Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong bluntly hit out at the club’s La Liga match against Villarreal in December being moved to Miami, stating it’s not “right for the players.”
It will be the first ever fixture in Spain’s top flight to be played overseas, bringing to fruition longstanding plans to take a competitive fixture to an international audience and further push the league’s standing in foreign markets.
Plans to stage last season’s Barcelona-Atlético Madrid in Miami were eventually cancelled, but after UEFA’s reluctant approval, La Liga president Javier Tebas has firmed things up for this December. The game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Dec.20.
But while an incredible opportunity for both La Liga and U.S.-based fans, the move has been widely criticized and Barcelona’s own De Jong is among those to have made negative feelings clear.
“I don’t like the fact that we’re going to play there and I don’t agree with this,” the senior Barcelona midfielder told reporters while on international duty with the Netherlands.
“It’s not fair for the competition. Now we’re playing an away game on neutral ground. I don’t like it and I don’t think it’s right for the players. The clubs are going to get paid for this, but I don’t agree with playing a league game in Miami. I understand that other clubs don’t agree."
