LaLiga are determined to take the competition to the US next season despite facing objections to the proposal in the current campaign.
This weekend was supposed to see Barcelona face Girona in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, but in December Barca announced that plans to play the game in Florida had been shelved, stating a need to find ‘agreement between all parties’.
Though a setback, LaLiga remain committed to a 15-year partnership with media company Relevent, which it is now hoped will see a US-based fixture take place in the 2019/20 campaign.
“We’re working diligently to make it happen next season. We want to do it, we think it will be great for everybody and we’re trying to do something that’s historic,” Joris Evers, LaLiga’s Chief Communications Officer, told JOE.
“Nobody’s ever done this before which is why it’s difficult to pull it off. We recognise that but LaLiga is a global spectacle – it makes sense for us to go to our fans that are outside of Spain.”
As part of LaLiga’s agreement with Relevent, it was proposed that one game a season from the Spanish top flight would be played in the United States. With both clubs initially on board, Girona vs Barcelona looked set to be the first – to be played in the Hard Rock Stadium on January 26.
LaLiga’s intention to play games in the States has been met with some objections, however, most notably from the Spanish Football Association (RFEF). In a bid to gain approval to move regular-season matches to America, LaLiga took legal action against the RFEF at the end of November.
The ongoing discussion means that Sunday’s Catalan derby will now take place at Girona’s Estadi Montilivi – not in Miami, as had been proposed last September.
“We have to respect Barcelona’s decision to pull out,” said Evers. “We were very thankful that they wanted to do it in the first place.
“Even though Barca have said they don’t want to do it on this occasion, they made it clear they are still open to doing it in the future. They want to do it, it’s just that they would like for there to be more consensus around it. We have to appreciate their opinion and we absolutely do.
“The Federation has never officially said no, they have just expressed their objections to it. We feel we have to get a court to say that this is something we can decide.”
Evers acknowledges that the process of moving a game to the US is complex, and that more hurdles must be cleared before it becomes a reality.
Having attended the recent NBA London event, he is aware of the benefit it would have for developing LaLiga’s brand but also sees it as an opportunity to showcase the culture of Spain and the cities and regions in which its football clubs are based.
“We’ve always said that taking a LaLiga game to the US is more than just playing a football match there. It’s a chance to celebrate Spain, Spanish culture, and the culture of our clubs, cities and regions.
“LaLiga is watched globally now. We want to give those fans abroad the opportunity to watch the action up close as well.
“From our side nothing has changed. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t play the game this weekend but we are determined it will happen in the future.”
