The LaLiga fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona, earmarked for Miami on December 20th, could be jeopardised. The Miami Dolphins, who share the same stadium, have a fixture against the Cincinnati Bengals scheduled for the following day, December 21st.
LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation have moved a step closer to their ambition of staging a Spanish league match outside of Spain. The chosen fixture, as approved by the RFEF on Monday, is the Villarreal vs Barcelona game on December 20th, which could potentially be played in Miami.
To proceed, permission must still be sought from UEFA – the confederation for both clubs – CONCACAF – the confederation for the host region – and FIFA, the global governing body for football. However, this may not be the only hurdle.
‘AS’ has reported that the Hard Rock Stadium may not be available for December 20th, the date initially proposed for the encounter. This is because American football outfit the Miami Dolphins already have a match scheduled there.
The Dolphins are due to play the Cincinnati Bengals a day later, on Sunday, December 21st, in a ‘Sunday Night Football’ fixture, a day which features up to 12 NFL games.
With months still to go before the match is scheduled, and indeed before international approval is even granted, the Villarreal vs Barcelona fixture has already encountered its first obstacle.
