Amid ongoing discourse over the Barcelona-Villarreal being hosted in Miami, the Spanish Players’ Association has come out with an official statement on the matter.
The body, with the support of leaders of Spanish top-flight clubs, have come out with a strong statement, voicing its objection to the proposal of holding domestic league matches outside Spanish territory.
What does the statement read?
“The Spanish Football Players’ Association, with the support of club leaders, objects to holding La Liga matches outside Spain,” the statement reads.
“The Spanish Football Players’ Association and all the leaders of the first-division clubs met on Thursday evening to evaluate the request announced by the Spanish Football Federation on August 11, concerning the submission of a proposal to UEFA and FIFA to hold one of the league matches in the current season outside Spanish territory.”
Voicing the concerns around hosting La Liga matches outside Spain, the statement continued, “The Association requested a descriptive report from La Liga containing all the details to inform the players and ascertain their opinions.”
“However, in its response, La Liga denied any responsibility for presenting the plan in advance and merely committed to informing them of the progress in obtaining the necessary permits,” the statement added.
The Association demands that all relevant Spanish institutions fully disclose information related to this project, which could alter the competition.
“In light of this stance, we believe that initiating procedures for a project led by La Liga and approved by the Spanish Football Federation’s board of directors without providing any information to the players constitutes a lack of respect toward them, especially since it involves changes at the sporting level and requires their travel as workers outside national territory within the framework of a domestic competition,” it added.
La Liga has been exploring the option of taking regular-season games abroad since 2018, with the United States being the key target.
The plan has repeatedly stalled due to pushback from the Spanish federation and, most importantly, the players.
This recent statement from the AFE is yet another indication that La Liga will continue to find it difficult to host the Barcelona-Villarreal game in Miami.
It is now up to the league to indulge in a dialogue with these concerned parties and find a common ground. How Barcelona and Villarreal approach the matter, though, will be interesting to see.
