Barcelona confirmed that it ruled out playing Girona in Miami on Jan. 26, according to Juan Jiménez of AS. The club said that it is no longer willing to play "after recognizing the lack of consensus around the proposal." It added that it "was and is willing to go to Miami to play a La Liga match," however, "until an agreement is reached between all the parties involved, the project cannot continue" (AS, 12/10). PALCO23 reported Barcelona's decision is due to "the opposition to the match from the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)," with the backing of FIFA and UEFA. It is a "tough blow" to the legal action being led by La Liga President Javier Tebas, "who has claimed there is no legal foundation" to prohibit a La Liga match in the U.S. His argument has highlighted the support from Barcelona and Girona (PALCO23, 12/10).
DISAPPOINTED BUT DETERMINED: In Madrid, Alfredo Matilla reported La Liga issued a statement in response to the announcement by Barcelona. The league said that it "laments the club's decision" after it offered to carry out the "Miami Plan" months ago. La Liga, however, added that it remains committed to holding games outside Spain in the future. The statement said, "From the first moment, we expressed that participation in the game is voluntary and if FC Barcelona expresses its desire not to play, this game scheduled in Miami will not take place on the agreed upon date. From La Liga, we regret the disappointment this could cause among our fans in the U.S. To all of them, we want to express that, as soon as possible, La Liga will hold an official match in the U.S., as the top American leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL) have done outside the country. La Liga will continue with the action to demand that a game can be played outside Spain, but it withdraws the measure related to a game on Jan. 26. We will continue with legal action given that the information and facts prove that the position of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) does not conform to the law" (AS, 12/10).
