September 5 – German football will never follow the Spanish idea of playing a top-flight match overseas, says Bundesliga chief executive Christian Seifert (pictured).
Spain’s La Liga has announced its intention to play one league game per year in the United States as part of a 15-year joint venture with global sports marketing company Relevent, the organizers of the International Champions Cup.
According to Spanish publication Sport, the January 27 fixture between champions Barcelona and Catalan rivals Girona has been selected to be the first La Liga game to be played abroad, with Girona being offered 1,500 free flights to Miami for season ticket holders wishing to travel the 7,500km to Florida, around a nine and a half hour flight.
Spain’s players’ union has already stated its opposition to the plans and Seifert says this is “a line we will not cross”.
“We will never play a competitive game outside Germany,” Seifert said on Tuesday at a Football Summit in Frankfurt.
“Playing an official, competitive match abroad, where points are at stake and where relegation or promotion could be decided, would be a huge show of disrespect towards fans and players, I don’t think anything of the idea.”
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