La Liga cancel plan to stage Barcelona’s away fixture with Villarreal in Miami  | OneFootball

La Liga have cancelled plans to stage Barcelona’s away game against Villarreal in Miami.

The controversial match was set to take place at the Hard Rock Stadium on December 20. It would have been the first La Liga fixture to be held outside Spain. 

The decision sparked strong opposition from clubs and players, including scathing comments from Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on Tuesday. 

La Liga have decided to shelve the plans, citing ‘uncertainty surrounding Spain in recent weeks’.

President Javier Tebas has long been pushing for league games to be played abroad. 

The Spanish league announced an agreement with Relevent Sports to stage fixtures in Miami in 2018, but the plan was blocked after opposition from FIFA, UEFA and several clubs. 

Another attempt in 2019 to move a fixture between Barcelona and Girona was also knocked back. 

It looked like Tebas would have his way after UEFA approved the proposal to stage Barca’s December match with Villarreal in Miami. 

But players made their discontent known by standing motionless at kick-offs across all games last weekend. 

Their protests were ignored by broadcasters, who showed an aerial view of the stadiums accompanied by a banner that read ‘commitment to peace’. 

But the strong opposition has forced the league to cancel the plans.