Tebas fumes at Barca game cancellation in Miami

"Today, Spanish football has lost an opportunity to advance, project itself globally, and strengthen its future. "The defence of 'tradition' is invoked from a narrow-minded and provincial perspective, while the true traditions of European football are threatened by decisions by the governing institutions, which year after year destroy national leagues, the true driving force of the European football industry, amid the naivety and passivity of European leaders who fail to distinguish the inconsequential from the essential."

"The 'integrity of the competition' is invoked by those who have been questioning that same integrity for years, pressuring referees and leaders, constructing distorted narratives, or using political and media pressure as a sporting tool. I want to thank Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona for their commitment and generosity in being part of a project that only sought the growth of our competition. They weren't thinking about themselves, they were thinking about everyone."

"Players protested against the initiative in the current round of LaLiga matches by refusing to move for the first few seconds of each game, and on Tuesday the league announced it had been called off "due to the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks". Tebas, though, believes it is a step backwards, and hit out strongly at critics of the plan."

The December LaLiga match between Barcelona and Villarreal planned for Miami was cancelled due to uncertainty arising in Spain in recent weeks. The proposal attracted heavy criticism amid claims it would affect the competition's integrity. Players protested during a current round by refusing to move for the first few seconds of each game. Javier Tebas described the cancellation as a lost opportunity to advance and globally project Spanish football. Tebas criticized defenders of tradition as narrow-minded and accused critics of undermining integrity by pressuring referees and using political and media influence. He thanked Barcelona and Villarreal and said LaLiga will continue working to keep Spanish football competitive.

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