NEW YORK: La Liga plans to make an international soccer match an annual event after announcing Barcelona and Villarreal will play outside Miami on Dec. 20, Spanish league president Javier Tebas said during an interview with The Associated Press.
Becoming the first major European league to move a competitive match abroad, La Liga is following the model of the NFL, which has played in London since 2007, and this season also has games in Berlin, Dublin, Madrid and Sao Paulo.
“The idea is to follow a similar model but with one difference: We will only play one match abroad,” Tebas said of future schedules. “So I strongly believe that what they are doing is something very positive for the competition. They are letting people all over the world to know the competition, to engage with the competition.”
The soccer match will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. La Liga intends to announce future international games with longer lead times. It usually releases its schedule around the start of July.
“It’s a strategy that will help to increase revenues in the mid- to long-term, because we will increase the value of our partners, our sponsors. We will increase the value of audiovisual rights with our broadcasters,” he said.
“Hopefully we will increase the interest, the engagement of the audience in other countries as we are expecting to bring this one game every year to different countries around the world.”
Italy’s Serie A is planning to move a Feb. 8 match between Milan and Como from San Siro to Perth, Australia, because the Italian stadium won’t be available after hosting the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics two days earlier.
Tebas said the experience of playing in an NFL stadium with many food and beverage options and gathering areas could spark improvements in Spain. Real Madrid renovated Estadio Santiago Bernabéu and Osasuna revamped El Sadar.
Construction is ongoing at Barcelona’s Camp Nou, Betis’ Estadio Benito Villamarín and Getafe’s Estadio Coliseum, and Valencia has long-delayed plans for a Nou Mestalla.
“The objective is to increase the match day experience more than the two hours,” Tebas said. “The clubs are already working toward that objective.”
CONCACAF, soccer’s governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean, said Thursday it must approve the match and “will conduct a thorough review of the application, including consulting key regional and global stakeholders.”
Tebas said CONCACAF cannot block the game because of last year’s settlement that dropped FIFA from a lawsuit by the promoter Relevent, which like Hard Rock Stadium and the Dolphins is owned by Stephen Ross.
“There is already a positive resolution in court that Relevent achieved against FIFA and that goes as well to CONCACAF in the US, so they can’t really go against that court resolution,” he said.
Tebas said Barcelona and Villarreal would play any Copa del Rey round of 32 matches on Dec. 16, then fly immediately after their games and arrive in Florida early on Wednesday ahead of the Saturday game.
Tebas said La Liga has chartered planes to bring to Florida what it estimates will be 2,000 to 3,000 fans from Villarreal, which is the home team. Relevent said a presale of tickets will start Oct. 21 and general sale the next day.
Spain’s La Liga plans to make its international match an annual event
https://arab.news/wkz9k
Spain’s La Liga plans to make its international match an annual event
- “The idea is to follow a similar model but with one difference: We will only play one match abroad,” Tebas said
- “It’s a strategy that will help to increase revenues in the mid- to long-term, because we will increase the value of our partners, our sponsors
‘Proud’ Saudi fighters Basahel and Albrahim bask in PFL MENA wins
- Duo spoke after victories at the Dhahran Expo in Alkhobar
- In the main event Mohammad Alaqraa defeated Badreddine Diani to become PFL MENA welterweight champion
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia fighters Malik Basahel and Ahmed Albrahim have revealed their delight at winning their showcase bouts at “PFL MENA Finals: All or Nothing” at the Dhahran Expo in Alkhobar.
The night also saw four new PFL MENA champions crowned as this year’s season ended.
“Thank God for everything,” Basahel (3-0) told said after his flyweight showcase win over Mahmoud Atef (5-4, 1 NC) by TKO at 3 minutes, 13 seconds of round one.
“Of course, I’m proud of this performance. On record, my opponent has a stronger record. But glory to God, I got the win. My hard work paid off, and what’s coming will be even better, God willing.
“The MMA scene in the Kingdom, especially in Dhahran, is developing and God willing, we’ll see more and more fighters.”
“For sure, the sport is developing, you can see it,” he added. “There are many fighters coming up, even in the amateur divisions. The national team too, Masha Allah, is truly one of the strongest in the world, not just in the Arab region but worldwide.
“Our young athletes, ages 15 to 18 are incredibly talented. Every year, the level keeps improving. PFL is coming here and Insha Allah there will be more opportunities. Thank God, we have many great things happening and a lot of progress.”
Meanwhile, Albrahim (AM 4-1) defeated Mohamed Nabil (AM 2-1) by TKO at 2:45 of round two in their amateur welterweight showcase bout.
“The Eastern Province has always been known for sports in general,” the Saudi fighter said.
“Many athletes have come from there across various fields; football, bodybuilding, and many other sports. The Eastern Province has always been a treasure when it comes to sporting talent.”
“The technique and the talent have been there for a long time, but the media never really highlighted it properly,” Abraham added.
“But as you can see now, the media has started to shed more light on it, and fighters are beginning to emerge. And honestly, there are many people better than me, many talents.
“But once the media shines a light, people finally see it. The Eastern Province is full of fighters, full of gifted athletes, and you will see more coming very soon, God willing.”
Abraham dedicated his win to his parents and brothers. “They have always encouraged me,” he said.
“My father was the first to say, ‘people will wonder how he will come back,’ but that actually motivated me. They kept supporting me while I was training.
“I hope they can see this video, and I dedicate this victory to them. I didn’t make this decision to join PFL until I was fully ready. I entered this fight with a professional mindset. We are ready — Saudi always shows up ready.”
In the main event, Kuwait’s Mohammad Alaqraa (10-1) edged out Morocco’s Badreddine “Dreamchaser” Diani (10-4) by unanimous decision after five hard-fought rounds to win the PFL MENA welterweight championship.
In the co-main event, Morocco’s Salah Eddine “Supersalah” Hamli (11-0) kept his undefeated record intact as he submitted Iraq’s Mohammad “Soulkeeper” Fahmi (6-1) in the second round to become the new PFL MENA lightweight champion.
Also, Islam “The Egyptian Zombie” Reda (15-1) scored a second-round submission victory over Algeria’s Yanis “The Desert Warrior” Ghemmouri (13-4) to become the PFL MENA featherweight champion.
In addition, Jordan’s Nawras “Honey Badger” Abzakh (15-6, 1 NC) needed just 36 seconds to submit Islam “Moksha” Youssef (7-3) of Egypt and capture the PFL MENA bantamweight championship.
