“It is not bad for anyone” – Villarreal president defends proposed USA fixture against Barcelona

La Liga are still pushing to host the December fixture match between Villarreal and Barcelona at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Efforts remain ongoing, and the good news for those in favour of the event is that UEFA do not intend to stand in its way.

The Spanish Football Federation have already given their approval, and once UEFA do the same, it will be on FIFA to make a final decision – which should happen in the coming weeks. But while the wait goes on, criticism continues to come from all sections.

Villarreal president Fernando Roig believes that criticism of the proposed USA fixture is unwarranted, as the event would have no negative effect for anyone involved – as he told the media on Thursday (via MD).

“We believe that it is not bad for anyone – only for our fans, who can be harmed, but we alleviate that damage. We do not receive money for this. The money that is generated is to compensate the fans, going for free or returning money in their season ticket. La Liga has proposed it to us andwe are in favour of it because it opens doors to the competition and to Villarreal. For us it is positive to open up to the North American market. We have 20 academies.”

Last month, La Liga president Javier Tebas, who has been a large driving force behind efforts to play the Villarreal-Barcelona match in Miami, revealed that a final decision on the proposed event is expected to come towards the end of this month. Thus, the countdown is on for an outcome on whether the first Spanish league football match to be held in the United States will take place in December.