LaLiga players oppose Barça vs Villarreal match in Miami

AFE opposes taking the Barcelona vs. Villarreal match to Miami

The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) has expressed its strong opposition to the proposal to play the LaLiga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami next December. The decision was made after a meeting of the captains of the 20 LaLiga teams last Thursday. The AFE argues that the lack of dialogue and information provided by LaLiga regarding the possibility of taking the match to the United States makes it impossible to support the initiative.

• The AFE, backed by the captains of the LaLiga clubs, opposes the celebration of a league match outside of Spain.
• The captains of all the teams met on Thursday to discuss the request, as announced by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) at the beginning of August, to play a match outside the country, which was presented to UEFA and FIFA.
• The AFE requested a detailed report from the league to inform the players of the situation and to know their opinions. In its response, the league only informed us about the progress of the authorization process.
• Faced with this situation, given the lack of dialogue and information provided, the initiation of a project promoted by LaLiga and approved without any information by the RFEF is disrespectful to the players, as it implies changes at a sporting level in addition to trips outside the country as workers within the framework of a national league.

LaLiga has been trying to bring a match to the United States since 2018, with Barça, Villarreal, Girona and Atlético de Madrid among the clubs that have shown themselves open to playing a league match abroad at various times. A major hurdle appeared to be overcome earlier this month, when the RFEF finally agreed to take a request to UEFA and FIFA, the governing bodies of football in Europe and worldwide, respectively, for the Villarreal vs. Barça match, scheduled for the weekend of December 20, to be played at Hard Rock Stadium. The plans still need the backing of UEFA and FIFA, which have yet to comment, as well as the United States Soccer Federation and Concacaf, although a settled lawsuit between Relevant Sports, LaLiga’s commercial partners in the United States, and the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA recently seemed to pave the way for a foreign league to play a national match in the United States. However, the AFE statement, which comes after Real Madrid also strongly opposed the plans, demonstrates that there is still resistance to the project within football.

“We are united. We want respect and transparency. With this message, the AFE demands that the Spanish institutions involved provide all the information about a project that would alter the competition,” added from AFE.

AFE

“This is something that requires dialogue, negotiation and prior agreement with all interested parties and, fundamentally, with the main actors, which are us,” they concluded.