Real Madrid strongly oppose the Villarreal–Barcelona match in Miami

Real Madrid CF has released an official statement voicing its outright opposition to the proposal to stage the Matchday 17 Spanish LaLiga clash between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona in Miami.

Lack of Consultation and Violation of League Principles

According to the club, the measure was “promoted without prior information or consultation” with the competition’s participating teams. Real Madrid stressed that it violates the core principle of territorial reciprocity in double-round league formats, where each side plays one match at home and one away.

Claims of Competitive Imbalance

The statement argues that moving the game outside Spain would “alter the competitive balance” and hand “an undue sporting advantage” to the clubs requesting the change.

Concerns Over Sporting Integrity

Real Madrid warned that “the integrity of the competition demands that all matches be held under the same conditions.” They cautioned that unilaterally changing the format would “break equality between contenders, compromise the legitimacy of results, and set an unacceptable precedent” influenced by non-sporting interests.

Call for Unanimous Agreement

The club concluded that any such modification must have “the express and unanimous agreement” of all participating teams and comply strictly with both national and international competition regulations.

Real Madrid explains that it has "already carried out three specific actions":

1. Request that FIFA, as the guarantor of international football rules, not authorize the match without the prior consent of all clubs participating in the competition.

2. Request to UEFA, as guarantor of the integrity of European competitions and regulatory coherence with FIFA, to urge the RFEF to withdraw or deny the request, reaffirming the criteria established in 2018 that prevents official matches in domestic competitions from being played outside of national territory, except in duly justified exceptional circumstances, which do not apply here.

3. Request to the Higher Sports Council not to grant the necessary administrative authorization without such unanimous consent.

"Real Madrid reaffirms its commitment to respecting the national and international rules that guarantee the fairness and proper functioning of official competitions, and will defend their compliance before all competent bodies," concludes the Real Madrid statement.