Real Madrid issued a strongly worded statement opposing the decision to host a LALIGA match outside of Spain. This is a fixture revolving around Villarreal and FC Barcelona’s clash on 21st December 2025 in the 2025/26 LALIGA season. Spanish football fans and all team captains share Real Madrid’s concerns.

This is a dream come true for the league’s president, Javier Tebas, who always wanted to bring Spanish football to a global audience. Hosting on foreign soil is a significant step forward, but the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) still needs authorisation from FIFA and UEFA before the match can go ahead. Why would Real Madrid be so against this idea? 

Why is this an issue for Real Madrid?

The match is a LALIGA event between Villarreal and FC Barcelona, two of the top contenders in Spanish football. That means it’s a fan-favourite matchup that the league is offering to showcase abroad, not to their dedicated local fans. 

Additionally, playing a LALIGA match outside of Spain contradicts the tradition of hosting domestic league matches on home soil. This would also mean that both sides play on neutral ground, rather than Villarreal hosting the event at Estadi de la Ceràmica. 

Other parties opposed to the LALIGA showcase abroad

Real Madrid isn’t the only one opposing this idea. The Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) released a statement opposing the Miami-scheduled fixture as well. According to their statement, executives made the decision without consulting the rest of LALIGA. 

‘We want respect and transparency�?is a key statement highlighted. This statement is co-signed by all 20 team captains in the First Division, including Marc-André ter Stegen. Barcelona management was reportedly unhappy with their team captain’s stance, as the Miami showcase aligns with the club’s interests. 

Villarreal and FC Barcelona support the decision

The idea of playing a Barcelona game in Miami wasn’t a new concept that came out of nowhere. It was a continued endeavour for over seven years, which wasn’t successful until this season. With the proposal approved, the RFEF is now seeking FIFA and UEFA’s authorisation to hold the match at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

Villarreal club president Fernando Roig acknowledged inevitable inconveniences, but will do their best to compensate. However, it’s a fantastic opportunity for the club. Villarreal offered to compensate 19,500 season-ticket holders for their travel to Miami to watch the match live. If they cannot attend or choose not to, they will receive a 20% discount on their season ticket.

Spain isn’t the only country with this idea. It was a race with Italy, which wanted to host a Serie A game in Australia. This is also happening in 2026 at Perth between AC Milan and Como. This means Spain is the first country to successfully host a major football competition abroad, giving LALIGA a huge lead over other leagues. 

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Inter Milan had a chance to go to the top of Serie A but missed it after losing 1-0 to Juventus on February 16, 2025 (Sunday). The decisive goal came in the 74th minute when Francisco Conceição scored following a pass from Randal Kolo Muani.

Inter could have leapfrogged into first place after Napoli's 2-2 draw with Lazio on Saturday, but they failed to take advantage. Now, Inter is two points behind Napoli in the standings with 54 points from 25 games, while Juventus has 46 points and is in fourth place.

Inter had some good chances to score early in the game. Mehdi Taremi had a bicycle kick saved, and Denzel Dumfries missed a shot that went over the bar. Juventus also had their chances, with Nicolás Gonzalez forcing two big saves from Inter’s goalkeeper Yann Sommer. 

Both teams continued attacking, but it was Juventus who broke the deadlock, scoring the only goal of the match. 

The racist chants halt the game

In Spain, a LALIGA match between Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol was interrupted after Iñaki Williams reported that his teammate, Maroan Sannadi, was being racially abused by Espanyol fans. Williams told the referee about the incident in the first half, and the game was paused for three minutes while officials discussed the matter. 

The referee warned that the game would stop if the abuse continued. After the pause, the match resumed, but the players and fans were shaken by the incident.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw. Espanyol took the lead in the 62 minutes when Roberto Fernández scored, but Athletic Bilbao came back to equalise in the 77 minutes through Oihan Sancet. Both teams strongly condemned the racist abuse after the match, showing that such behaviour has no place in football.

Como and Roma earn key wins

In other football news, Assane Diao, a 19-year-old forward for Como, continued his strong form by scoring in his team’s 2-0 victory over Fiorentina. Diao’s goal came after a fast payback when he ran past Fiorentina’s defence and found the back of the net. 

The win moves Como five points clear of the relegation zone, boosting their chances of staying in Serie A. Diao has scored four goals in just seven matches for Como since joining the team from Real Betis last month.

Roma also managed to win 1-0 at Parma despite missing their star player, Paulo Dybala, who was injured. The match changed in the 29th minute when Parma’s Giovanni Leoni fouled Roma’s Matías Soulé. 

The referee initially gave Roma a penalty, but after checking the video, the decision was changed to a free-kick outside the box, and Leoni was sent off. 

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