Real Madrid have issued a powerful and ruthless official statement expressing their “firm rejection” of the groundbreaking proposal to play a La Liga match between their rivals Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, USA.
The club’s statement comes just one day after the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) gave its initial approval to the plan. The proposal now only needs the final green light from the continental and global governing bodies, UEFA and FIFA, to proceed.
In their lengthy and strongly-worded message, Real Madrid argue that the move gives Barcelona an “undue sporting advantage.” They claim that allowing Barça to play this fixture at a neutral venue, instead of away at Villarreal’s notoriously tough Estadio de la Cerámica, “violates the equality between contenders” in the title race.
The club believes the proposal “compromises the legitimacy of the results” and sets an “unacceptable precedent” that risks the “adulteration of the competition” for reasons based on non-sporting interests.
As a result of these serious concerns over sporting integrity, Real Madrid have demanded that such a decision should only be allowed to move forward with the “unanimous agreement of all clubs” participating in La Liga, not just the two teams involved in the fixture.
They have immediately backed up their words with action, confirming they have already sent formal requests to FIFA, UEFA, and Spain’s Higher Sports Council, urging them not to authorize the match without the unanimous consent of all 20 top-flight clubs.
This public and hostile statement is the latest chapter in the ongoing feud between Real Madrid, La Liga’s leadership, and their arch-rivals Barcelona. With Los Blancos now officially fighting the proposal at the highest levels of governance, the plan to take La Liga to Miami faces a formidable and powerful opponent.