Official: Real Madrid reject La Liga plans to hold Barcelona vs Villarreal in USA | OneFootball

Real Madrid have on Tuesday released a statement, officially rejecting the plans of La Liga to stage their first-ever fixture outside of Spain.

This comes, for those who may have missed it, after it was revealed that Javier Tebas and co. are actively working towards moving the scheduled meeting between Villarreal and Barcelona in December to the USA.

Specifically, the plan is for the gameweek 17 fixture to be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

Many have already made clear their disillusionment with as much, adamant that any move outside of Spain calls into question the integrity of the La Liga season as a whole.

And as alluded to above, on Tuesday evening, one such outfit have in turn made their grievances very much known.

In a lengthy statement released across the club’s social media platforms, Real Madrid hit out at La Liga, as follows:

Real Madrid CF wishes to express to its members, supporters, and football fans in general its firm rejection of the proposal to play the matchday 17 match of the National First Division League Championship between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona outside of Spain.

The measure, implemented without prior information or consultation with the clubs participating in the competition, violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity that governs double-round league competitions (one match at home and the other at the opposing team’s home), altering the competitive balance and granting an undue sporting advantage to the applicant clubs.

The integrity of the competition demands that all matches be played under the same conditions for all teams. Unilaterally modifying this regime violates the equality between contenders, compromises the legitimacy of the results, and sets an unacceptable precedent that opens the door to exceptions based on interests other than strictly sporting interests, clearly affecting sporting integrity and risking adulteration of the competition. If this proposal is implemented, its consequences would be so serious that they would mark a turning point for the world of football.

Any such modification must, in all cases, have the express and unanimous agreement of all clubs participating in the competition, in addition to strictly adhering to the national and international regulations governing the organization of official competitions.

In defense of this principle, Real Madrid has already carried out three specific actions:

1. Request that FIFA, as the guarantor of international football rules, not authorize the match without the prior consent of all clubs participating in the competition.

2. Request to UEFA, as guarantor of the integrity of European competitions and regulatory consistency with FIFA, to urge the RFEF to withdraw or deny the request, reaffirming the criteria established in 2018 that prevents official matches in domestic competitions from being played outside of national territory, except in duly justified exceptional circumstances, which do not apply here.

3. Request to the Higher Sports Council not to grant the necessary administrative authorization without such unanimous consent.

Real Madrid reaffirms its commitment to respecting the national and international rules that guarantee the fairness and proper functioning of official competitions, and will defend their compliance before all competent bodies.

Conor Laird – GSFN