Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has expressed his discontent regarding the decision to move the Catalan side’s LaLiga match against Villarreal in December to Miami.
LaLiga announced on Wednesday that the match originally scheduled at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica will now take place at Hard Rock Stadium, following UEFA’s earlier approval of the request.
De Jong is concerned about the additional travel demands added to an already full schedule and acknowledges the frustration of rival teams regarding the potential impact on competition fairness.
“I’m not in favor of it,” he remarked during a press conference while representing the Netherlands.
“Financially, clubs may find it beneficial, and it can help promote their brand internationally, but I wouldn’t support it.
“It’s not favorable for the players due to excessive travel. Moreover, it creates an unfair situation. This match is now an away game played on neutral ground. I completely understand why other clubs might be dissatisfied with this decision.”
Real Madrid and other LaLiga clubs have voiced their opposition to the game’s relocation to the United States, arguing it provides an “unjust sporting advantage” to the participating teams and “sets an untenable precedent.”
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LaLiga has been attempting to host a game in the U.S. since 2017, with recent progress made in August when they secured approval from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which had previously blocked similar initiatives even while hosting the Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this week, UEFA also confirmed approvals for two other matches to be held internationally, one being an encounter between Italian clubs Milan and Como in Perth, Australia, in February.
Despite backing these arrangements, UEFA has expressed its “clear opposition” to domestic league matches being held outside their home countries, indicating that its acceptance of these requests was made “exceptionally,” citing FIFA’s ambiguous regulations.
FIFA is currently working on a review of these regulations through a dedicated group.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has stated that the intention is to host one league game abroad each season, not limited to the U.S.
The match between Barça and Villarreal is set to be the first encounter from one of Europe’s top five leagues played on foreign soil, following a pattern established by American leagues like the NFL and the NBA in recent years.