The US promoters in charge of the clash between Villarreal and Barcelona in December has decided to 'suspend' the event after pressure from several stakeholders, including the Spanish PFA. The match will now be staged at La Ceramica.
In response, after the decision was confirmed, Tebas released a public statement, blasting those who worked against the game:
A LOST OPPORTUNITY FOR SPANISH FOOTBALL.
"Today Spanish football has lost an opportunity to advance, project itself to the world and strengthen its future.
"The defense of 'tradition' is invoked from a closed and provincial vision, while the true traditions of European football are threatened by decisions of the institutions that govern it, which year after year destroy the national leagues, the true driving force of the football industry. football in Europe, in the face of the naivety and passivity of European rulers who do not know how to distinguish the inconsequential from the essential.
"The 'integrity of the competition' is appealed to by those who have been questioning that same integrity for years, putting pressure on referees, rulers, constructing distorted stories or using political and media pressure as a sporting tool. And others, perhaps without knowing it and in good faith, have been dragged into debates about information that was already addressed in 2018, where that supposed 'information' –that they had then and now too– was just an excuse to end the project.
"I want to thank Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona for their commitment and generosity in being part of a project that only sought the growth of our competition. They didn't think about them, they thought about everyone.
"The League will continue working, with rigor and conviction, so that Spanish football remains competitive, standing up to those who seek to destroy it, but always respecting its roots and ensuring its sustainability.
"Spanish football deserves to look to the future with ambition, not fear. We will keep trying. This time, we were very close."