Barcelona players celebrate their team’s sixth goal during the Champions League opening round soccer match between Barcelona and Olympiacos in Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday.
Joan Monfort/AP
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Joan Monfort/AP
MADRID — The Spanish soccer league announced Tuesday that plans for Barcelona to play a regular-season match against Villarreal away from Miami in December have been canceled, a decision that follows increased opposition to the match domestically.
The league said the decision was taken after conversations with the promoter of the match scheduled for December 20 and cited “the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain in recent weeks.”
The game’s promoter, Relevent, said it had informed La Liga of the need to “postpone the scheduled match” because “there is not enough time to properly execute an event of this scale.”
He added that “it would also be irresponsible to start selling tickets without a confirmed match in place.”
The league eventually managed to gain approval from soccer bodies such as UEFA and the Spanish FA to stage its first regular season match abroad. But opposition from players, certain clubs and supporters has recently increased in Spain.
The Spanish league “deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unprecedented opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish football, cannot move forward.”
The league said that “organizing an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global growth of the competition, strengthening the international presence of the clubs, the positioning of the players and the visibility of Spanish football in a strategic market like that of the United States.”
“The project was fully compliant with all federal regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as confirmed by the competent institutions responsible for ensuring compliance, which opposed it for other reasons,” he added.
But criticism of the match has increased recently, with players protesting during weekend league matches by standing still for seconds after kick-off.
Earlier on Tuesday, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois criticized Spanish League president Javier Tebas and complained about the league’s decision to censor player protests. The television feed of the matches switched before kick-off to an exterior view of the stadiums and showed only part of the pitches from a distance.
Madrid were one of the clubs that protested the most against the match, saying it would harm the fairness of the competition. Villarreal were officially the home team for the match which was to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“Teams should play home and away,” Courtois said. “It’s not the same to play a team at home and away. It’s difficult to play away in the Spanish league. Playing at Villarreal’s pitch is very hard. Every team has to play home and away, unless there is a major reason why it can’t happen.”
Barcelona and Villarreal agreed to play the game abroad. Villarreal fans would be able to attend the match for free and those who chose not to attend would receive a significant discount on their season ticket.
Barcelona said it respected the decision but regretted “the missed opportunity to broaden the image of competition in a strategic market with capacity for growth and generation of resources for the benefit of all.”
“The club appreciates the support and unconditional affection it has received from our fans in the United States and deeply regrets that they will not be able to attend the official match in the country,” Barcelona said in a statement.
La Liga said the match was important for the league “in an increasingly competitive global landscape, where leagues such as the Premier League or competitions like the UEFA Champions League continue to expand their reach and revenue-generating capacity.”
“Initiatives like this are essential to guarantee the sustainability and growth of Spanish football,” the league said. “Forgoing such opportunities hinders the generation of new revenue, limits the ability of clubs to invest and compete, and reduces the international projection of the entire Spanish football ecosystem.”
The league said it “will continue, as always, to work to bring Spanish football to the four corners of the world, promoting an open, modern and competitive vision that benefits clubs, players and fans.”
La Liga has a long-term partnership with sports and entertainment group Relevent Sports, part of Stephen Ross’ portfolio of companies that includes Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins, the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix and the Miami Open tennis tournament.
Plans for the La Liga match in Miami were renewed after FIFA withdrew from a lawsuit brought by Relevent in a Manhattan court. A few weeks later, FIFA announced it would review its rules and created a working group including UEFA lawyers.
