Serie A Stakes Its Global Play: Why Calcio Backs Australia Over Spain’s Miami Dream

Italian Serie A Defends its Overseas Branding Plan

Milan is determined to promote its brand in Australia, and the Italian league aims to host Milan versus Como there, even as La Liga cancelled the Villarreal versus Barcelona game in Miami according to an Italian press report.

The Spanish league had announced the December match would not take place after a wave of club and fan protests, including pauses in matches as a form of demonstration against foreign fixtures.

Nonetheless Tuttomercato indicated that the situation in Italy is different and that the likelihood of a repeat of Spain change is very low.

The Italian players union does not plan protests at the moment, focusing on preventing such experiments in the future rather than opposing this particular match.

The other difference concerns backers with La Liga leading the Miami project while Milan pushes for Australia for marketing reasons to grow the clubs brand in the Australian market rather than relying solely on a modest revenue estimate of 8 to 9 million euros.

The Milan versus Como match is slated for February in Australia, while the planned Villarreal versus Barcelona in Miami was set for December 21 before being moved back to La Ceramica.

Why Villarreal vs Barcelona Was Cancelled

According to the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the event organizer Relivent withdrew citing the uncertain environment in Spain in recent weeks.

The decision came hours after Real Madrid submitted a second letter to the Spanish Sports Council opposing hosting the match in the United States, a stance the club had previously voiced in August.

UEFA had reluctantly granted approval to the event, but subsequent developments led to a final cancellation.

La Liga stated that stepping back from the project was a strong blow to its global expansion plan while maintaining that the match would have complied with regulatory rules and not harmed the integrity of the competition.

The opposition extended beyond Real Madrid, with even the Spanish players union voicing concerns after protests in the league’s prior round.

This tense climate fostered broad resistance to official international fixtures, even though FIFA had given tentative approval in May 2024 for overseas league games.

Background on Earlier Overseas Experiments

The overseas match concept is not new. The first attempt in 2018 involved Relivent planning Girona versus Barcelona in Miami but FIFA blocked it at the time. Later efforts included Villarreal versus Atlético Madrid in 2019-2020 and Barcelona versus Atlético Madrid in 2023-2024, all failing to materialize.

La Liga president Javier Tebas was close to achieving the dream, awaiting CONCACAF approval for the match. The plan envisaged a month of commercial events in Miami spanning over 4000 square meters, but Relivent withdrew, and UEFA described their 6 October stance as offering conditional support to future international fixtures while prioritizing the integrity of national leagues.

Reactions in Spain

In its full statement, La Liga said that after talks with the organizer they were informed of the cancellation and lamented that the project, which could have internationalized Spanish football, would not proceed.

The league argued that hosting a formal match abroad would have been a pivotal step in expanding the international footprint of its clubs and players, and enhancing the brand of Spanish football in strategic markets like the United States.

La Liga added that the project would have provided 5 to 6 million euros in revenue for both Barcelona and Villarreal, and that the rejection reduces opportunities to develop resources compared with the major European leagues.

Valencia officials were reportedly frustrated with the league's handling, with radio Cadena COPE reporting that leadership viewed the process as poorly organized. Valencia coach Marcelino Garcia Toral criticized releasing a statement while his team was in competition, and club president Fernando Roig appeared visibly upset after the match, underscoring the level of frustration within the club following the Miami plan collapse.

As the debate continues, the future of overseas league games remains uncertain, with stakeholders weighing branding ambitions against the core priorities of the domestic competitions.