La Liga President Aims Dig At Real Madrid During Rant Over Barcelona’s Canceled Miami Fixture

La Liga president Javier Tebas didn’t explicitly sanction Real Madrid during a lengthy societal media station lamenting nan cancelation of nan Miami-based convention fixture betwixt Villarreal and Barcelona, but didn’t deploy overmuch subtlety erstwhile accusing definite forces of “killing nan project.”

The determination to shape a La Liga lucifer extracurricular Spain was subjected to rampant controversy. Real Madrid’s hierarchy, head and players person made small secret of their utter disdain towards a money-grabbing strategy which they judge would “affect nan integrity of nan competition,” to usage nan words of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Dani Carvajal called it a “clear corruption of nan competition.”

The statement goes that by shifting Villarreal vs. Barcelona distant from nan Estadio de la Cerámica to South Beach, nan reigning La Liga champions person 1 less distant crippled to title than nan remainder of nan division.

Tebas wasn’t impressed by this argument. UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, couldn’t find immoderate ineligible way of preventing leagues from staging games wherever they wish—AC Milan will look Como successful Perth, Australia arsenic portion of nan Serie A schedule adjacent year—and truthful a day for nan Miami fixture was group connected Dec. 20.

The conflict was past promptly canceled connected Tuesday night. The organizers blamed a deficiency of capable readying clip but Tebas intelligibly felt that nan wide distaste for this project—which was borne retired successful a league-wide protest complete nan weekend—had thing to do pinch it.

Barcelona were scheduled to return connected Villarreal successful Miami this December. / Flor Tan Jun/Getty Images

“Today, Spanish shot has mislaid an opportunity to move forward, task itself to nan world, and fortify its future,” La Liga’s infamously outspoken president wrote connected X.

“The defense of ‘tradition’ is invoked from a constrictive and provincial perspective, while nan existent traditions of European shot are threatened by decisions from nan institutions that govern it, which twelvemonth aft twelvemonth destruct nationalist leagues, nan existent motor of nan shot manufacture successful Europe, amid nan naivety and passivity of European leaders who neglect to separate nan inconsequential from nan essential.

“The ‘integrity of nan competition’ is appealed to by those who person spent years questioning that very integrity, pressuring referees, leaders, constructing distorted narratives, aliases utilizing governmental and media unit arsenic a sporting tool,” Tebas continued, straight quoting nan words that respective Real Madrid players had utilized to lambast nan Miami project.

La Liga initially projected to schedule a conflict betwixt Barcelona and Girona successful nan United States backmost successful 2018 but, overmuch to Tebas’s evident chagrin, they person erstwhile again been foiled.

Joan Laporta was thoroughly unimpressed. / Javier Borrego/AFP7/Getty Images

Barcelona had only conscionable vanished thumping Olympiacos 6–1 successful a Champions League rout erstwhile nan news dropped. The nine subsequently released a measured connection which began: “FC Barcelona respects and abides by nan determination to cancel nan lucifer against Villarreal successful Miami for Matchday 17 of La Liga, conscionable arsenic it respected and abided by nan determination to play nan lucifer astatine nan time.”

However, nan cash-strapped Catalan outfit went connected to hint astatine nan vexation of this lucrative gross being wiped out. “FC Barcelona regrets nan missed opportunity to grow nan competition's image successful a strategical marketplace pinch nan capacity for maturation and assets procreation for nan use of all.”

Barça president Joan Laporta had admitted earlier this week that he was “not enthusiastic” astir nan venture, but conceded: “It gives america nan pleasance of bringing successful money, conscionable for illustration successful Miami. Money will beryllium made successful Miami. Villarreal and Barça will beryllium nan biggest beneficiaries.”

Tebas ended his rant pinch a connection of intended defiance: “Spanish shot deserves to look to nan early pinch ambition, not pinch fear. We will support trying. This time, we were very close.”

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