Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales has slammed La Liga chief Javier Tebas for his plan to “invade” the United States through his lucrative deal to stage top-flight games in the country from this season onwards.
La Liga announced a 15-year agreement with US entertainment company Relevent – which operates the International Champions Cup preseason tournament – to stage games on the other side of the Atlantic last month and Tebas has since claimed that Girona’s home match against Barcelona in January 2019 is “90 percent” certain to be moved to Miami as part of the deal.
Rubiales says Tebas has treated the RFEF with “a total lack of respect” by not informing or consulting them before announcing the deal, which has also been met with a hostile response from the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE), with president David Aganzo warning that the players are prepared to go on strike if the situation is not resolved to their satisfaction.
“I want to be very respectful, unlike La Liga who did not respect RFEF,” Rubiales told the Daily Mail. “[Tebas] spoke to everyone except the people he should speak to. I found out that there was something signed, but so far La Liga has not brought it to us.
“It's a total lack of respect and it's incomprehensible from a president who demands a lot from others in terms of behaviour, but whose own behaviour, frankly, leaves a lot to be desired.
“I have not seen the contract, so I can't say much, but I will say that Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, wants to protect the domestic competitions in each country and taking league games somewhere else is to invade that country.
“A friendly is not the same as a game in the domestic competition, and you can't make a decision like this without consulting the federation or the footballers. He has bypassed everyone.
“He's embarked on the adventure of signing a contract with a private company for 15 years. I'm sure the intentions were good, but without doubt the way he did it was terrible.”
Girona have issued a statement accepting the offer face Barcelona in the US next year, but the deal has yet to be ratified by either club or the Spanish football authorities, and Rubiales warned that the agreement “means nothing without our authorisation”.
Tebas expects the deal to bring 200 million Euros (£180m) into La Liga’s coffers and believes it will enhance the competition’s profile in North America.
“Girona-Barcelona will 90 percent be played in the United States, but the agreement is not about just one game, it’s about a process which is much bigger,” he told radio station Onda Cero.
“We held a bidding process and various companies got involved. There’s no obligation for teams to play one game a year in the United States, only the clubs who volunteer to go will go.
“But this is much more than a game, it’s about strategy and sponsorship.”
