Spanish soccer is about to experience an unprecedented episode. LaLiga wants the Villarreal-FC Barcelona match to be played in Miami instead of on national territory. This decision has caused as much anticipation as controversy.
LaLiga is looking to make its way in the United States and considers Florida, especially Miami, to be strategic territories to relaunch the business.
The location is no coincidence. This is the city where Lionel Messi is an absolute icon. Where soccer fans feel a special fondness for Barça, which has always been identified as the Argentine's team.
For the organization, it's the perfect setting: a market to conquer and a fan base ready to throw themselves into the spectacle.
Florentino Pérez's wound
Florentino Pérez doesn't share the enthusiasm. The Real Madrid president feels ignored by the decision. More than with the match itself, his anger has to do with the fact that the white club has been excluded from the operation.
The top Madridist leader doesn't tolerate being relegated to the background and believes Madrid has been deprived of leading a strategic move with high economic value.
The background is clear: there's money at stake and international prestige. Real Madrid is the great brand of world soccer and, in Florentino's view, any move by LaLiga toward the United States should've included it as the protagonist. Seeing Barça take that place is painful for him.
This isn't a matter of looking out for the competition, but of jealousy. If Real Madrid isn't the pioneer, Florentino doesn't want anything to do with it.
In addition, Barça's image will be strengthened in the North American market, and the Madridist president can't tolerate that.
The break with Javier Tebas
The rift with Javier Tebas partly explains what happened. Relations between the LaLiga president and Florentino are practically nonexistent, marked by disagreements and open battles in the offices. Madrid has led the opposition to many of Tebas's initiatives, and this move toward Miami seems like one more step in that confrontation.
The white president interprets that he has been deliberately sidelined. This isn't the first time he has accused Tebas of maneuvering against Real Madrid's interests. But this time the blow has hurt especially.
The possibility of opening the market in the United States with Barça as the standard-bearer is seen as a symbolic and strategic defeat.
The noise from Aganzo and AFE
Amid the controversy, David Aganzo, president of the Spanish Footballers' Association, has raised his voice against the lack of transparency. His criticism comes late and generates even more debate.
At Barça, they haven't forgotten that Tebas tried to send Dani Olmo to unemployment despite having a valid contract. Back then, Aganzo didn't lift a finger in defense of the footballer.
The truth is that the match in Miami will mark a turning point. Barça will have the opportunity to strengthen its international image in a unique setting. Real Madrid, meanwhile, watches from the outside, hurt and resentful for having lost a battle it considers its own.