to cancel came from the event’s promotional agency, citing various uncertainties that had recently arisen in Spain regarding the match.
Tickets for the game at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium were supposed to go on sale Tuesday. Initially, the advance sale was postponed, but later, the entire event was scrapped.
The match will now take place as usual at Villarreal’s home ground.
Barcelona said in a statement, “We respect and accept the decision to cancel the match against Villarreal in Miami.”
The Catalan club further added, “With this decision, we have lost a major opportunity to expand La Liga’s brand in a strategically important market. Our U.S.-based supporters will also miss out on watching the match live.”
From the beginning, the plan had drawn widespread criticism. The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) voiced its opposition over the weekend. Players stood still for 15 seconds before kickoff in recent matches as a form of protest.
La Liga has long been trying to host league matches abroad. This time, they were closer than ever to achieving that goal, as UEFA had exceptionally granted permission.
UEFA generally opposes the idea of holding domestic league matches overseas. However, it made an exception this time for the proposed Miami match and another upcoming match between AC Milan and Como, scheduled to be held in Australia in February.
