NYON European football federation UEFA has delayed an eagerly-awaited decision on the Spanish proposal to stage Villarreal-Barcelona match in Miami.

The UEFA executive committee meeting in Tirana studied Spanish federation’s request that the LaLiga matchday 17 match, scheduled for December before the Christmas break, be played on the opposite side of the Atlantic.

A statement said; “The committee recognized that this is an important and growing issue but expressed the desire to ensure that it takes into account the opinions of all stakeholders before making a final decision.”

Real Madrid and the Spanish players union are opposed to the long-standing ambition of LaLiga president Javier Tebas.

AFE president David Aganzo said; “If they don’t give us more information, we will oppose playing in Miami.”

In 2018-2019 Tebas tried in vain to move the Girona-Barcelona match from Montilivi to Hard Rock Stadium, now home to Lionel Messi. Luis Rubiales, then head of the federation, objected, saying: “A match with a local venue cannot be taken out of the country, and if there had been arguments—which we asked LaLiga to convince us to provide—we would have considered this matter.”

Paradoxically, two years later, he agreed to take the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia. That deal is subject to legal proceedings.

This time, however, the federation did not oppose LaLiga’s request but forwarded the request to UEFA and FIFA. Initially UEFA president Alexander Ceferin did not appear open to the initiative, saying: “We are not happy, but, despite what we have checked legally, we don’t have much room for maneuver if the federation agrees and both federations agree.

“But I think that, going forward, we will have to discuss this very seriously, because football should be played in Europe, fans should watch it at home; they cannot travel to Australia [Serie A wants to move the Milan-Como match to Perth] or to the United States to see their teams.”

UEFA added “There are many issues to be resolved, and as the European governing body, UEFA has a responsibility to take all these factors into account. As a result, no decision was taken today, but UEFA will conduct a round of consultations with all stakeholders in European football, including fans.”

Last year, FIFA had already provided a legal framework for playing matches outside the leagues’ territories, although it clarified possible consequences for competitive balance. It considered potential disruptions to host country teams, the safety of fans and players, and other factors that could affect the integrity of the match or the well-being of all involved. FIFA, which meets on October 15, is one of the “stakeholders” that UEFA will consult.

Real Madrid argues that it “violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity that governs double-round League competitions (one match at home and one at the opposing team’s home), altering the competitive balance and granting an undue sporting advantage to the requesting clubs.”

Finals decisions

Madrid will host the 2027 men’s Champions League final with Warsaw to stage the women’s final.

Atletico Madrid’s 70,000-capacity Estadio Metropolitano has been awarded the men’s showpiece after Milan’s Stadio Meazza at San Siro was stripped of the honour. UEFA decided to reopen bidding for the event amid concerns about refurbishment.

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