The corridors of Spanish football are tense as club chiefs clash with La Liga leadership, joined by Villarreal and Barcelona, over the so-called 'Miami Plan'.
Both La Liga, Villarreal, and Barcelona skipped the meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the controversial project, a move players described as a deliberate snub.
According to AS, the aim of the meeting was to clarify the project's details for players, but the league and the clubs involved did not attend and attempted to postpone the session to dates that clashed with matches or training, a move seen by club leaders as an attempt to derail discussion and keep them away.
La Liga club chiefs demand precise information before agreeing to the 'Miami Plan', especially on how their rights guaranteed in the agreement with the league are protected, how revenue will be distributed, and the number and timing of matches to be played outside Spain.
So far, players say the league remains opaque and has offered insufficient transparency.
The Spanish Players' Association sent invitations to Villarreal and Barcelona presidents, as supporters of the initiative alongside Relivent, and to Javier Tebas, head of La Liga; none attended.
AS noted that La Liga justified the absence with scheduling issues, promising to sit with players soon to settle the file, while club leaders argued that the excuses were flimsy and described the stance as arrogant.
Barcelona initially agreed to participate before reversing course; Villarreal said it had not received the invitation even though it had been sent on Friday, according to the newspaper.
Sources told AS that the clubs adopted the same stance as the league, trying to delay the meeting without convincing explanations, which fueled leaders' anger after months of perceived opacity; some players even asked at the last moment whether they should travel to Madrid for the talks.
As Tuesday's proceedings grew more tangled, La Liga and the Spanish Players' Association exchanged messages that did not carry the information demanded by players.
The Spanish Players' Association clarified that talk of a 2018 agreement about a Miami game is inaccurate, noting that the plan back then contemplated a possible match in the United Arab Emirates rather than the United States.
Even with the absence of La Liga and the clubs, the Spanish Players' Association used the occasion to turn the meeting into an internal gathering of club leaders, where next steps were discussed; players voiced deep frustration with the league's handling of the file, arguing that players — the league's backbone — are being ignored in a matter that directly affects them.
Miami Plan
Spain's football landscape has seen major shifts in how the league is run, as the league seeks to expand its global reach through ambitious marketing ideas. Among the most notable is the 'Miami Plan', which proposes hosting some official matches outside Spain, specifically in the United States. It was first floated in 2018 but met with opposition from the Spanish federation and FIFA before re-emerging recently.
Although La Liga has repeatedly stressed that the project would maximize club revenues and raise the league's global profile, club chiefs and most players have voiced concerns about potential rights violations or adverse effects on the league's sporting and organizational aspects.
The worries stem from a lack of clarity about how revenues from overseas matches would be distributed, and fears that clubs could lose a portion of ticket and local advertising income to external activities from which not all would benefit.
On the other hand, players fear fatigue from long-distance travel amid a congested season, alongside commitments at continental and international levels, and they dislike not being part of decisions that affect their professional and sporting futures. These concerns have grown as the league's willingness to engage directly with players' representatives in recent Miami Plan discussions has appeared limited.
Past experiences in other European leagues suggest that overseas official matches are not easy and require consensus among unions, clubs, players, and fans. Full transparency about aims, benefits, and risks, along with respect for local and international laws and the competition's traditional values, is essential.
In light of this, tensions persist between club chiefs and La Liga, with leaders arguing that transparency and proper communication are key to resolving issues arising from marketing ambitions, while the league maintains that its steps are necessary to preserve the competition's competitiveness amid rapid global shifts in football markets.
Punchline time: If Miami can host matches, maybe my weekend plans can take a vacation too. Just don’t tell my fantasy team that the real team is taking the plane instead of the bus.
Punchline two: In football diplomacy, the only thing traveling more than the ball is the excuses—and even they deserve frequent-flyer miles.
