Citing "the uncertainty that has arisen in Spain over the past few weeks," LaLiga announced Tuesday it is scrapping plans to hold a league match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami this December.
UEFA, the governing body for European soccer, approved the match's move to the United States two weeks ago but did so "reluctantly," saying it found no framework within FIFA statutes to oppose the move.
Then came player protests: LaLiga players stood still for the first 15 seconds of their games over the weekend in a coordinated response by the Spanish Footballers' Association to the league's "lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence."
"LaLiga deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the international expansion of Spanish soccer,