De Jong Speaks Out Against the Barcelona-Villarreal Match in Miami
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has expressed his opposition to the decision to play the LaLiga match against Villarreal in Miami, Florida, in December.
LaLiga confirmed that the match, which was originally scheduled to be played at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica, will be moved to Hard Rock Stadium.
De Jong argues that he does not agree with the idea of adding more trips to an already saturated calendar and understands the complaints of rival teams about the alteration of the competition.
I don’t like it.
Frenkie de Jong
The Dutch footballer, in statements during his concentration with the Netherlands national team, pointed out that he understands the economic benefits for the clubs and the expansion of the brand, but that he would not do it.
In addition, De Jong added that the measure is not favorable for the players due to the travel and that he considers it unfair in terms of competition, since for his team it will be a match as a visitor on neutral ground. The Dutch player understood the position of other clubs that are not happy with the decision.Description: Frenkie de Jong disagrees with the decision to play in the United States
Real Madrid has expressed similar criticisms, arguing that the decision grants an undue sporting advantage to the teams involved and sets an unacceptable precedent.
LaLiga has been trying to move a match to the United States since 2017, but plans accelerated in August when they finally received approval from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF). UEFA approved two requests to play matches abroad, including the match between Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, in February.
UEFA, although opposed to the idea of playing national league matches outside their home countries, cited FIFA’s framework and regulations in confirming it had accepted the proposals “exceptionally.” FIFA has formed a working group to review those regulations in the future.
The president of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, indicated that the plan is to take a league match abroad every season, and not just to the United States. The match between Barcelona and Villarreal will be the first of the five major European leagues to be played on foreign soil, following a model implemented by US leagues such as the NFL and the NBA.
