‘Narrow-minded’ – La Liga boss unhappy US game is cancelled

The La Liga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in the United States was canceled, according to the president of the Spanish league, Javier Tebas.

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) approved plans to move Villarreal’s game against Barcelona to Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on December 20th.

The decision was later overturned on Tuesday following the backlash, with La Liga players protesting by refusing to move for the first 15 seconds of matches last weekend.

Spanish football has lost the chance to advance, establish itself internationally, and advance its future, Tebas wrote on X.

The governing bodies’ decisions, which annually destroy national leagues, threaten the true traditions of European football, while “the defense of tradition” is invoked from a narrow-minded and provincial perspective.

Tebas added that the league will continue to try to play games abroad and that Spanish football “deserved to look to the future with ambition rather than fear.”

Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal said playing in a foreign game would “stamp on the competition,” while Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his players were “not happy” with the initial decision.

Villarreal lost to Manchester City 2-0 in the Champions League game against Villarreal, who had earlier made the decision to reschedule the game in Miami.

Although the Spanish Super Cup has been held in Saudi Arabia for the first five years, it would have been the first time a top-flight league match had taken place in the United States.

Guillem Balague, a renowned expert in Spanish football, does not believe the story is over, despite the decision to cancel the game.

While Javier Tebas is in charge of La Liga, he will try to win just one game, he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

He believes that the project is intended to promote Spanish football, as the statement claims.

It complied fully with federation rules. The project’s position was chosen for reasons unrelated to the integrity of the sport or regulations.

Balague thinks the match was canceled in part because of finances.

There may have been insufficient funds, or the money’s intended destination, but there hasn’t been much confusion, he continued.

We’re not getting any money for it, Villarreal claimed, but Barcelona claimed, “We’ll get money as soon as we board the plane.”