Barcelona CEO Oscar Grau has not ruled out the club playing La Liga games in China.
Already this season, the possibility of La Liga games taking place in the Unites States has been explored, though the plan has come under high-profile opposition and is currently in doubt.
Is La Liga going abroad? Four key things to know…
- In August 2018, La Liga announced a 15-year deal to guarantee at least one league match per season to take place in the United States or Canada.
- Barcelona’s away match against Girona is currently planned to be the first game of the deal, scheduled for Miami on January 26.
- The deal has been opposed by the likes of Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who denied La Liga a permit for the game to go ahead in Miami, though it is still to be officially refused.
- But despite the US deal currently being in doubt, Oscar Grau is already eyeing up other ventures for La Liga, with China on his mind.
The planned game between Girona and Barcelona got the green light from both clubs as well as La Liga to take place in Miami next year.
And, speaking to the South China Morning Post, as reported by Football Espana, Barcelona CEO Grau has confirmed the club would be open to playing league games in other countries too.
He said: “Playing in Miami? I think this year will be difficult. If we have more time…if the opportunity for one match in the US then why not in China in the future?
“Since the beginning Barcelona supported this project. It’s good for the brand of La Liga, for the brand of Barca. We can reach more fans, for potential sponsors, for the potential TV rights.
“It’s just one match from 380. We can accept it. But since the first minute, we say, we need to do it in harmony. We need all the stakeholders to agree on the proposal.”
Grau also spoke of the change in kick-off times in La Liga proving the league are looking to expand their viewership globally, to ensure they can appeal to new territories.
“La Liga put the hour of the matches, that’s why we play earlier at 1pm in Madrid,” he added.
“It never happened before in Spain but we are thinking globally. New markets, new territories, we have to adapt.
“It’s not a problem for us the change of hours. It’s just a habit. We prefer we have a good audience.”
Barcelona are currently second in La Liga, one point behind leaders Sevilla, after a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid at the weekend.
What has gone wrong with La Liga’s American dream?
At the start of the season, when La Liga announced their new deal with North America, things looked positive for taking the Spanish game abroad.
But, despite Barcelona vs Girona looking certain to be the first La Liga game played outside Spain, with a date and stadium confirmed in Miami, the objections started to surface.
First came from Real Madrid, via a leaked letter reportedly signed by Real Madrid’s general manager, Jose Angel Sanchez Perianez.
The letter read: “First of all we would like to declare that Real Madrid were never informed that La Liga had requested to play the game nor of the intention to make the request, and we were never asked our opinion on it.
“Nor, obviously, did La Liga obtain Real Madrid’s agreement, despite the fact that this game affects a competition in which we participate.
“We cannot forget that the national league is a competition in which 20 teams participate, not two, and that it is fundamental that every team plays each other twice, home and away and at each stadium, as that guarantees the integrity and the equality of the competition.
And, not long after, Fifa president Infantino announced his opposition to the deal, adding: “I’m strongly opposed to this and I deny any permit to play the Girona against Barca game in Miami.
“Official games of a league must be played inside the constituency country, the Council is very clear on this.”
The post Barcelona chief open to playing future La Liga games in China appeared first on Squawka News.
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