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The La Liga has announced that it has canceled the regular-season game between Barcelona and Villarreal, scheduled to be played in the United States (US) in December. The match was scheduled to be held at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida and Villarreal were the hosts of the game. The development has happened after rising domestic opposition to La Liga's international expansion plan. The decision was taken following the discussions with match promoter ‘Relevant', who cited that they don’t have insufficient time to organise the game. The league had got approval from governing bodies such as UEFA and the Spanish Football Federation RFEF to organise its inaugural regular-season match abroad.
“Deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer, will not be able to move forward," said La Liga in its statement. The Spanish league also added, "Holding an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global growth of the competition," aiming to strengthen "the international presence of clubs, the positioning of players, and the visibility of Spanish soccer in a strategic market such as the United States."
Players protest amid raised concerns
Criticism against the match escalated recently as players against the game stood still for a few moments after the kickoff during the weekend league contests. Real Madrid goalie Thibaut Courtois berated La Liga President Javier Tebas, expressing his dissent against the league’s decision to censor player protests.
Television feeds switched before the start of an exterior view of the stadiums, displaying only part of the fields from a distance. Real Madrid was one of the clubs who exhibited their opposition, arguing that the schedule would compromise the competition's integrity.
