Real Madrid rejects U.S.-hosted match, claiming it would hurt integrity of competition
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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 the Hard Rock Stadium.
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Madrid said Tuesday it has taken action to keep the Dec. 20 match from happening in the U.S., claiming it would hurt the 'integrity of the competition' and the 'legitimacy of the results.'
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'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.'
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'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.
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The Europe-wide fan group Football Supporters Europe, or FSE, said it was 'liaising' with members, soccer stakeholders, affected groups, and partner organizations to 'collectively resist the latest threat to the very nature of football.'
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'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.'
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The group also criticized a similar move by the Italian league to play a match abroad.
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The Italian soccer 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.
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Madrid said it has asked FIFA, UEFA and Spain's top sports body to not authorize the game in the U.S. The Spanish soccer 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.
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Mr. Miszuk skated with the Cowboys for two seasons. He also played for the minor-league Iowa Stars, San Diego Gulls and San Francisco Shamrocks before ending his career in 1979 with the San Diego Hawks. He played games for charity for another two decades as a member of the touring NHL Alumni club. In 1998, he was added to the Copps Coliseum (now TD Coliseum) Wall of Fame in Hamilton, a display that has since been dismantled. After retiring from hockey, he and his wife became well-known Tim Hortons franchise owners and philanthropists. In 1992, they opened a new, 4,000-square-foot, 116-seat restaurant in downtown Hamilton, the coffee-and-donut chain's largest in Ontario. Prime Minister Kim Campbell attracted 300 people when she held a campaign town hall in the outlet the following year. Six years ago, he traveled 7,000 kilometres to visit his birthplace in what is now Belarus. The family farm had been burned to the ground during the war. He returned to Canada with an envelope filed with a handful of the bountiful soil his family once tilled. Mr. Miszuk died at home on July 28. He leaves his wife of 63 years, the former Cora Bakalech, whom he met while playing in Edmonton. He also leaves two sons, two daughters, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and two sisters. A grinder and journeyman for much of his career, the defenceman once appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. Under the headline 'Those big bad Black Hawks,' a photograph shows a furious Bobby Hull tangling with a rival player identifiable only by his No. 18 Red Wings sweater. The rookie was pleased with the outcome of his first NHL fight. 'You've got to show them you belong up here,' he told The Hockey News. 'I figure I was lucky to get a standoff, though. He's a pretty strong boy.' You can find more obituaries from The Globe and Mail here. To submit a memory about someone we have recently profiled on the Obituaries page, e-mail us at obit@
