Villarreal CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles expressed his anger at how La Liga announced the suspension of the match in Miami and sent messages to both Real Madrid and the AFE.
Villarreal CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles has criticised La Liga’s handling of the cancelled match against Barcelona in Miami, which was announced on Tuesday during their Champions League clash with Manchester City.
“Apparently, tickets had to go on sale, but they couldn’t; there was a lot of pressure. But things can be delayed, and it doesn’t matter. We can’t be the ones to pay the price for poor management,” Negueroles added on Wednesday during the re-inauguration of the Alfafar (Valencia) municipal pitch, which was destroyed by a storm a year ago.
The Villarreal CEO denied feeling used by La Liga but praised the club’s management: “I don’t think it was malicious, but we certainly wore ourselves out a lot, only to get nothing and be the protagonists of something that was very nice for us and has turned into something ugly.”
Negueroles also criticised the way LaLiga communicated the decision: “They have tried to give us more explanations, that things are not so easy. But waiting an hour more would not have mattered at all.”
“We had done a lot of educational work because the only thing that worried us was our fans and season ticket holders, and the rest of the stakeholders should have been treated through La Liga, being more transparent or clearer and explaining it better so that everyone agreed,” he added.
Despite the cancellation and the unease, Roig Negueroles acknowledged that the club’s idea remains positive: “We have never denied that it is positive for Villarreal or any team in the league. We believe that we can grow commercially in the United States, and if another match goes ahead, it is also good for the league.”
Regarding whether what happened will affect the president of La Liga Javier Tebas, Negueroles was blunt: “I am very annoyed and very angry about how things have been done, but I think he is trying to do the best for the Spanish League.”
Furthermore, he downplayed the idea that the match would distort the competition: “And when we play a Champions League match and field less important players? The distortion thing makes me laugh.”
Criticism of Real Madrid and the AFE
Immediately afterwards, Roig Negueroles spoke on ‘Radio Marca’ and pointed the finger at Real Madrid as well as the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE), especially its president, David Aganzo.
“Real Madrid seem to be against everyone. At a European level, outside Spain, they are losing weight because no one believes in their discourse anymore. In Spain, the press still pays a lot of attention to them, but they are against everyone,” said the CEO. “I agree with Real Madrid on many of the things they protest about, but they lose legitimacy because they protest about absolutely everything. Even things they approved three or four years ago. If it were something good for them, they would also protest,” he added.
In addition, Roig Negueroles pointed to David Aganzo: “He lied to us. He said that Barcelona would go to a meeting, and it wasn’t true. I think there was manipulation towards the players. The players aren’t stupid, but they don’t want conflicts either.”
