LaLiga chief targets game in Miami next season
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has said he is targeting playing a competitive league game in Miami next season, if they can reach an agreement with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Tebas originally planned to stage a league match involving Barcelona and Girona at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium in 2018 but was met with opposition from the RFEF and FIFA, among others.
However, a recent lawsuit involving Relevent Sports Group, the company Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross that is involved in trying to host LaLiga matches to the U.S., has reopened the possibility of it happening in the future.
“It [a regular league game in Miami] will be played but when it remains to be seen,” Tebas told ESPN on Thursday. “We have to have an agreement with the federation in Spain. The federation is still in a significant void [with a president having yet to be elected] and that is causing a delay for it to happen this season.
“We will see if it can be done next season.”
Relevent sued in 2019 after FIFA disrupted its plan to host Barcelona and Girona at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and the USSF refused permission to sanction a league match between two teams from Ecuador, citing a FIFA policy to protect its territory and only allow exhibition matches to take place.
However, Relevent and FIFA reached an agreement earlier this year to drop FIFA from the suit, leaving an expectation that FIFA will not stand in the way of such matches being held in the future.
The push for a LaLiga game overseas comes at a time of increased scrutiny over the soccer calendar, with Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri saying players are close to going on strike.
Tensions have been heightened following the announcement of an expanded 32-team Club World Cup set to take place in the United States next summer, with David Aganzo, president of the Spanish Players’ Union (AFE), among those backing the players to go on strike if there is “no other choice.”
Tebas has also spoken out against the Club World Cup and told ESPN it “wouldn’t surprise” him if players went on strike because of increasing fixture congestion, describing the concerns as “justified.”
However, he insisted that doesn’t contradict with his stance of supporting a LaLiga game in the U.S.
“The president of the players’ union in Spain stated that I must oppose playing a LaLiga game in the U.S. because I expressed my opposition to the Club World Cup. This is not accurate.
“The issue is finding the optimal time during the season to play the game while ensuring players receive adequate rest for their travel to and from Miami, which is the city we want to go.”
