La Liga boss says canceled Miami game is a missed opportunity for Spanish soccer; fan group happy

By Canadian Press on October 22, 2025.

MADRID (AP) — Spanish league president Javier Tebas says “narrow-minded” views have cost Spanish soccer a great chance to project itself globally after the planned regular-season game between Barcelona and Villarreal in the United States was called off.

But a European fan group praised the decision, and the Spanish government called for more transparency in any future negotiations to try to play a league game abroad.

The Dec. 20 game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami was called off on Tuesday amid growing opposition from players, fans and some clubs. The league cited the “uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks.”

Game promoter Relevent said it informed La Liga of the need to “postpone the planned match” because there was “insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale” and that it would be “irresponsible to begin selling tickets without a confirmed match in place.”

A lost opportunity or an ill-conceived project?

“Spanish soccer has lost an opportunity to advance, project itself globally and strengthen its future,” Tebas said on X on Wednesday. “The defense of ‘tradition’ is invoked from a narrow-minded and provincial perspective.”

UEFA’s officially recognized fan liaison group Football Supporters Europe celebrated that “La Liga’s tired idea to export a game to Miami has once again collapsed.”

“Common sense and the rules of the game have prevailed. This is a seismic victory for European football and everyone who believes the game belongs at the heart of our communities,” the group said in a statement. “La Liga’s defeat sends a clear message to the world of football: such ill-conceived projects are doomed to fail. These attempts to destabilize the foundation of the game must stop now.”

The group called for Italy’s Serie A to also scrap its plans to have AC Milan and Como play in Australia in February.

Spain’s top sports authority called for more dialogue between everyone involved before trying to promote such initiatives. Sports Council president José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes on Wednesday called for “absolute transparency” and “adequate regulations” before future attempts can be made.

Players protest

After a few failed attempts, the league had finally succeeded in getting approval from soccer bodies such as UEFA and the Spanish federation to stage its first regular-season game abroad, but opposition had grown recently in Spain.

Players stood still for a few seconds after kickoff during the weekend league matches in a protest that was censored or not fully broadcast for television audiences, drawing even more criticism against La Liga.

Tebas aimed an apparent blow at Real Madrid, the club that had most loudly opposed the game by claiming it altered the fairness of the league because it allowed Barcelona to play an away game against Villarreal on a neutral site.

“The ‘integrity of the competition’ is invoked by those who have been questioning that same integrity for years, pressuring referees and leaders, constructing distorted narratives, or using political and media pressure as a sporting tool,” he said, without naming Real Madrid.

Barcelona and Villarreal were on board with playing the game abroad. The Catalan club on Tuesday also talked about a “missed opportunity” for Spanish soccer.

Villarreal did not immediately release a statement. Coach Marcelino García Toral on Tuesday was annoyed that the announcement was made during the team’s Champions League match against Manchester City.

‘We came very close’

Tebas thanked Barcelona and Villarreal “for their commitment and generosity in being part of a project that only sought the growth of our competition. They weren’t thinking about themselves, they were thinking about everyone.”

Tebas said Spanish soccer “deserves to look to the future with ambition, not fear.”

“We will keep trying,” he said. “This time, we came very close.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press

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