Courtois Criticizes LaLiga’s Miami Game Plans
Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper for Real Madrid, voiced his concerns on Tuesday regarding the decision to host a regular-season LaLiga match in Miami. He stated that such a move significantly undermines the integrity of the competition.
LaLiga plans to hold a match between Villarreal and Barcelona at Hard Rock Stadium on December 20, with ticket sales expected to commence this week. The proposal was reluctantly approved by UEFA.
This arrangement allows Barcelona, a key rival of Madrid, to play in a neutral location instead of facing Villarreal at their home ground, Estadio La Cerámica.
“Yes, it completely impacts the integrity of the competition,” Courtois remarked during a press conference ahead of Madrid’s Champions League match against Juventus. “It’s easy to compare it to the NBA and NFL games overseas. The NBA has 82 games, and a playoff game alters little in terms of impact.”
He continued, “In the NFL, decisions are made collectively by all the team owners. Unfortunately, in LaLiga, they proceed unilaterally. This disrupts the competitive balance and goes against the players’ agreement. Matches should be played at each team’s home and away ground. In this league, away games are challenging, and Villarreal poses a tough test. All teams should have a fair chance, except in extraordinary circumstances.”
LaLiga has aimed to host a regular-season match in the U.S. for some time, initially trying to arrange a game between Girona and Barcelona in Miami during the 2018-19 season. LaLiga President Javier Tebas has argued that such efforts will boost long-term revenue growth.
Recently, players protested against this initiative by pausing play for 15 seconds at the beginning of each game. The players’ union AFE criticized the lack of “transparency and dialogue” in the decision-making process.
However, many broadcasts failed to capture the protest, switching to outside views of the stadium instead.
“I’m not sure why you’d be surprised,” Courtois commented. “This has been the trend for some time… After the Club World Cup, I mentioned that I had never encountered a league president who communicates like Tebas does. Concealing protests is a form of censorship and manipulation, and that’s concerning.”
Real Madrid is actively opposing the Miami match, appealing to UEFA, the Spanish football federation, and Spain’s Sports Ministry to reject the plans.
“I have addressed these questions several times,” said coach Xabi Alonso on Tuesday. “The club is rightly protecting its interests, and we’ll see how this unfolds.”
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