A pretty bad song

BarcelonaWell, Barça will play a league match in Miami. If Villarreal-Barça is being played in Florida, it's basically to make money, plain and simple. Like the Super Cup in Arab lands. The amount of money the Saudis are paying is so outrageous that everyone ends up bowing their heads, because the money reaches every club. And deep down, we all have a price. After the Saudis, now it's Miami's turn.Welcome to Miami.", as Will Smith sang in a pretty bad song, but one that was catchy.

I've always found it funny how people juggle their speeches to justify these decisions. The most ridiculous argument was the Spanish Football Federation's when it said that bringing the Super Cup to Saudi Arabia would help improve democratic conditions there. It was the opposite: the Saudis buy you off with their money, they have the tournament and the image they want, and they boast. In the case of the Miami match, La Liga president Javier Tebas says that fans of the Spanish league in the United States also have the right to watch a live match. I think it's a weak argument. Just Americans? There are also fans in China, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, or, of course, Saudi Arabia. So, we've had as many La Liga matches as possible around the world, right? By the same logic, I, who follow Italian football, have the right to watch Roma-Fiorentina in Barcelona, ​​right? Or a Six Nations rugby match.

When you follow a sport or a tournament, you accept that it's played in a setting with roots. Taking matches abroad uproots them. And it breaks one of La Liga's rules: a level playing field. Two teams will have to make two very long trips that the other 18 clubs won't experience. The Catalans can rightfully say that their team has traveled more miles than Real Madrid. And those from Madrid can say that Barça would save playing in an away stadium, since the Miami fans will be neutral. Or with more Barcelona fans. And that will also be true.

The key to everything is deciding what we're willing to sell. We've sold out the Super Cup, we sell out stadium tickets prioritizing tourists, and now we're selling out La Liga matches. Not everything is fair; limits should be set. And don't forget that clubs, even if they have fans on every continent, represent territorial realities, specific communities, which are always the ones on the losing end. Clubs are making money, but local fans are increasingly struggling to watch their teams.