Miami: The cancellation of La Liga's plan to hold a Barcelona match in Miami in December is being described as a "missed opportunity" for Spanish football, according to the league's president, Javier Tebas. Champions Barcelona were set to face Villarreal in the United States on December 20, which would have marked the first European league fixture to be played abroad. However, the match will now take place at Villarreal's Estadio de la Ceramica, as originally scheduled.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, La Liga stated that the promoter for the match decided to cancel the event due to "uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks." Javier Tebas expressed his regret on social media platform X, lamenting the missed chance for Spanish football to "develop, to project itself in the world and reinforce its future."
The proposal to hold the match in the United States faced criticism from several quarters. The Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) organized protests against the plan last weekend, with players from every team remaining immobile for 15 seconds at the start of each league match. Spanish giants Real Madrid also opposed the idea, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stating it would adulterate the competition. Madrid captain Dani Carvajal further criticized the move, calling it "a stain" on the competition.
Tebas responded to the criticism by asserting, "We are appealing to the 'integrity of the competition' from those who have been questioning this same integrity for years, putting pressure on referees and managers, constructing distorted narratives or using political and media pressure as a sporting tool."