The world of Spanish football was stunned on Tuesday night to hear of the news that the Miami match between Villarreal and Barcelona has been cancelled.
Relevant, the sponsoring company organising the match, and LaLiga both released statements expressing their disappointment at the need to cancel, citing the “uncertainty generated in Spain”. It seems apparent that the AFE protests from last weekend certainly had a timely effect.
In this additional bonus podcast, we bring you all the news, reaction and fallout. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) convenes Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG), Ben Sully (@SullyBen), Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) and Louis Scattergood (@louiscxtt) to analyse the situation and answer the myriad questions this dramatic day has raised.
How embarrassing is this for Javier Tebas? Should he resign? Is the Miami plan now dead in the water?
What about Barcelona and Joan Laporta, who was so confident and bullish only hours earlier on Tuesday? Román gives his perspective.
As for Villarreal, they are furious about the decision and the way they feel sidelined from the process. The news broke during their Champions League match with Manchester City, leaving CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles to make a hasty exit from the Directors’ box. Louis offers his take on the situation as a whole and the Villarreal angle.
For more, read Christian Poulsen's piece below, available to paid subscribers:
LaLiga’s Miami dream collapses as Villarreal–Barcelona returns home
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