October 21, (THEWILL) — The planned La Liga match between Barcelona and Villarreal, scheduled for December 20 in Miami, has been postponed after organisers ran out of time to finalise arrangements.
Relevant, the company behind the fixture, informed La Liga of the decision, ending months of preparation for what would have been a landmark domestic game held at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Spanish Football Federation had approved the overseas match in August, with UEFA giving reluctant approval in October.
However, the fixture faced fierce opposition from players, who staged silent protests across La Liga matches at the weekend by standing still for 15 seconds after kick-off.
Broadcasters were reportedly instructed not to show the demonstrations.
Real Madrid escalated their opposition by calling on FIFA to intervene, arguing that the match would undermine the competition’s integrity by depriving Villarreal of a home game.
La Liga president Javier Tebas and the league itself defended the project, insisting it complied with regulations and would not affect competitive fairness.
The league expressed deep regret, describing the Miami match as a historic opportunity for Spanish football’s international expansion.
Whilst Relevent cited logistical issues, widespread hostility towards the fixture likely contributed to its collapse.
The match will now return to Spain, with Villarreal set to host Barcelona at the Estadi de la Ceràmica in December. La Liga maintained that competent institutions had opposed the game for reasons unrelated to competitive integrity.
The postponement comes amid a wider push by European leagues to stage matches abroad, with AC Milan’s Serie A game against Como targeted for Perth, Australia, next year.
Both La Liga and Serie A are seeking to boost revenue and global exposure in an effort to close the financial gap with the Premier League.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
