OFFICIAL: FC Barcelona abandons plans to play in Miami

FC Barcelona has officially announced they will not play Girona at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium in January. The meeting was set to be the first time a top European league played an official league match outside of Europe. However, given a lack of agreement between several organizing bodies, Barça considers it an impossibility at this point.

La Liga, under the leadership of Javier Tebas, came up with the idea and lobbied fans in Miami to demand the game. Barcelona and Girona agreed to play the game in the USA. However, the Spanish FA, as well as UEFA, FIFA, and the Spanish players’ union, all balked at the idea.

It’s this disagreement that has seemingly spurred Barcelona’s board of directors to announce they will not be playing a league match outside of Europe in January. Indeed, Barcelona noted in a statement they “were and still are ready to travel to Miami,” but that until there was an agreement between the various agency “the project could not prosper.”