La Liga’s plan to hold a Barcelona match in Miami in December has been called off because of “uncertainty” about the game within Spain, the Spanish top flight said in a statement Tuesday.
Champions Barca were set to face Villarreal in the United States on December 20, which would have been the first European league fixture to be played abroad.
La Liga said their promoter for the match decided to cancel the organisation of the event because of “uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks”.
The Spanish top flight said they “deeply regret that the project, which represented a historic and unparallelled opportunity to take Spanish football to the international stage, cannot go ahead”.
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Tickets for the game at the Hard Rock Stadium were due to become available on Tuesday but organisers said the presale was “delayed” before the plan was scrapped.
The match will now be held at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica home as normal.
“Barcelona respect and accept the decision to cancel the match against Villarreal in Miami… just as we respected and accepted the decision to play when it was made at the time,” said Barca in a statement.
The Catalan giants said they regret “the lost opportunity to expand the image of the competition in a strategic market with growth potential” and that US-based fans “will be deprived of witnessing” the game in the flesh.
La Liga published their statement during Villarreal’s 2-0 Champions League defeat by Manchester City.
“It seems to me an absolute lack of respect to put out a statement at half-time of a game about something that was planned but will not happen,” said Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia Toral.
“It’s a lack of respect to the directors of the club, the club itself, the professionals and the fans.
“Tomorrow the club will make a statement about what they think, those are my thoughts.”
The plan to hold the match in the United States was criticised by various parties.
The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) organised protests against it last weekend, with players from every team not moving for 15 seconds at the start of each league match.
Spanish giants Real Madrid also railed against it institutionally, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said Tuesday it would adulterate the competition.
Madrid captain Dani Carvajal told La Liga president Javier Tebas the game being held abroad would be “a stain” on the competition.
La Liga have been trying to hold a match abroad for several years, with this the closest they have got after European football governing body UEFA granted them permission.
UEFA said they opposed the idea of games being played overseas but would allow it on an exceptional basis, along with a Serie A match set to take place in Australia in February between AC Milan and Como.