La Liga’s plan to hold a Barcelona match in Miami in December has been called off due to “uncertainty” about the game within Spain, the Spanish top flight said in a statement. Champions Barcelona 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. The match was scheduled to take place at the Hard Rock Stadium, but tickets for the game were due to become available on Tuesday, and organisers said the presale was “delayed” before the plan was scrapped.
The decision to cancel the match was met with disappointment by Barcelona, who said they respect and accept the decision, just as they respected and accepted the decision to play when it was made at the time. Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia Toral criticized the timing of La Liga’s announcement, saying it was a “lack of respect” to put out a statement at half-time of a game about something that was planned but will not happen. La Liga had been trying to hold a match abroad for several years, and this was the closest they had come after European football governing body UEFA granted them permission. However, the plan faced opposition from various parties, including Real Madrid, who argued that it would undermine the competitive integrity of the league.
