LaLiga scraps Barcelona-Villarreal game in Miami

LaLiga has called disconnected plans to clasp a regular-season crippled betwixt Villarreal and Barcelona successful Miami successful December, the league announced connected Tuesday.

Tickets for the lucifer -- which was owed to beryllium played astatine Hard Rock Stadium connected Dec. 20 -- had been acceptable to spell connected merchantability this week.

On Tuesday, LaLiga announced that the merchantability of those presale tickets would beryllium delayed but attributed said hold to a method issue.

The determination had faced absorption from LaLiga players, who staged a protestation past weekend, arsenic good arsenic fans groups and Real Madrid, who had called connected FIFA, UEFA and Spain's Sports Ministry (CSD) to artifact the plans.

The crippled betwixt Villarreal and Barcelona was acceptable to beryllium the archetypal regular-season crippled successful 1 of Europe's 'big five' leagues to beryllium held overseas.

Italy's Serie A is besides readying to play a lucifer betwixt AC Milan and Como successful Perth, Australia successful February.

On Tuesday, Madrid's Thibaut Courtois became the latest subordinate to voice his absorption to playing the LaLiga crippled successful Miami, saying doing truthful would "totally impact the integrity of the competition."

Earlier this month, Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong said the program was "not bully for the players" citing fatigue from question and concerns astir fairness, portion manager Hansi Flick admitted helium and his squad were "not happy."

Last weekend, players paused for 15 seconds astatine the commencement of each LaLiga crippled successful protestation astatine what players' national AFE said was a "lack of transparency, dialog and coherence" successful however the Miami lucifer had been organised.

The program to play Villarreal vs Barcelona successful Miami was made authoritative earlier this month, with LaLiga president Javier Tebas calling it a "historic step" and saying the purpose was to bring the league "closer to that planetary fanbase."

The league has agelong worked to clasp a regular-season crippled successful the United States, with its archetypal connection involving a lucifer betwixt Girona and Barcelona successful the 2018-19 season.

It initially faced absorption from the Spanish shot federation and U.S. Soccer, which has since faded.

This period UEFA said it had "reluctantly" taken the determination to o.k. the Miami game, stating its "clear absorption to home league matches being played extracurricular their location country" but saying FIFA's existent rules connected the taxable are "not wide and elaborate enough."

Real Madrid had called the Miami crippled an "unacceptable precedent" and asked the CSD to garbage authorisation for the lucifer "without unanimous consent."

The CSD had made nary authoritative connection connected the match, though Spanish authorities ministers had voiced concerns implicit the idea.