La Liga president confident Villarreal vs Barcelona will go ahead in US despite objection | OneFootball

Speaking in an interview on Radio Nacional (h/t Mundo Deportivo), La Liga president Javier Tebas expressed his conviction that the Villarreal vs Barcelona game of Matchday 17 will be played in December in Miami.

The match is scheduled to take place at Estadio de la Ceramica, Villarreal’s home ground, but the plan is for it to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Both Villarreal and Barcelona are on board with the idea, which could land them a sizeable payday of around €6.5 million.

Tebas confident

Tebas has long been pushing for a La Liga match to be played outside Spain and is confident that his proposal will go ahead this time around, despite strong opposition from some other clubs, including Real Madrid.

“By the end of September, we’ll have an answer as to whether or not the match will be played in Miami,” Tebas said.

“I’m convinced the match will be played in Miami. This season, it’s not among our main objectives, but this year, the opportunity has arisen,” he added.

Villarreal vs Barcelona can take place in Miami. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

Continuing, Tebas noted that “we must remember that this is a process that clubs begin voluntarily requesting.”

“La Liga is obviously willing to do it, and the Federation has given its approval. Now we have to go through the UEFA and FIFA process, and their procedures to properly begin the process for going to Miami. We hope to pass them,” he further noted.

On whether the matter will be discussed or debated during the La Liga Assembly, the league president remarked:

“The League Assembly will arrive, and we’ll see if it’s a reason to bring it up for debate. Among those who have spoken out are Fernando Roig and Barcelona, who are in favour and have requested it. We’re not going to create problems before it arrives.”

Further defending the proposal to move the game to the US, Tebas added: “La Liga cannot be the laughing stock of Europe when we see that Italy and France are playing outside their countries.

“The Super Cup is also played outside Spain, and I don’t see that as a problem. And the format has been changed. They are making it into a bigger problem than it is.”