Relevent, the promoters behind the Villarreal-Barcelona match in Miami, have stated they requested a postponement, not a cancellation as announced by La Liga.
Relevent, the company promoting the La Liga match between Villarreal and Barcelona scheduled to be played in Miami, announced in a statement that they suggested “postponing” the match rather than cancelling it, claiming they did not have enough time to organise it properly.
“Relevent has informed La Liga of the need to postpone the planned match between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona in Miami on 20th December,” the promoter said in a statement reported by US outlet ‘The Athletic’.
In the statement, the company mentioned that “the current uncertainty in Spain” did not grant them enough time to organise the match and asserted that it would have been “irresponsible” to begin selling tickets without confirmation that the match would go ahead.
La Liga, however, stated in a statement on Tuesday that, after speaking with Relevent, they decided to cancel the match in Miami.
The pre-sale of tickets for the match between Villarreal and FC Barcelona was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, but was ultimately postponed. The sale of the remaining tickets would have begun this Wednesday. The Hard Rock Stadium website dedicated to the match was inaccessible this Wednesday.
‘EFE’ attempted to contact CONCACAF, the confederation where the match was to be played, but received no response.
Relevent is a sports and media company responsible for organising football events in Miami, such as the Premier League Summer Series in the summer, and was founded by Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. The Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium was to be the venue for the match between Villarreal and Barcelona corresponding to the 17th matchday of La Liga.