Madrid (AFP) – Players will have the final say on whether a La Liga fixture between Girona and Barcelona will be staged in the United States, the Spanish players´ association (AFE) said on Monday.
Moving the match to the US was formally proposed by La Liga during a meeting in Madrid with AFE, the body that represents footballers in Spain.
AFE released a statement, which said: “The players, through AFE, will be the ones who make a final decision on the match to be played in the United States.”
It also confirmed that La Liga had proposed “Girona v Barcelona as the match which is played in the United States in the month of January 2019”.
The fixture is scheduled for January 27 and was originally listed as a home game for Girona, at their Estadi Montilivi.
La Liga, however, is discussing playing one game per season in the US as part of a 15-year agreement struck with the media company Relevent.
After consulting with players in August, AFE president David Aganzo had said they were “outraged” and “unanimous” in their opposition to the idea. He also refused to rule out the possibility of strike action.
AFE said on Monday it had “conveyed the discomfort of the players due to a lack of information about the agreement to play a league match in the United States.”
La Liga has agreed to provide a “descriptive report” on the project, which AFE will pass on to the players.
Javier Tebas, La Liga´s president, told Spanish radio station Onda Cero on Friday that “Girona against Barcelona will 90 per cent be played in the United States”.
Tebas also said only clubs that volunteer to play abroad will do so and that ticket holders would be offered free flights to attend.
The offer has been accepted by Girona, who said in a statement last week: “It is a great opportunity to expand and grow, not only for the club but also for our city and our territory.”
Barcelona vice-captain Sergio Busquets, however, was among those attending the meeting in August with AFE, when players voiced their opposition to the idea.
The Spanish Football Federation is also against the proposal.
