Barca responds to the cancellation of the historic match in Miami

Barcelona has officially commented after La Liga canceled the match against Villarreal in Miami, ending the plan to take La Liga beyond Spain's borders.

On October 22, Barcelona issued an official statement regarding La Liga and its partner Relevent Sports' decision to cancel the match against Villarreal scheduled for December 20 in Miami. The Catalan club expressed disappointment but affirmed respect for the organizers' decision after weeks of controversy.

“FC Barcelona respects and accepts the decision to cancel the match against Villarreal in Miami, part of La Liga’s 17th round, just as the club previously respected the decision concerning holding a match in the United States,” the club stated. “FC Barcelona regrets missing the opportunity to expand the league’s presence in a strategic market with great growth potential. The club thanks its fans in the U.S. and is sorry they won’t have the chance to witness an official match on their home soil.”

According to La Liga’s announcement, the cancellation was due to “instability in Spain in recent weeks” and “insufficient preparation time.” Organizers see this as a “missed chance to promote the global development of Spanish football.” La Liga emphasized that hosting an official match abroad “fully complies with federation regulations and does not affect the league’s fairness.”

Previously, the plan to hold this match faced strong opposition from players and clubs. Last weekend, all La Liga players observed a 15-second silence at the start of matches to protest the lack of transparency in decision-making. Real Madrid filed a complaint with Spain’s Ministry of Sports, while Thibaut Courtois said mid-season travel “completely distorts competitiveness.” Frenkie de Jong stated the plan “is not good for players,” and coach Hansi Flick admitted “the whole team is unhappy with how the announcement was handled.”

Villarreal, the directly affected club, expressed frustration as La Liga announced the news during their Champions League match. Coach Marcelino Garcia Toral called it “disrespectful to the management, players, and fans.” After the cancellation, Villarreal will host Barcelona at Estadio de la Cerámica on December 22.

La Liga once hoped the Barcelona - Villarreal match in Miami would mark a turning point in globalization efforts, but now that dream has ended before it began. Will the league have enough determination in the future to elevate Spanish football to the world stage?