There’s been plenty of scrutiny throughout Spanish soccer in recent weeks ever since La Liga’s plans for Barcelona and Villarreal to play their scheduled clash in December in the United States were revealed.
La Liga President Javier Tebas has long desired to bring La Liga to the U.S. in an effort to attract more interest from North American fans, replicating the international model of U.S. sports like the NFL.
Recently it was announced that La Liga and the Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF) approved the plans for Barcelona and Villarreal’s upcoming league fixture to be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. FIFA, who previously opposed such a scenario, also gave the green light. Tebas’s dream appeared closed to coming true.
However, the decision has been met with backlash from teams, managers and players throughout the Spanish soccer landscape. Real Madrid were the first to put out a strongly-worded statement that loudly rejected the decision.
Once Los Blancos slammed the possible Miami fixture, things snowballed after that. A number of other La Liga club presidents took to the media to voice their strong opposition to La Liga’s Miami plan. In short, according to Diario AS, only Barcelona and Villarreal have backed the project.
But perhaps the biggest obstacle Tebas must overcome to see his plan come to fruition comes in the form of the players. Earlier this week, the Spanish Association of Soccer Players [AFE] released a powerful statement opposing the clash in Miami. The statement was co-signed by all 20 La Liga team captains, including Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen.
“AFE required a detailed report from the La Liga [regarding the Miami game] in order to inform the players and hear their opinions. In its response, the league denied any responsibility to anticipate their plans and agreed only to inform us of the progress of the authorization process,” AFE said in the statement.
“In view of this situation, we believe that given the lack of dialogue and information provided, the start of a project promoted by La Liga and approved without any information by the RFEF is disrespectful to the players, as it involves changes at a sporting level and travel outside the country as workers within the framework of a domestic league.
“We are united. We want respect and transparency. With this blunt message, AFE demands that the Spanish institutions involved provide all the information on a project that would alter the competition and that requires dialogue, negotiation and prior agreement with all soccer agents and, fundamentally, with the main characters, which are us [the players],” AFE finished.
Spain’s Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD)—the agency that ruled in favor of Barcelona in Dani Olmo’s registration case—initially opted against getting involved in the matter. Now, following Real Madrid’s letter and AFE’s statement, the government body in charge of sporting matters will review if they must intervene in the tense situation.
Overall, it appears Tebas and La Liga once again have a mountain to climb to see their dream of a game played in the U.S. become a reality.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona’s Proposed La Liga Game in U.S. in ‘Jeopardy’ as Protests Intensify.
