Real Madrid ‘Launch Formal Protest’ Against Barcelona’s Miami Fixture

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 MARCA, 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.

Dani Carvajal: Players, Clubs Must Fight Corruption

Madrid right back Dani Carvajal took a public stance against the fixture, using the same terms which appear to have been used in the club’s complaint.

“I think it’s clear corruption of the competition, which doesn’t allow all La Liga teams to compete on the same footing,” he told Teledeporte.

“I think it’s essential that we, the players themselves, the clubs, and the league itself, be fair. We have to advocate for fairness, and I don’t think this does it.”

Carvajal is still stuck on the sidelines for Madrid as he continues to battle a muscle injury picked up in September’s 5–2 defeat to Atlético Madrid. There is hope that he will return in time for El Clásico on Sunday, when Barcelona visit the Santiago Bernabéu, but his involvement in the fixture remains in real doubt.