"It is the same Villarreal game, which was supposed to be held in the United States, but will now be hosted at La Ceramica. In order to offset the missed opportunity of playing a lucrative Miami match, Barcelona were keen on organising a quick friendly on another continent, shortly after the Villarreal game. It was even reported that the club were in talks over a friendly in Morocco, which now appears to have been ruled out."
"The proposed friendly in Morocco, tentatively targeted for Monday, December 22nd, has been ruled out due to labour regulations. Under the LaLiga-AFE collective agreement, players are mandated to be back in Spain by 23:59 on December 22nd to officially begin their Christmas holidays on Tuesday the 23rd. The logistics of playing a match abroad and returning within that window prove impossible."
"Barcelona have also ruled out the friendly in Peru, which was going to be more challenging from a logistical point of view, since the country is located across the Atlantic. As a result, Hansi Flick's side will end their year immediately after the whistle at Villarreal, with no real possibilities of playing a friendly elsewhere in order to recoup the lost revenue opportunity in the United States."
Barcelona resume after the November international break, starting versus Athletic Club and ending away at Villarreal. The Villarreal match will take place at La Ceramica on December 21 after being moved from the United States. The club sought a quick overseas friendly to offset missed Miami revenue and explored Morocco and Peru. A Morocco friendly targeted for December 22 was ruled out because LaLiga-AFE requires players to be back in Spain by 23:59 on December 22 to begin Christmas holidays on December 23, making return logistics impossible. Peru was also dismissed due to transatlantic travel challenges. The team will end the year after Villarreal with no extra friendlies to recoup lost revenue.
Read at Barca Universal
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