Villarreal says season-ticket holders can travel for free to league game against Barcelona in Miami
The club said Tuesday that those who don't want to go, or can't go, will get a 20% discount on their season tickets.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
Barcelona board agree to risk €7m in personal wealth in bid to register Rashford, Garcia
Barcelona's board agreed to take emergency financial action at a meeting on Wednesday as the club continues to try to register their new signings in time to start their La Liga title defence on Saturday. With three days to go before Barca's first match of the 2025-26 campaign, Hansi Flick's major signings of the summer — including new goalkeeper Joan Garcia and Manchester United loanee striker Marcus Rashford — are still not eligible to play. Advertisement Because Barca have been overspending on their salary limit — calculated by La Liga for each club according to their revenue — they have not been able to register new players. Now, in an attempt to ease the situation, Barca executives have prepared the action of putting their own personal wealth at risk as part of a bank guarantee worth €7million (£6m, $8.2m). Barca sources — who asked to speak anonymously as they did not have permission to comment — said the step was necessary in order to tackle overspending in other sporting departments of the club. Back in June 2023, the same measure was taken, for almost the exact same sum, for the same reasons of overspending. Club sources also said their expectation was still that all signings will be registered. They have until the end of the transfer window to do so, or the players concerned (Garcia, Rashford, the returning Wojciech Szczesny and defender Gerard Martin, who now needs to be registered as a first-team player rather than with their reserves) will have to sit out the season until the winter transfer window opens in January. But Barca have always stressed that the key to bringing themselves in line with La Liga's rules lies with their sale of future proceeds from executive boxes at the Camp Nou for €100m (£86.9m; $115.5m) in December 2024. This money has so far not had the approval from auditors that La Liga says it must receive before it can be applied towards its calculation of Barca's salary limit. A Barca source told The Athletic they expected that to be approved 'either this week or next'. Meanwhile, Barca are still waiting to be told by La Liga whether Marc-Andre ter Stegen's injury means they can take advantage of a rule around replacing injured players' registrations with that of a new player. Barca had hoped to do so to register Garcia, who arrived from Espanyol in June for his €25m release clause. It should also be remembered that Rashford's signing was only accelerated after Barca's move for Nico Williams broke down at the very last minute over the Athletic Club winger's concern that the Catalans might not be able to register him. The 23-year-old asked for a clause to be inserted into his contract allowing him to leave for free if that turned out to be the case. Barca rejected the request, so Williams decided to sign a new contract in Bilbao. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Real Madrid rejects US-hosted match claiming it would hurt integrity of the competition
MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid said 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 the Hard Rock Stadium. 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.' '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, 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.' '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 criticized a similar move by the Italian league to play a match abroad. 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. Madrid asks FIFA and UEFA to withhold permission 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. '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 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 sports 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 Tuesday said its season ticket-holders can travel for free and receive free tickets for the match. It said those who don't want to go, or can't go, will get a 20% discount on their season tickets. 'We would be the first (Spanish) team to play a league match abroad,' Villarreal 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 soccer and its brand in other countries. It first tried to stage a match in the U.S. 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 wasn't 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 U.S. are part of the league's long-term partnership with sports and entertainment group Relevent Sports, which is part of Stephen Ross' portfolio of companies including Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins, the Formula 1'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 toward ending decades of soccer tradition by ordering a review of its policy that blocks domestic league games 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 kilometers away. It has become routine, though, for U.S. pro sports leagues to stage games in Europe, Asia and South America that help build their brands and fan bases. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Manchester United have left Barcelona 'hurt' by signing Benjamin Sesko
Manchester United's capture of Benjamin Sesko has been painful for Barcelona. Despite missing out on European football, United have spent north of £200 million during the summer transfer window to bring in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko. For their latest signing, Sesko, who arrives from RB Leipzig in a deal worth €85m (£73.4m), the Red Devils had to fight off intense competition from Newcastle United. The Magpies were prepared to hand the Slovenian a more lucrative contract to lure him to St James' Park. Early in the summer, Arsenal tried to sign Sesko as well, but their sporting director Andrea Berta eventually decided to spend big on Viktor Gyokeres. Barcelona wanted to sign Benjamin Sesko Now, Spanish publication SPORT claim that Barcelona were also monitoring the 22-year-old, who scored 21 goals last term. It is understood that Barca viewed Sesko as Robert Lewandowski's possible replacement. Due to their financial predicament, the Catalan outfit planned to make a move for him in 2026. The ageing Lewandowski has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Camp Nou and is expected to depart the club next summer. However, instead of waiting for Barcelona, Sesko moved to United ahead of the new season and was unveiled in front of the Old Trafford crowd over the weekend. The report states: 'The Blaugrana sporting management has been particularly hurt by the signing of Benjamin Sesko to Manchester United.' Marcus Rashford expected to play as a striker at Barca The Slovenia international is highly rated by their sporting director Deco, who signed Marcus Rashford from United this summer on a season-long loan. Rashford primarily plays as a left winger. However, at Barca, there's a belief he could shine as a number nine and challenge Lewandowski under Hansi Flick. Barcelona have a buy option to sign Rashford permanently for around €35m. As such, the Englishman could become their first-choice striker down the line if he grabs the opportunity this season. Interestingly, Rashford's move to Barcelona eased United's financial concerns, allowing them to make a move for Sesko. The La Liga giants will help the Mancunians save around £14m by covering his salary. Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images online polls Follow us on Bluesky: @
