Posted on 23rd October 2025
“Common sense prevails” – La Liga drops overseas game
This week La Liga’s plans to host a competitive fixture in the US collapsed as the league u-turned on Barcelona vs Villarreal being held in Miami, Florida.
Earlier this month UEFA gave the go-ahead for the December game – originally due to be played at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica – to be moved to a neutral venue in the US.
However, late on Tuesday evening the plans fell through amidst ongoing opposition from players – who began in-game protests during La Liga fixtures last week – elected representatives and supporters.
La Liga said: “Following conversations with the promoter of the official La Liga Match in Miami, the decision has been made to cancel the organisation of the event due to the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks.
“La Liga deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the internationalisation of Spanish football, cannot go ahead.”
Football Supporters Europe (FSE), the umbrella organisation for national fan groups across the continent, welcomed the news describing it as a “seismic victory for European football.”
“Villarreal vs FC Barcelona will be played where it belongs – in Villarreal,” FSE said. “Common sense and the rules of the game have prevailed.
“The collective opposition from supporters, players, UEFA, the European institutions and many other football stakeholders has been deafening and definitive: domestic league matches must not be exported abroad.”
FSE says the episode demonstrates deep-seated problems with the governance of football in Spain and is calling for reform to ensure it is run more sustainably and democratically.
Spain’s national supporter organisation, FASFE, said: “We won this time, but we need to create a democratic and inclusive legal framework for our sport where this nonsense may not happen again.”
What does the FSA think?
Ever since news broke in the summer about La Liga’s plans for an overseas game we have joined the chorus of opposition and supported our colleagues in Europe in their fight.
FSA chair Tom Greatrex said: “It is clear that playing fast and loose with sporting integrity by moving domestic league fixtures overseas is far from popular. It is not only supporters who understand the damage such proposals would do, but commercially it is rife with risk.
“As happens all too frequently, the interests of the good of the game are cast aside almost at a whim for dubious financial opportunism.
“That is why, given UEFA’s stated objections, they need to urgently ensure the regulatory framework throughout world football is reinforced and revised to prevent such misguided proposals getting close to happening ever again.”
All eyes now turn to Serie A, who still intend to take a competitive league game overseas with AC Milan vs Como due to take place in Perth, Australia, in February.
It’s not too late for Italy’s footballing authorities to do the right thing – listen to fans and players – by calling it off and keeping the game on Italian soil. The game has no business being played 8,500 miles away from home.
