Barcelona-Villarreal US clash would set unacceptable precedent: Real
London
Real Madrid say they are opposed to plans by their bitter rivals Barcelona to play a league match in the United States this season, saying the move 'sets an unacceptable precedent.' Barcelona and Villarreal are seeking permission from the football authorities to play in Miami in December.
Fan groups of the respective clubs have already threatened legal action if the plan progresses, and now Real have expressed their opposition to the move.
'Real Madrid would like to express to its members, supporters and football fans in general its strongest rejection of the proposal to play outside Spain the match ... between Villarreal and Barcelona,' the capital club said in a statement.
'The measure, promoted without prior information or consultation with the clubs participating in that competition, violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity that governs two-round league competitions [one game at home and the other at the opposing team's], altering the competitive balance and granting an undue sporting advantage to the applicant clubs.
'The integrity of the competition requires that all matches be held under the same conditions for all teams.
'Unilaterally modifying this regime breaks the equality between contenders, compromises the legitimacy of the results and sets an unacceptable precedent that opens the door to exceptions based on interests other than strictly sporting, with a clear impact on sporting integrity and the risk of adulteration of the competition.
'If this proposal is carried out, its consequences would be so serious that they would mean a before and after for the world of football.' Real said they had asked FIFA not to authorize the staging of the game without the prior consent of all LaLiga clubs, and had asked UEFA to urge the Spanish football federation (RFEF) to withdraw the request.
Villarreal had earlier pledged that season ticket holders would be offered free travel and entry if the league game was moved to Miami.
Season ticket holders who choose to go will have their travel and ticket paid for, the club said on their website, while they pledged that those who cannot go, or do not wish to go, will receive a 20% discount on the total cost of their season ticket.
If Villarreal and Barcelona ultimately get the green light, LaLiga will be the first of Europe's 'Big Five' leagues to stage a match overseas.
Villarreal president Fernando Roig told the club's official website: 'Reaching the United States is an opportunity we must seize.
'We have to expand the brand of our football and of Villarreal CF.
'Many clubs agree on the need to internationalize and to look for ways to generate more revenue so we can get closer to other leagues, such as the Premier League.' The Spanish football federation (RFEF) gave its approval to the plan on Monday.
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Real Madrid has said that it 'firmly rejects' having a regular-season Spanish league game played in the United States and warned of 'a turning point in the world of football'. Villarreal, in contrast, is promising free travel and tickets for season-ticket holders if its match against Barcelona in Miami is approved, in what would be a first for the league. The 17th-round match in La Liga would be played at Hard Rock Stadium, the home of Barca legend Lionel Messi's Inter Miami. Madrid said on Tuesday that it has taken action to keep the December 20 match from happening in the US, claiming it would hurt the 'integrity of the competition' and the 'legitimacy of the results'. 'The measure, which was taken without prior information or consultation of the clubs participating in the competition, infringes the essential principle of territorial reciprocity, which applies in two-legged league competitions (one match at home and the other at the home of the opposing team), upsetting the competitive balance and giving an undue sporting advantage to the applicant clubs,' Madrid said. The club said the match would set 'an unacceptable precedent that opens the door to exceptions based on non-sporting interests, clearly affecting sporting integrity and risking the adulteration of the competition'. 'If this proposal were to be carried out, its consequences would be so serious that it would be a turning point in the world of football,' Madrid said. The Europe-wide fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said it was 'liaising' with members, soccer stakeholders, affected groups and partner organisations to 'collectively resist the latest threat to the very nature of football'. 'We are following the broader impact on football with the utmost concern,' the group said. 'Moving games from their domestic territories strikes at the heart of the relationship between fans and their teams, breaking vital links between clubs and their communities.' The group also criticised a similar move by the Italian league to play a match abroad. The Italian football federation said in July that a plan was in motion to play the Serie A match between AC Milan and Como in the Australian city of Perth in February. Madrid asks FIFA and UEFA to withhold permission for Barcelona game Madrid said it has asked FIFA, UEFA and Spain's top sport body to not authorise the game in the US. The Spanish football federation on Monday approved a request for the match to be played in Miami. UEFA and FIFA now have to approve the request before it can be made official. 'Any modification of this nature must, in any case, have the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition, as well as strictly respecting the national and international rules governing the organization of official competitions,' Madrid said. Madrid and the Spanish league president, Javier Tebas, have often been at odds on various issues. The club said UEFA should deny the request to play the game abroad, based on the 'criterion established in 2018 that prevents official matches in domestic competitions from being played outside national territory, except in duly justified exceptional circumstances, which are not present here'. Madrid said it asked the country's high sport council 'not to grant the necessary administrative authorization without such unanimous consent'. 'Real Madrid reaffirms its commitment to respect the national and international rules that guarantee the fairness and proper functioning of official competitions, and will defend its compliance with them before all competent bodies,' the club said. Villarreal hoping to expand its brand in US Villarreal earlier on Tuesday said that its season ticket-holders can travel for free and receive free tickets for the match. It said those who do not want to go, or cannot go, will get a 20 percent discount on their season tickets. 'We would be the first [Spanish] team to play a league match abroad,' Villarreal's president, Fernando Roig, told a news conference. 'It would greatly help us expand our brand in a key market like the United States.' Staging a match abroad has long been part of the league's goal to promote football and its brand in other countries. It first tried to stage a match in the US in 2018, with a game between Barcelona and Girona, but the idea was dismissed after criticism from players, fans and clubs. Subsequent attempts to play there also failed. The league had offered compensation packages for Girona fans in 2018. It was not clear whether it would be Villarreal or the league paying for the travel and tickets for the club's fans this time. The attempts to play in the US are part of the league's long-term partnership with sport and entertainment group Relevent Sports, which is part of Stephen Ross's portfolio of companies, including Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins, the Formula One's Miami Grand Prix and the Miami Open tennis tournament. Earlier this year, it was announced that New York-based Relevent Sports has exclusive negotiating rights over the global commercial rights to the UEFA men's club competitions for the period 2027-2033. FIFA moved last year towards ending decades of football tradition by ordering a review of its policy that blocks domestic league games from being played in other countries. Some fan groups in Spain and the country's players' association on Monday expressed their disapproval of the plan to move the match thousands of kilometres away. It has become routine, though, for US pro sport leagues to stage games in Europe, Asia and South America that help build their brands and fan bases.
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