Breaking: La Liga Cancels Miami Match Between Barcelona And Villarreal

‎LaLiga has called off plans to stage a Barcelona match in Miami in December due to “uncertainty” surrounding the game in Spain, the Spanish top-flight league said on Tuesday.

‎Barça were scheduled to play Villarreal in the United States on December 20, which would have marked the first European league fixture to be played abroad.

‎LaLiga 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 unparalleled opportunity to take Spanish football to the international stage, cannot go ahead.”

‎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.

‎UEFA has stated that it generally opposes the idea of European matches being played overseas.

‎However, the governing body said it would make an exception, allowing a Serie A fixture between AC Milan and Como to take place in Australia next February.

‎The proposal to stage a match in the United States has drawn criticism from several quarters.

‎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 criticized the plan, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saying on Tuesday that it would adulterate the competition.

‎Madrid captain Dani Carvajal told LaLiga president Javier Tebas that holding the game abroad would be “a stain” on the league.

‎LaLiga has been seeking to stage a match overseas for several years.