They was once higher than this.
Days earlier than the La Liga season kicked off, an announcement left your complete Spanish soccer neighborhood in disarray. It was to be anticipated, however even nonetheless, that didn’t imply it wasn’t surprising. Javier Tebas, becoming his normal customary procedures character, let or not it’s identified that there was a fixture throughout the upcoming season that may be performed in Miami. Tebas has been adamant that soccer in Spain must grow to be extra like a multinational company and fewer like a soccer tradition. His all-supreme perspective has introduced him issues and enemies with time, however few issues orchestrated by the La Liga chairman have been so terribly obtained as this one.
It not solely breaks with the spirit of the sport and the competitors he presides over, but additionally opens the gate for a whole wrap-up of the league system in a rustic the place soccer has already been dismantled by his ultra-dominating agenda. But, in the event you suppose this advertising and marketing transfer, which takes Spanish soccer proper into the guts of the Latin neighborhood in North American in Miami would occur as a result of Actual Madrid’s insistence, suppose once more.
The membership from Concha Espina might have modified how the nice tremendous golf equipment view the sport over the previous quarter of the century, however on this case, President Florentino Perez determined to place himself on the fitting aspect of issues, and acquired surprising help from nearly each nook of Spanish soccer. It’s Barcelona, the membership that after proudly loaned the headline spot within the centre of their iconic blaugrana shirt to UNICEF, that’s now heading up this new preposterous agenda. Not a lot stays of the Catalan membership that after was, and after all of the noise across the Negreira affair, the monetary levers, the poor remedy of key squad gamers, they now resort to this. Barca was once higher than this.
Think about The Lord of the Rings and suppose La Liga. Two nice wizards are supposed to assist their world reside in prosperity and peace, retaining order and tranquillity whereas reigning supreme of their superior information, supplied by the gods themselves. Then one of many wizards turns astray as he decides to maneuver away from all of that in his thirst for energy, aligning with the kind of villain that has the facility to unite everybody in opposition to them. When the film got here out, on the flip of the millennium, few would think about that may take not more than twenty-five years to see how Barcelona, the membership who used to function heroes for individuals who believed in the fitting causes, to grow to be Spanish soccer’s Saruman, a task on the time everybody would have pitched it to their historic rivals Actual Madrid. However right here they’re, proving everybody who believed they had been Mes que un Membership useless unsuitable.
It hasn’t taken a lot, and what’s worse, it’s not shocking both. Not a lot stays of their golden days. The time after they partnered with UNICEF, or after they took a stance to face up for the Catalan society that wished to vote however was detained by brutal police power. That membership, the best way they performed and the way they behaved, has lengthy since disappeared into oblivion. Even the refurbishment works on the Camp Nou are a visible metaphor of a ruined ethical compass. For greater than a era, they managed to steer nearly everybody that Actual Madrid had been the villains of the narrative of Spanish soccer, they usually remained the bastion of core values. Of all that was good throughout the recreation. Gone is Guardiola. Gone is Messi. Gone is the outdated Camp Nou. Gone is the voice of motive of Johan Cruyff. What stays are ruins, to be explored by archaeologists as in the event that they belonged to an historical civilisation.
Right this moment, Barcelona have come to characterize all the things that’s unsuitable in soccer. You may even choose your lot. It may be the grave accusation of getting such an influential determine of the all the time suspicious world of referees, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, in your payroll for years. Or the suspicious offers made every summer season with corporations that seem not even to be actual or, at the very least, not solvent anyway, which have been endured with the help of the authorities in order that they don’t exit of enterprise.
Picture: The successful workforce throughout right this moment’s coaching session. @FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/cOFRnN26nX
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 19, 2025
The way in which they carried out themselves with the works across the new Camp Nou, which incorporates testimonies of appalling situations for the lots of of employees on web site. If you wish to stretch it out, strive picturing a membership famed for the untouchable behaviour of their gamers, harassing many to go away with out getting paid what they’re due or instantly sidelined with accidents, as in the event that they had been only a piece of cargo. And now this. Selling a league fixture on Miami, turning an away tie in what certainly might be a house match as a result of large following the membership has within the area, because of the presence of Lionel Messi, is simply the most recent type of disrespect to their supporters, to rival supporters, the character of the competitors they intention to win, and their very own gamers and employees, pressured on one other money-motivated continental journey.
All due to that one ring. Barcelona went broke throughout Laporta’s first time period, however soccer glory on the pitch helped them to flee with their repute intact. The legacy of successors Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu didn’t have as a lot luck, however, then once more, they had been nonetheless competing because of the genius of Messi, and soccer was dealing with new and harmful monetary powers, who might blame the outdated aristocracy for making an attempt to carry on to energy? Just some did it higher than others. And nobody did it worse than the Blaugrana.
