Real Madrid have filed a formal complaint against La Liga and the Spanish Federation’s decision to host December’s meeting between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, a report has revealed.
The ruling has proven incredibly controversial across the top flight and Spain’s Footballers’ Association (AFE) recently organized a protest which saw teams across the division refuse to play for the first 15 seconds of their matches this weekend—including Barcelona themselves.
According to , Madrid have now ramped up their outcry with a formal report to Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD), the government branch responsible for all the country’s sport and the same department that overruled La Liga’s decision not to hand Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo a new license to continue playing last January.
Madrid are said to have described the decision to play the fixture in Miami as “corruption of the competition,” and their letter has sparked the CSD into action as the group has requested all of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)’s documentation on the decision to move the game overseas.
In response, the RFEF has requested a copy of Madrid’s complaint in order to provide a specific reply.
Central to the issue is the fact that Barcelona, Madrid’s well-known rivals, will not have to play an away game at the home of another team, while Villarreal will also not benefit from the home environment usually present at Estadio de la Cerámica. The concept of taking a domestic match overseas for what are largely financial reasons has also upset many in Spanish football.
