Barcelona spokesman Josep Vives has reiterated the club’s full support for La Liga’s plans to stage games in the United States.
There have been proposals to make Barca’s trip to Girona in late January the first Spanish league match to be played abroad, despite the Spanish FA and FIFA casting doubt upon these plans.
“The players understand the club's position,” Vives told reporters, as cited by ESPN FC.
“They understand the club's vocation. They're aware of not just Barca's needs, but of La Liga's, too, to fulfil this fixture.
“We don't just play in Camp Nou anymore, or in the Santiago Bernabeu, we play around the world. Fans are spread across the globe.
“We believe that contact with the American market, through this game, is important. The players understand that.
“Talking about the AFE, not Barcelona, the players did complain at first, but that was because they weren't informed. As a club, we have sat down with our players and corrected the situation.
“We talked, we gave them details, we argued why this was a good idea. They were annoyed that they weren't given all the information at first, but that stage has passed now thanks to talking and sharing details."
“But what happens now is not in our hands. We are optimistic that it will happen but we want it to happen with the blessing of everyone. Our position is clear.”
Earlier this week, Barca club president Josep Maria Bartomeu jointly-signed a letter requesting the match at Estadi Montilivi be played abroad.
