Barcelona match cancelled and official statement issued as president red-faced

Barcelona's La Liga match with Villarreal will no longer take place in the United States. The league have cancelled controversial plans for the fixture to be held in Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium in December. The cancellation comes just days before tickets had been due to go on sale. The ticket sale had already been delayed due to what La Liga claimed was a technical problem.

The decision to move a Spanish league fixture across the Atlantic caused uproar and brought backlash from across the continent. It was due to be the first ever match from a 'big five' league to take place outside of Europe. Rivals Real Madrid were among the most outspoken critics of the plan to move the game abroad. But a statement on Tuesday, hours after Barcelona's 6-1 Champions League win over Olympiacos, read: "LALIGA announces that, following conversations with the promoter of the Official LALIGA Match in Miami, the decision has been made to cancel the organisation of the event due to the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks.

"LALIGA deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer, will not be able to move forward.

"Holding an official match outside our borders would have been a decisive step in the global growth of the competition, strengthening the international presence of clubs, the positioning of players, and the visibility of Spanish soccer in a strategic market such as the United States.

"The project fully complied with all federative regulations and did not affect the integrity of the competition, as confirmed by the competent institutions responsible for ensuring compliance, which opposed it for other reasons.

"In a context of increasing global competitiveness, where leagues such as the Premier League and competitions such as the UEFA Champions League continue to increase their reach and ability to generate resources, initiatives such as this are essential to ensure the sustainability and growth of Spanish football.

"Passing up such opportunities makes it difficult to generate new revenue, limits clubs' ability to invest and compete, and reduces the international profile of the entire football ecosystem."

The cancellation leaves Barcelona president Joan Laporta red-faced given just hours earlier, he said in response to the criticism: "We're already used to this. The Miami issue is fully agreed upon with LaLiga and Villarreal. We see it as an opportunity to bring joy to the Barca fans in the United States and to promote Barca's image in an interesting market.

"They are what they are. Madrid are free to do whatever they want. We're following the plan, which is to play the match on December 20 in Miami."

The promoter of the game, Relevent, added: "Relevent has informed LALIGA of the need to postpone the planned match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona in Miami on December 20.

"Given the current uncertainty in Spain, there is insufficient time to properly execute an event of this scale. It would also be irresponsible to begin selling tickets without a confirmed match in place."

Real Madrid had called the intended Miami fixture "unacceptable" and pleaded with Spain's Sports Ministry (CSD) to refuse to authorise the change of countries. UEFA said earlier this month they "reluctantly" granted permission for the game to take place in Florida. But the organisation also stressed their "clear opposition to domestic league matches being played outside their home country".

Even those within Barcelona, including midfielder Frenkie de Jong, were against the decision. The Dutchman said: "I can understand the clubs - they'll profit from it. I wouldn't have decided it myself. I don't agree with it either. It's also unfair, competitively speaking.

"We will now be playing an away match on a neutral venue. But I don't feel like anyone is listening to us." And manager Hansi Flick declared: "My players are not happy, I am not happy, but La Liga decided that we will play this game.

La Liga president Javier Tebas had called the move "a historic step" in the league's bid to "closer to that global fanbase." The league plans to make an international match an annual event moving forward.

The Spanish is top flight is not the only league looking to move matches overseas. Italy's Serie A have confirmed plans to play a match between AC Milan and Como in Perth, Australia next February.