Real Madrid write formal letter to Higher Sports Council opposing Villarreal vs Barcelona in Miami

The ongoing dispute between La Liga, Real Madrid, and the rest of the First Division clubs over the decision to play the Villarreal vs Barcelona game to Miami has now gained another major participant: the Higher Sports Council (CSD).

Indeed, according to MARCA, Real Madrid has sent a formal document to the CSD expressing its firm opposition to the planned match in Miami between Villarreal and Barcelona, scheduled for December, arguing that it “distorts the competition.”

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After receiving Real Madrid’s complaint, the CSD has requested detailed information from the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) about the reasoning that supports La Liga’s decision to hold the match outside Spain.

In response, the Federation has asked for access to the club’s written document in order to reply with full understanding of its content.

A long-standing dream of La Liga

The proposal to stage official matches in the United States is not new. In 2018, La Liga announced an agreement with Relevent Sports to host games in Miami for fifteen years, but strong opposition from FIFA, UEFA, the RFEF, and several clubs blocked the plan.

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A later attempt in 2019, involving a Girona-Barça fixture, was also suspended. After another unsuccessful effort last year to organise Atletico Madrid vs Barça abroad, Javier Tebas’ renewed push led to the Villarreal-Barça game to be moved to Miami.

Javier Tebas has been pushing for league games to be played abroad. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

The event, already presented in Miami, forms part of La Liga’s strategic objective to expand its brand in the United States, where Major League Soccer continues to grow and football is steadily gaining popularity among fans.

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Real Madrid’s position

For Real Madrid, staging a league match abroad violates the principle of equality among teams and distorts the competition, as well as setting a precedent that would be difficult to control.

Los Blancos’ captain Dani Carvajal said as much in a statement this week, voicing his opinion against the move.

“It seems to me a very clear adulteration of the competition. It doesn’t make all teams compete under the same conditions,” Carvajal said.

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“I think it is essential that we are fair to the players themselves, clubs and the League itself, that we will have to advocate for something fair and I think this does not,” he added.

The CSD will now have to mediate in a dispute that risks once again becoming a legal battle. Meanwhile, Villarreal and Barça prepare amid uncertainty: what was meant to be a global showcase could instead turn into the centre of a political and legal storm.

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