The dispute over the Villarreal-FC Barcelona match in Miami continues to generate divided opinions in Spanish football. Although LaLiga has already confirmed the date of the match at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (Saturday, December 20), once UEFA gave the green light to move the match of matchday 17, the Barça squad does not seem to be fully in agreement with the initiative.

The first to publicly raise his voice against playing in the United States was Frenkie de Jong. The midfielder, prior to the match against Malta with the Netherlands (Thursday the 9th at 20:45 CEST), was clear in stating that the match in Miami "is unfair" to the competition.

"The clubs are going to get paid for this, but I don't agree with playing a League match in Miami. I understand that other clubs don't agree either," said the man from Arkel. Frenkie, for the moment, is the second captain of Barça, behind Ronald Araujo, and one of the leaders of the Barça dressing room, currently playing his seventh season at the club.

Is a mess brewing for LaLiga? Frenkie de Jong proves AFE right

Frenkie de Jong training at the Ciutat Esportiva.

In that sense, De Jong's opinion is by no means irrelevant to the context of the Villarreal-Barça match in Miami, although LaLiga has the way cleared by UEFA and FIFA to hold the match at the Hard Rock Stadium.

The Spanish Footballers Association (AFE) was among the first to speak out against the initiative to play in the United States once LaLiga and the RFEF conveyed to UEFA their request to move the match that, initially, was to be played at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

In the coming days, the AFE will once again summon the captains of the remaining 18 clubs of the Spanish First Division to reiterate their rejection of the match in Miami. Without a doubt, Frenkie's opinion will be taken as a benchmark, although the boards of Barcelona and Villarreal support the trip to Florida.

"It's not fair for the competition. Now we play an away game on neutral ground. I don't like it and I don't think it's right for the players," De Jong added to justify his rejection of the match that closes the 2025 Barça calendar, prior to the Christmas break.

LaLiga 'will ignore' the criticism: Villarreal-Barça will be played in Miami

Beyond the measures that the AFE, Real Madrid (the club promised to challenge the match), and other clubs and/or entities associated with Spanish football may present against the match, Javier Tebas will not back down from an objective he has been working on for more than seven years.

The president of LaLiga, upon confirming the date of the match at Hard Rock Stadium, assured that the criticism has more to do with "demagoguery" than with serious foundations. The organization sees the duel in Miami as a historic precedent to strengthen Spanish football in the North American market, without threatening the competitive balance since it is a single match.

Both clubs will earn around 6 million euros for playing in Miami, with Villarreal obtaining a slightly higher amount as the home team on matchday 17. Unlike La Cerámica (23,500), the Hard Rock has a capacity of 65,300 spectators, most of whom will support the Barça team.