Real Madrid have condemned plans to play December’s La Liga game between Villarreal and Barcelona in the United States.
Madrid stated that the proposal would “give an undue sporting advantage” to the teams involved and “sets an unacceptable precedent.”
On Monday, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) agreed to pass a request to UEFA to play the Matchday 17 fixture, scheduled for the weekend of 20th December, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. La Liga first proposed playing a competitive match in Miami during the 2018-19 season but was forced to postpone the plans due to objections from FIFA, the RFEF, and the U.S. Soccer Federation. Madrid has clashed with La Liga over various issues in recent years, frequently expressing dissatisfaction with the league’s management under president Javier Tebas.
In a statement penultimate week, the club indicated that it had already asked FIFA not to authorise the match “without the prior consent of all clubs participating in the ompetition.”
Madrid also called on UEFA to exert pressure on the RFEF to withdraw its request, and on Spain’s Supreme Sports Council (CSD) to refuse its authorisation.
“Real Madrid wishes to express to its members, supporters, and football fans in general its firm rejection of the proposal to play the Matchday 17 first-division league game between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona outside of Spain,” the club’s statement read in Spanish.
“The measure, implemented without prior information or consultation with the clubs participating in the competition, violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity governing double-round league competitions (one match at home and the other at the opposing team’s home), altering the competitive balance and giving an undue sporting advantage to the clubs that made the request.
The integrity of the competition demands that all matches be held under the same conditions for all teams. Unilaterally modifying this regime violates equality between contenders, compromises the legitimacy of the results, and sets an unacceptable precedent that opens the door to exceptions based on interests other than strictly sporting ones, clearly affecting sporting integrity and risking the competition’s integrity.”
