La Liga said their promoter for the match decided to cancel the organization of the event because of “uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks“
Tebas took to X to express regret at not being able to seize “this historic opportunity”
MADRID: The cancelation of La Liga’s plan to hold a Barcelona match in Miami in December is a “missed opportunity” for Spanish football, the league’s president said Wednesday, while elsewhere its collapse was celebrated.
Champions Barca were set to face Villarreal in the United States on December 20, which would have been the first European league fixture to be played abroad.
The match will now be held at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica home as normal.
La Liga said their promoter for the match decided to cancel the organization of the event because of “uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks.”
The league’s president Javier Tebas took to X to express regret at not being able to seize “this historic opportunity,” adding that Spanish football had missed a chance to “develop, to project itself in the world and reinforce its future.”
Villarreal were furious about the timing of the announcement to cancel the plans — the news breaking during their Champions League defeat by Manchester City on Tuesday — and also blasted La Liga’s management of the whole event.
“(We) wish to express our deep displeasure with La Liga over the poor handling of the match scheduled to be played in Miami,” said the club in a statement.
Villarreal said there had been “no progress” in terms of organization and the club would have “withdrawn from the project” themselves later in the week if various issues were not resolved to their satisfaction at a planned meeting with La Liga.
The plan to hold the match in the
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