La Liga President Javier Tebas has assured that the ‘USA game’ will be going ahead, despite widespread backlash in Spain. Villarreal’s final home game of 2025 against Barcelona is proposed to take place in the Miami at Hard Rock Stadium.
The idea has been pushed since 2017, with Atletico Madrid and Girona showing interest in the past though. For the first time though, the Spanish Football Federation have given the green light, and the decision now rests with FIFA and UEFA for final approval. A decision Tebas believes will come next month.
“By the end of September we will have an answer as to whether or not the game will be played in Miami,” he told Marca.
Tebas: ‘The clubs have requested this’
The La Liga President appeared on television programme ‘Tablero Deportivo’, and was keen to remind that Villarreal and Barcelona were the instigators of the matter.
“I’m convinced the game will be played in Miami. This season, it’s not among our main objectives, but this year it happened.”
Image via EFE / Sergio Perez
“We must remember that this is a process that clubs begin by requesting voluntarily. LaLiga is obviously willing to do it, and the Federation has given its approval. Now we have to go through the UEFA and FIFA filter and their procedures to properly begin the process to go to Miami. We hope to pass them.”
Clubs will have the chance to raise the issue with La Liga at the next club assembly. Often one occurs in September.
“The League Assembly will arrive, and we’ll see if it’s a reason to bring it up for debate. A Cup match between Malaga and Atletico Madrid was already played in Marbella, and it wasn’t discussed. That’s my opinion. Those who have spoken are Fernando Roig and Barcelona, who are in favour and have asked for it. We’re not going to create problems before they arrive.”
‘We can’t be a laughing stock’ – Tebas
Getafe President Angel Torres was one of the firmest critics of the idea, and referred to La Liga as ‘the laughing stock of Europe’ due to the USA game proposal, and the registration drama faced by many clubs.
“La Liga can’t be the laughing stock of Europe, when we see Italy and France playing abroad. The Supercup is also played outside of Spain, and I don’t see that as a problem. And the format has been changed. It’s being made out to be a bigger problem than it is.”
“This [debate] doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world. Fernando Roig [the Villarreal president] said it clearly, ‘Either we do things or we’ll be irrelevant.’ Then the NFL comes along and we’re thrilled, and if the NBA were playing, we’d all be even more thrilled. It’s just one game in our competition,” he explained.
Backlash over the USA game
Despite the favour of Barcelona and Villarreal, the idea has been met with widespread rejection across Spanish football, with almost every manager or club asked against it. Real Madrid have gone a step further, and are lobbying UEFA and FIFA in order to reject the request. Rayo Vallecano manager Inigo Perez noted in particular that he was against the idea, but that they would have to put up with it if they were ‘continue to milk the prize money’.
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