La Liga President Javier Tebas has had his plan to play the matchday 19 fixture between FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in the U.S.A. denied. Read on to find out what has put a stop to the idea and what the likely response will be.
Javier Tebas Fails To Get La Liga Match Played In Miami – But Will Try Again Next Year
Another Unsuccessful Attempt
It’s no secret that La Liga has been trying to have one of their matches played outside of Spain for some time now. Led by President Tebas, they tried last season to have FC Barcelona play against Catalan rivals Girona FC on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in Miami. This term, it’s Barca’s match against Atlético Madrid that the league tried to have moved stateside.
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At the time, it was suggested that Tebas’ poor relationship with former President of the RFEF (Spanish football federation), Luis Rubiales, was to blame. This year, with a supposed weakness of an electoral period in the governing body to try and take advantage of, Tebas has once again been unsuccessful.
Due to the elections taking place at the RFEF, the decision to not hold the match in America was undertaken by a management committee instead of the usual board of directors. This committee consulted the Spanish Ministry of Sport (CSD) and together came to the idea that this was not the right time for a match to be played outside of Spain given the internal situation at the federation.
Time To Accept The Decision
As per reports by Barcelona-based news outlet Mundo Deportivo, La Liga will try to use their response to this decision as a way of maintaining relationships with the RFEF. They believe that by accepting that there will be no match played outside of Spain this season, they will be able to persuade the governing body to be onside in the future.
This is a crucial component to this, as FIFA’s regulations surrounding domestic matches being played abroad state that it’s the national body that should propose the idea to UEFA and not the league itself. Therefore, leaving La Liga with little influence on the overall decision.
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Ironically, it’s an old foe of Tebas’ that has once again scuppered his plans. With the main reason being that the situation at the RFEF is too delicate to go through a process so complex and controversial to move a singular domestic fixture abroad, we must remind ourselves why that is. The change in process at the federation all stems from the mess that was left behind by ex-President Rubiales—the one who denied La Liga last season.
But with little over six weeks before the match is due to be played, it seems challenging to have everything ready over in Miami, sparing any logistical mishaps that were to occur due to the limited preparation time. A small consolation for Tebas and La Liga, and a chance to now set sights on the 2025/26 season as the time a league match is finally played outside of Spain.
