La Liga’s proposal to host a regular-season Spanish league match in the United States has been firmly rebuffed by Real Madrid. This matchup was originally supposed to take place December 20 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The club has expressed strong concerns that such a move would compromise the integrity of the competition and the legitimacy of the results. Indeed, Real Madrid has been on the offensive. In stark contrast to their predecessor, authorizers propose to welcome the match to Spain’s shores.
The Spanish football federation has granted the request for the match to be played abroad. This announcement represents a major step towards success for La Liga’s attempts to grow their brand far and wide. Villarreal would be eager to accept that invitation to play Barcelona in Miami. They have confirmed that they are to be the first Spanish club to play a league match outside of Spain. Villarreal’s president, Fernando Roig, has rung in some very good news to the season-ticket holders. Should the fixture be approved, the club will cover all travel and ticket costs!
Way to go Real Madrid! In direct response, they have written to FIFA, UEFA and Spain’s national sports authority demanding an end to plans for the match to take place in Miami. Meanwhile, the club argues that amendments to where matches will be played must be agreed upon by all teams competing—unanimous consent. They further illuminate the truth that this proposal lacks that critical consensus.
Real Madrid’s Concerns
Real Madrid has made its opposition as clear as anybody, expressing fears that moving matches abroad would set regrettable precedents. The club stated, “Any modification of this nature must, in any case, have the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition, as well as strictly respecting the national and international rules governing the organization of official competitions.”
Real Madrid made noise about this very loudly. They asserted that holding this match in the U.S. would be detrimental to competitive balance and lead to an unfair advantage to some clubs. They criticized the plan as an “unacceptable precedent that opens the door to exceptions based on non-sporting interests,” indicating it might “affect sporting integrity and risk adulteration of the competition.”
The club had previously cautioned that should this proposal be carried out, it would spell catastrophic damage to the game of football universally. “If this proposal were to be carried out, its consequences would be so serious that it would be a turning point in the world of football,” they asserted.
Reactions from Stakeholders
The latest proposal has received skeptical reception from both clubs and players involved in the Spanish football ecosystem. Some fan groups and the country’s players’ association have expressed disapproval of relocating matches thousands of kilometers away from their home grounds. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has been vocal about its concerns, stating, “We are following the broader impact on football with the utmost concern.”
FSE’s representatives have given testimony internationally arguing that transferring games out of their home markets damages the bond between supporters and clubs nurtured over many years. “Moving games from their domestic territories strikes at the heart of the relationship between fans and their teams, breaking vital links between clubs and their communities,” they noted.
The backlash strengthens with the context of a long-running feud between Real Madrid and La Liga president Javier Tebas. Yet they’ve tussled over many issues previously. La Liga has already been very vocal about its partnership with Relevent Sports to expand the footprint of Spanish football around the world. Their continuing push involves attitude-shifting home matches on American soil.
Villarreal’s Ambitions
Villarreal remains optimistic about the long-term benefits of having a team in Miami. They encounter resistance from Real Madrid and other interests, but that doesn’t stop their excitement. President Fernando Roig expressed excitement over being able to make history as the first Spanish team to play a league match abroad, stating, “We would be the first [Spanish] team to play a league match abroad.”
Roig acknowledged the opportunity to use the event to significantly improve Villarreal’s brand visibility. Underlining the importance of the United States as a market for this expansion, he noted that he explained that playing in Miami would further grow their grassroots efforts and touch more potential supporters around the world.
It’s hard for Villarreal to have this ambitious of plans with regulations as they are. The club acknowledged the “criterion established in 2018 that prevents official matches in domestic competitions from being played outside national territory,” indicating that exceptions must be justified under specific circumstances, which they believe apply in this case.
