Real Madrid or Barcelona could play a game of the Spanish League in the United States, even in this season that is about to begin.
The League reported on Thursday that it plans to hold a regular campaign meeting in the United States as part of a recent 15-year partnership established with Relevent, a group that organizes shows and sporting events, in order to promote football in this country. .
The group operates the International Champions Cup, a series of friendly matches in which several European clubs participate. It promotes these meetings as the biggest club tournament in the world during the summer recess in the main leagues.
A year ago, one of those meetings was nothing less than the classic between Barcelona and Real Madrid, held in Miami.
The League gave few details about which match will be held in the United States. The goal is for teams that can properly represent the quality of Spanish football to participate, but the president of the League, Javier Tebas, already ruled out the possibility that the classic of the regular season between Real Madrid and Barcelona could be held outside of Spain.
According to the League, steps are still being taken to carry out the comparison, and there is no timetable to carry it out. However, he considered that it could be held in this same season.
Nor has it been defined exactly which clubs would participate.
The Association of Spanish Footballers did not take long to express their protest by indicating that the League did not consult with the players.
"The player is not a currency that can be used in businesses that only benefit third parties," said association president David Aganzo in a statement.
For some years, the Spanish League has sought its international expansion, with the hope of continuing to grow. Simultaneously, it seeks to reduce the financial gap that separates it from the powerful English Premier League.
Last year, Thebes also spoke about the possibility that the League held a regular season match in China. Just a few days ago, the match of the Spanish Supercup took place in Tangier, Morocco.
It was the first time in history that this match was held outside of Spain.
A match as planned in the United States would be the first regular season of the League to be played outside of Europe.
"The union with Relevent to create the North America League is a milestone in our strategy of international expansion," said Óscar Mayo, director of international development of the League, in a statement. "This agreement guarantees not only a bright future for football in North America, but also for the League and our clubs."
The joint venture gives La Liga North America, newly created, an exclusive representation of Spanish football in the United States and Canada for sports and business activities.
The League reported that "the operation will support growth in the United States and Canada through consumer-related activities, including the creation of academies for youth, development of lower-level football coaches, marketing agreements, fan activation, friendly matches and plans for an official match of La Liga Santander to be played in the United States. "
A decade ago, the English Premier League tried to incorporate an additional date, which would be played abroad. Plans for each team to play a 39th game outside of England were abandoned in the face of opposition from FIFA and fan groups.
The Premier League is better known than the Spanish one in the United States because one match a week is usually broadcast live on NBC. Other content of the Premier is disseminated in different cable channels of the company, as part of an agreement for six years and around 1,000 million dollars.
Since 2012, the Spanish league has been in BeIN Sports, received by less than a quarter of homes with English television in the United States, even before that channel was excluded by Comcast Xfinity and Verizon Fios cable services.
But the Spanish League seeks to expand its reach to the United States through the partnership with Relevent. The company was founded by Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins, who considered partnership with the League to be "the next giant step in increasing the popularity of football in North America."
"This unique relationship will create new opportunities for millions of North American fans to experience the most exciting, exciting and highest level of football in the world," he said.
The League considered that the agreement is "a turning point for football in the United States and Canada," because it comes before the World Cup in 2026 to be held in these two countries and in Mexico.