Real Madrid Rejects LaLiga’s Plan for Miami Game
Real Madrid has expressed its strong opposition to LaLiga’s proposal to play the match of matchday 17 between Villarreal and Barcelona in the United States, specifically in Miami. The merengue club believes that this initiative could grant an “undue sporting advantage” to the teams involved and establish an “unacceptable precedent”. Last Monday, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) agreed to forward to UEFA the request for the match, scheduled for the weekend of December 20, to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. LaLiga had first proposed playing an official match in Miami during the 2018-19 season, but had to postpone its plans due to opposition from FIFA, the RFEF, and the United States Soccer Federation. Real Madrid has expressed its disagreement with LaLiga on several occasions in recent years, showing its dissatisfaction with the management of the league under the presidency of Javier Tebas. In an official statement issued on Tuesday, the white club stated that it had already requested FIFA not to authorize the match “without the prior consent of all participating clubs in the competition.” Likewise, Real Madrid urged UEFA to pressure the RFEF to withdraw its request, and the Spanish Superior Sports Council (CSD) to deny its authorization.
The club added: “The integrity of the competition demands that all matches be held under the same conditions for all teams. Unilaterally modifying this regime violates the equality between the contenders, compromises the legitimacy of the results, and sets an unacceptable precedent that opens the door to exceptions based on interests unrelated to strictly sporting ones, clearly affecting sporting integrity and risking the adulteration of the competition.” “If this proposal is implemented, its consequences would be so serious that they would mark a turning point in the world of football.” “Any modification of this type must, in any case, have the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition.” LaLiga, under the presidency of Javier Tebas, has expressed its interest in fulfilling the objective of playing an official match in the United States during the 2025-26 season. The league’s first attempt involved a match between Barcelona and Girona in January 2019, and it was later suggested to play last season’s match between Barça and Atlético de Madrid in the United States. The first attempt was abandoned after opposition from FIFA, while the effort for the 2024-25 season was discarded due to lack of time to organize the game. The world football governing body, FIFA, faced legal action from LaLiga’s commercial partner in the United States, Relevant Sports, after blocking the initial proposal for the match in Miami, before reaching an agreement on the matter. LaLiga is not the only top-tier European league looking to play matches abroad. The Italian Football Federation has backed plans to take the Serie A match between AC Milan and Como to Australia in February.“The measure, implemented without prior information or consultation with the clubs participating in the competition, violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity that governs double-round league competitions, altering the competitive balance and granting an undue sporting advantage to the clubs that request it.”
Real Madrid
