Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois criticized on Tuesday the initiative to host a regular-season LaLiga match in Miami, asserting that the decision «completely undermines the integrity of the competition.»
LaLiga has proceeded with its plans to stage Villarreal vs. Barcelona at Hard Rock Stadium on December 20 — with tickets becoming available this week — after UEFA stated they were begrudgingly backing the proposal.
This arrangement would allow Madrid’s championship contenders Barça to play the match at a neutral location instead of at Villarreal’s Estadio La Cerámica.
«Indeed, it completely undermines the integrity of the competition,» Courtois remarked during a press conference on Tuesday ahead of Madrid’s Champions League clash with Juventus. «It’s simple to reference the NBA and the NFL [playing internationally]. But in the NBA they play 82 games, competing for playoff spots, and it hardly affects anything.
«In the NFL, it’s all determined by a vote of the team owners. Here in LaLiga, they act unilaterally. It undermines the integrity of the competition and violates the players’ agreement. This is unfair. Matches should be played home and away. Competing away is tough in this league, and Villarreal away is a challenging game. Everyone ought to compete at home and away, except in extreme circumstances.»
LaLiga has long aimed to host a regular-season match in the U.S., initially trying to play a fixture between Girona and Barcelona in Miami during the 2018-19 season, with president Javier Tebas claiming that the initiative would foster long-term revenue growth.
The league’s players demonstrated last weekend, pausing play for the first 15 seconds of each match, with the union AFE highlighting a lack of «transparency and communication» in the decision-making process.
Nonetheless, in several instances the protest was not visible on television, with the live broadcast switching to external views of the stadium.
«I am perplexed by your surprise,» Courtois stated. «This has been ongoing for quite some time… I remarked post-Club World Cup that I’ve never encountered a president of any league in any sport who speaks like [Tebas]. Concealing [the protests] represents censorship and manipulation. That is serious.»
Real Madrid has attempted to block the proposed Miami game, requesting UEFA, the Spanish football federation, and Spain’s Sports Ministry reject the initiative.
«I’ve addressed inquiries regarding this several times,» coach Xabi Alonso noted on Tuesday. «The club is rightfully protecting its interests, and we will see what unfolds.»
