La Liga Officials ‘Support Idea’ Of Matches Being Played Abroad

Barcelona and Real Madrid could play league games abroad after La Liga officials said they “support the idea” of matches being played outside Spain....
The Premier League has shelved the idea of a ’39th game’ to be played outside England, first raised in 2008, after criticism from fans and media.

Despite one major promoter saying the move “will happen”, the Premier League has no plans to resurrect the idea.

But a La Liga spokesman said it wants “to grow the international appeal”.

The discussions, which are still in the early stages, follow a summer when Barcelona played Real Madrid as part of the International Champions Cup pre-season tournament.
It was only the second time the clubs had met outside Spain and attracted a capacity crowd in excess of 66,000 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

La Liga is trying to find ways of closing the commercial gap between their organisation and the Premier League and feel taking matches outside Spain may bring in additional income from overseas markets.

The spokesman added: “Last season more than 2.5 billion people around the world tuned in to watch La Liga.

“Clearly, La Liga is global entertainment and we want to grow its international appeal.

“As part of that effort we are discussing the option of playing some of the league matches outside of Spain.”