LaLiga cancels Barcelona-Villarreal game in Miami - ESPN

LaLiga has called off plans to hold a regular-season game between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami in December, the league announced on Tuesday.

A short statement released by LaLiga explained the decision was taken by Relevant, the league's partner in the North American market, due to the reaction generated in Spain by the decision to hold a league fixture on foreign soil.

«Following discussions with the promoter of the match in Miami, the latter has announced its decision to cancel the organisation of the event due to the uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks,» LaLiga said.

«LaLiga deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the internationalisation of Spanish football, cannot go ahead.

»The staging of an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global expansion of our competition, strengthening the international presence of clubs, the positioning of players and the Spanish football brand in a strategic market such as the United States.

«The project fully complied with federation regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as confirmed by the competent institutions that oversee compliance, which opposed it for other reasons.»

A statement from Relevant confirmed: «We have informed LaLiga of the need to postpone the planned match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami on Dec. 20.

»Given the current uncertainty in Spain, there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale. It would also be irresponsible to begin selling tickets without a confirmed match in place."

Tickets for the match — which was due to be played at Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 20 — had been set to go on sale this week.

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