- Barcelona and Villarreal were supposed to play a La Liga match in Miami in December, but it was cancelled on Tuesday.
- La Liga players stood still for the first 15 seconds of each game to protest La Liga going forward with the match.
- La Liga president Javier Tebas says “Spanish football has lost an opportunity” to grow the league overseas.
A planned Barcelona-Villarreal match in Miami for December is cancelled now, and players held a silent protest during last weekend’s La Liga games.
La Liga president Javier Tebas lashed out at the critics of the game, which seemed to be doomed from the start.
Tebas Says La Liga “Lost an Opportunity,” Villarreal Claims “Lack of Respect”
The decision to cancel the match was made formally on Tuesday, October 21.
During last week’s La Liga matches, players across the league refused to move for the first 15 seconds of each match in protest of the Miami game. There has been plenty of conversation surrounding the game, with Real Madrid launching multiple objections with La Liga, claiming it would “violate competitive fairness”. Of course, Barcelona is their biggest rival, and the assumption is that Barcelona, who is much more popular worldwide than Villarreal, would essentially get a home match.
The players’ union was also upset at a lack of transparency from La Liga on compensation (Villarreal says they weren’t getting paid; Barcelona said they were), and rest time between matches.
Tebas, on his X account, said:
"Today, Spanish football has lost an opportunity to advance, project itself globally, and strengthen its future.
The defense of 'tradition' is invoked from a narrow-minded and provincial perspective, while the true traditions of European football are threatened by decisions by the governing institutions, which year after year destroy national leagues.
La Liga will continue working, with rigor and conviction, to keep Spanish football competitive, standing up to those who seek to destroy it, but always respecting its roots and ensuring its sustainability."
Villarreal, whose officials received the message before their Champions League match against Manchester City, said there was a “complete and utter lack of respect” towards them. It seems this is directed to La Liga, as well as the American organizers who didn’t want to go through with the match, given how opposed everyone in Spain was to the game
Will La Liga Try to Hold an Overseas Game Again?
There should be a market at soccer betting sites on whether there will be an overseas game in Miami at some point. Tebas is definitely going to continue to try to push this through. He may not have expected the amount of opposition he received from players and fans across Spain.
Villarreal, for their part, tried to soften the situation. They said they would fly season-ticket holders to Miami for the game for free. But it wasn’t enough to overcome a lot of the issues, including a loss of homefield advantage, and that La Liga was putting money above the competition of the game.
But Tebas is stubborn. He’s going to attempt to make this happen again. Therefore, we should brace ourselves for another edition of the players and fans against La Liga in the future!
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