Bundesliga president Christian Seifert has ruled out the potential of clubs staging matches abroad, in light of La Liga’s recent decision to do so.
The comments from Seifert come after La Liga announced they will be playing some competitive fixtures in the United States this season, with Barcelona’s match against Girona in January reportedly set to be the first, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
La Liga’s decision has led to the Spanish Players’ Association threatening to strike, although that threat was made before this fixture was confirmed as the first one to be played abroad.
In light of the announcement, Seifert was quoted as saying by ESPN (via Football Espana) that a game abroad isn’t something the Bundesliga will be considering.
He said: “We will never play a league game outside Germany, that’s a line we will not cross.
“In my opinion, it would be a lack of respect of the fans and the players to take an official championship match abroad when it involves points that will ultimately decide on promotion, relegation or participation in international competition.”
The Girona vs Barcelona announcement is also said to have sparked anger among Blanquivermell fans, who are a fellow Catalonian team and will now have to travel across the world to watch a home match.
However, according to Catalan outlet Sport, Girona season tickets holders can seek a refund of around 40 per cent if they do not wish to travel to the match, while 1,500 free flights are available for those who do wish to go.
The club are also offering 5,000 free tickets to the reverse fixture at Camp Nou to help appease fans and are expected to make close to €4 million from the game.
The post ‘It is a line we will not cross’ – Bundesliga president rules out following La Liga abroad appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2wIl2K3
No comments:
Post a Comment