FIFA president Gianni Infantino has cast doubt over La Liga plans to play matches in the United States with a statement.
The Spanish league wants to play the scheduled match between Girona and Barcelona in late January in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, while the two clubs have also given their approval.
“I think I would prefer to see a great MLS game in the U.S. rather than La Liga being in the U.S.,” read an Infantino statement provided by FIFA to ESPN.
“In football, the general principle is that you play a ‘home’ match at ‘home’, and not in a foreign country.”
La Liga needs to gain approval from FIFA, UEFA, CONCACAF and the United States FA, with FIFA indicating they had not yet been approached over the match.
La Liga president Javier Tebas subsequently wrote on Twitter: “I will remind the president of FIFA that in the MLS three teams from Canada play and Toronto FC are the current champions, and in Canada there is a professional league.”