Fortunately for the membership, Cruyff’s legacy lived on underneath the La Masia academy graduates who nearly single-handedly saved the membership. Barcelona reside on borrowed time, pushed by a desperation to maintain up appearances. They reside in an enormous mansion however hardly have any furnishings in it, which appears okay since they don’t maintain residence events by the pool anymore. But, regardless of all these dreadful errors, they used to characterize one thing far more than simply cash or on-pitch success.
No less than they tried actually exhausting to seem so. After all this is similar membership that fell into monetary problem within the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies, and pointed the finger of blame for his or her failures not on the best way they had been poorly run, however on Actual Madrid’s success underneath Common Franco, the identical dictator who within the Fifties additionally prevented them to go bust not as soon as however twice. Underneath his regime, Barcelona had been allowed to re-sell at a excessive revenue the land of the outdated Les Corts floor as they constructed Camp Nou.
They had been additionally the membership that signed star gamers within the likes of Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Gary Lineker, Romario and Ronaldo Nazario, even when not all of them had the success anticipated of them on the pitch. What they did brilliantly, although, was to current themselves as greater than only a soccer membership. And so they had been, in a manner. Between the arrival of Josep Lluis Nunez in 1978 and Joan Laporta’s first tenure, Barcelona handed on nationwide and Cruyff by no means discovered Catalan, and nor did any of their profitable international managers, resembling Rinus Michels, Terry Venables, Louis van Gaal or Frank Rijkaard. To not point out their star gamers. It was all in regards to the membership members, the soci, and the supporters. And so they, too, now, in waves, appear to consider that the membership went a bridge too far.
CALL TO ACTION
I encourage all Villarreal supporters who’re outraged and disgusted by the potential signing of Thomas Partey to instantly contact the membership via the official followers’ mailbox.
We should do all the things we are able to to let the membership know of our disapproval.
Hyperlinks under 👇 pic.twitter.com/AXICyIsT3z
— Villarreal Report (@Villarreal_Rep) August 3, 2025
Sadly, the match is meant to be an away fixture for Barcelona as a result of it requires the opposite aspect to hitch in. A tango accommodates two, and Villareal need to be a part of this narrative. They, too, had been a well-admired soccer establishment, a membership that appeared to have the ability to do all the things proper or, at the very least, with an honest customary of values. The untimely passing of former Vice-President Jose Maria Llaneza could also be a part of the explanation they’re not in that dimension.
The signing of Thomas Partey, a participant accused of rape who awaits trial, despatched the worst attainable message. The membership is able to arise for the innocence of somebody accused of 5 expenses of rape and one in every of sexual assault by three victims, in the event that they consider he can ship on the pitch. Comparable accusations had been made prior to now to the likes of Getafe for bringing in Mason Greenwood, and rightly so. Mercadona, the corporate that belongs to the Roig household, have come underneath critical scrutiny following the dreadful DANA floods suffered in Valencia final yr, and now plainly kind of company perspective that few related to the Yellow Submarine aspect has come to remain.
That the as soon as community-minded membership from the city of Vila-real, appeared on the unsuitable aspect of the ethical trenches for 2 completely different occasions appears unbelievable for individuals who had lauded them for therefore lengthy. They, too, like Barcelona, had been as soon as higher than this.
If authorized actions don’t forestall it – and Actual Madrid is pushing for it as they need to – Spanish soccer is about to interrupt a sacred rule, one which not even the Premier League, with all of the world relevance of their competitors, has dared to. Staging a fixture outdoors of the nation constitutes an offence to all the things the competitors stands for. It won’t solely subvert the spirit of the match, however it’ll additionally enable a aspect to play virtually on residence floor for every week greater than their rivals. The financial package deal supplied by Villareal to their members can also be a sign that any membership is able to promote its soul to the satan if the fitting value is placed on it.
Each golf equipment are doing it for the cash – there isn’t any doubt about it – however the La Liga board is in on it for one thing else. They need the {dollars}, after all, however they need to assert their energy as properly. To show they’ll and that they’ll if they should. All the opposite European soccer leagues are ready, silently, to see what comes of it. The Italian and Spanish Supercups being performed in Africa or the Center East are already an announcement of what might occur within the very close to future. Who can’t say that now’s only a single match, however subsequent yr is the entire league fixture moved overseas to, say, Saudi Arabia? Or the house and away fixtures, for that matter, simply to ‘even issues out’. After which, why not ponder the thought of getting the Copa del Rey ultimate and El Clasico additionally performed around the globe, only for kicks.
Soccer has lengthy since handed the barrier of logic and belonging; we’re all conscious of it. Within the close to future, we may have Champions League finals performed in different continents, the identical as we had the Euros performed in a number of nations, and are about to have a six-nation World Cup unfold throughout three continents in 2030. That sadistic exploit of the sport’s soul is nothing new, but it surely nonetheless makes for a horrendous sight to behold. For individuals who are attempting to make it attainable, there might be no forgiveness. Not this time round.