Tebas hits back at Real Madrid captain over criticism of Villarreal vs Barcelona in Miami | OneFootball

La Liga president Javier Tebas has directly responded to Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal’s harsh criticism of the upcoming Villarreal vs Barcelona match set to be played in Miami.

Despite strong opposition from several clubs in Spain as well as the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) and fan groups, La Liga is pressing ahead with its plan to host the game in the USA on 20 December.

Real Madrid veteran Carvajal had voiced his concerns about the idea, stating that such a move would adulterate the competition built around ‘home’ and ‘away’ format.

“It seems to me a very clear adulteration of the competition,” Carvajal said. “It doesn’t make all teams compete under the same conditions,” he added.

“I think it is essential that we are fair to the players themselves, clubs and La Liga itself, that we will have to advocate for something fair and I think this does not.”

Tebas hits back

Carvajal’s comments have no elicited a response from La Liga chief Tebas, who has been the driving force behind this initiative.

Carvajal was critical of La Liga in his comments. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The league president pointed fingers at Real Madrid TV and its videos criticising referees as something that ‘distorted’ the competition more than the Villarreal-Barça game being played outside of Spain.

“First, I believe the competition isn’t being tampered with; it’s a very exquisite vision,” Tebas told El Chiringuito TV.

“To me, all the Real Madrid TV videos from last season seemed to be more of a distortion of the competition, as they were clearly intended to pressure the refereeing team,” he added, taking a swipe at Carvajal.

Real Madrid not giving up

Despite La Liga’s firm stance and the fact that both Barcelona and Villarreal are on board, Real Madrid are determined to fight against the “Miami plan”.

As confirmed already, Los Blancos have written a letter to the Spanish Higher Sports Council (CSD), requesting their intervention in the matter.

Moreover, recent reports even suggested that Real Madrid had approached the CONCACAF to request them to prevent the match being played in their region.