AFE sets its position on the Villarreal-Barça match in Miami and warns LaLiga

The Spanish Footballers Association (AFE), chaired by David Aganzo, raised its voice to give its opinion on the official match that is planned to be played between FC Barcelona and Villarreal CF, corresponding to matchday 17 of LaLiga EA Sports 25/26, in North American territory. The match is scheduled to be held in Miami (Hard Rock Stadium) on December 21 or 22.

This is a proposal supported by LaLiga, driven by its president Javier Tebas, and endorsed by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which has already submitted the request to UEFA for its analysis and possible approval if it is considered viable.

AFE opposes the match between FC Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami: why?

The AFE, like Real Madrid did at the time, expressed its total rejection of playing an official match outside the national territory, publishing a statement detailing the reasons for its position.

In the informative note, the union points out that it met with the captains of the First Division: "The Spanish Footballers Association (AFE) and all the captains of the First Division have met this Thursday afternoon to assess the request that, according to what the RFEF announced on August 11, would be submitted to UEFA and FIFA for the dispute, outside the national territory, of a LaLiga match this season."

In turn, the organization assures that it requested from LaLiga "a descriptive report with all the details to be able to inform the players and know their opinion." However, they denounce that the employers' association refused to provide the information, indicating that it "denied any responsibility to anticipate the plan and committed, only, to inform about the progress of the authorization process."

Lack of dialogue and concern for the players

According to the AFE, "the absence of dialogue and information to the players" is unacceptable, since it is a project that modifies the sports planning and forces the players to an international trip within a domestic competition. The union believes that these decisions should be negotiated in advance with the professionals involved.

Finally, the association concludes with a clear message:

"We are united. We want respect and transparency."

Although they do not absolutely reject the celebration of the FC Barcelona - Villarreal in Miami, they insist that there must be dialogue, consensus and guarantees for the players before executing a project that would be unprecedented in Spanish football.