Tebas Vows La Liga Will Try Again After Plug Pulled On Villarreal V Barcelona In Miami

Javier Tebas has vowed that La Liga would effort again aft plans to return a crippled overseas fell done erstwhile promoters announced they were cancelling Villarreal’s gathering pinch Barcelona successful Miami connected 20 December.

The convention had been informed of nan determination connected Tuesday, pinch an announcement made astatine half-time of Villarreal’s Champions League crippled against Manchester City astatine nan Estadio de la Cerámica, wherever they will look Barcelona, alternatively of astatine nan Hard Rock Stadium. The timing of nan announcement was described arsenic “a complete deficiency of respect” by nan Villarreal coach, Marcelino García Toral.

The determination came pinch nan pre-sale process unfastened but 24 hours earlier tickets were put connected sale, and aft a protestation from nan Spanish footballers’ national (AFE) astatine nan play successful which nan first 15 seconds of each top-flight game were not played. Relevent Sports announced location was not clip to organise nan crippled properly. The convention was waiting for a judgement from Spain’s sports assembly and shot authorities successful North America. Uefa had reluctantly fixed nan go-ahead, saying it did not person nan authority to forestall nan crippled taking place.

“After conversations pinch nan promoter of nan charismatic La Liga lucifer successful Miami, they person communicated their determination to cancel nan organisation of nan arena fixed nan uncertainty generated successful Spain successful nan past fewer weeks,” a connection from nan convention said. Tebas, nan La Liga president, had announced nan staging of nan crippled successful Miami 13 days earlier. This was its 4th grounded effort to return a crippled to Miami, starting pinch nan announcement of Girona v Barcelona successful 2018. Unlike erstwhile attempts, this clip nan convention had nan support of nan Spanish shot federation.

On Wednesday Tebas lamented nan cancellation connected his X account, and criticised nan shot authorities, which he described arsenic “naive and passive governors who do not cognize really to separate betwixt nan basal and nan unimportant”, and nan players’ union. He dismissed nan AFE’s declare that they it had not been consulted, suggesting nan accusation it says has been withheld was explained erstwhile nan task was first projected successful 2018.

Although he did not sanction them, he besides attacked Real Madrid, who person been nan astir wished opponents of nan task and person agelong been astatine loggerheads pinch nan league. Madrid declare that allowing Barcelona to play an distant crippled successful Miami, wherever it is apt their supporters will predominate nan stadium, undermined nan integrity of nan competition.

Javier Tebas claims Spanish shot ‘has mislaid retired connected an opportunity to advance, task itself to nan world and fortify its future’. Photograph: Irina R Hipolito/AFP7/Shutterstock

“Today Spanish shot has mislaid retired connected an opportunity to advance, task itself to nan world and fortify its future,” Tebas wrote. “From a constrictive and parochial perspective, nan defence of ‘tradition’ has been invoked, while nan existent traditions of European shot are threatened by decisions from nan governing bodies that, twelvemonth aft year, destruct nan home leagues, which are nan existent centrifugal of nan European shot industry.”

Tebas added successful clear allusion to Real Madrid: “The ‘integrity of nan competition’ is cited by those who person spent years questioning that very integrity, pressuring referees and administrators, constructing distorted narratives aliases utilizing governmental and media unit arsenic sporting tools.

“Others, possibly without realising it and successful bully faith, person been dragged into debates astir thing that was agreed successful 2018, erstwhile nan ‘information’ [the AFE requested] – which they had past and they person now – was conscionable an excuse to extremity nan project.

“I would for illustration to convey Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona for their committedness and generosity successful forming portion of a task that only sought nan maturation of our competition. They were not reasoning astir themselves; they were reasoning astir everyone.

“La Liga will support working, earnestly and pinch rigour and committedness to guarantee that Spanish shot continues to beryllium competitive, against those that activity to destruct it, and ever pinch respect to its roots and ensuring its sustainability. Spanish shot deserves to look towards nan early pinch ambition, not fear. We will support trying. This clip we were close.”