The La Liga match between Barcelona and Villarreal that was scheduled to be played in the United States has been canceled, the league and game promoter announced on Tuesday, Oct. 21.
La Liga players and coaches strongly opposed the Dec. 20 match at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, protesting with 15-second pauses at the start of games in the last week.
Tickets for the match – destined to be the first La Liga match played outside of Spain – were slated to go on sale Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The decision has been made to cancel the organization of the event due to the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks,” La Liga said in a statement.
La Liga added it “deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer, will not be able to move forward.”
“The staging of an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global expansion of our competition, strengthening the international presence of clubs, the positioning of players and the Spanish football brand in a strategic market such as the United States.
“The project fully complied with federation regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as confirmed by the competent institutions that oversee compliance, which opposed it for other reasons.
“In a context of increasing global competitiveness, where leagues such as the Premier League and competitions such as the UEFA Champions League continue to increase their reach and ability to generate resources, initiatives such as this are essential to ensure the sustainability and growth of Spanish football.
“Passing up such opportunities makes it difficult to generate new revenue, limits clubs’ ability to invest and compete, and reduces the international profile of the entire football ecosystem.”
Relevent Sports, which is owned by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, released a statement to USA TODAY Sports, saying the game would be postponed.
“Given the current uncertainty in Spain, there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale. It would also be irresponsible to begin selling tickets without a confirmed match in place.”
The match was initially announced on Oct. 8, while the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFC) initiated a symbolic protest on Oct 17 “as a demand for the lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence of LALIGA, regarding the possibility of playing a competition match in the United States.”
Girona players initiated a pause for about 15 seconds after kickoff before beginning play against Barcelona on Saturday, Oct. 18. Oviedo and Espanyol players stood still in the first 15 seconds of their Friday, Oct. 17 match.
“The Spanish Footballers’ Association categorically rejects a project that does not have the approval of the main players in our sport, and demands that the employers’ association create a negotiating table in which all information is shared,” their organization said in a statement.
Real Madrid was also vocal in the discourse of the Miami match, saying in a team statement that the match would affect the competitive advantage.
La Liga clubs play home and away matches, and the Dec. 20 match would have been moved from Villareal’s home stadium.
La Liga confirmed the match will be played at Villareal’s Estadio de la Cerámica on Dec. 20. Barcelona will host Villareal on Feb. 28 or March 1.
The Miami Dolphins host the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday Night Football on Dec. 21 at 8:20 p.m. ET.