Sports
De Jong on LaLiga in the U.S.: ‘I wouldn’t do it’
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong has voiced his opposition to the announcement that the Catalan side’s LaLiga game against Villarreal in December will be played in Miami.
LaLiga confirmed on Wednesday that the league fixture, supposed to be played at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Cerámica, will be moved to the Hard Rock Stadium after UEFA’s announcement earlier this week that they had reluctantly approved the request.
De Jong is against more travel being squeezed into a packed schedule, while he also understands complaints from opposition teams that it will distort the competition.
“I don’t like it,” he said at a news conference while on international duty with the Netherlands.
“I can understand the clubs financially, they will of course profit from it, and they can spread their brand further across the world. But I wouldn’t do it.
“It’s not good for the players. You have to travel a lot. It’s also not fair in terms of competition. For us, it’s now an away match on neutral ground. I totally understand if other clubs aren’t happy about that.”
Real Madrid are among the LaLiga clubs to have criticised the decision to take a game to the United States, saying it will “give an undue sporting advantage” to the teams involved and “sets an unacceptable precedent.”
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LaLiga have been trying to relocate a game to the U.S. since 2017, but plans accelerated in August when they finally received approval from the Royal Spanish Football Federation [RFEF], who had previously blocked the plans despite staging the Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia themselves.
Earlier this week, European football governing body UEFA then said it had approved two requests for games to be played on foreign soil, the other from Italian sides Milan and Como to play in Perth, Australia, in February.
UEFA said it was in “clear opposition” to the idea of playing domestic league games outside of their native countries but cited FIFA’s vague framework and regulations when confirming it had accepted the proposals “exceptionally.”
FIFA have put together a working group to review those regulations moving forward.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas, meanwhile, says the plan is for one league game to be taken abroad each season, and not just to the U.S.
Barça’s game against Villarreal is set to be the first game from Europe’s big five leagues played on foreign soil, copying a model implemented by American leagues such as the NFL and the NBA in recent years.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled ticketing information for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 Qualifier between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, set to take place at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Tuesday.
According to the cricket board, E-Tickets for the high-stakes fixture can be purchased from tonight, with prices for all enclosures of the aforementioned venue set at Rs500.
Furthermore, the physical tickets will be available for sale from Tuesday morning and can be bought at the TCS Express Centre at the China Ground situated opposite the venue.
The PCB further advised fans with tickets to reach the stadium “well before the start of play” to avoid any inconvenience. Notably, the coin toss for the Qualifier will take place at 6:30pm as per the Pakistan Standard Time (PST), with the first ball to be bowled at 7pm.
Meanwhile, the ticket details for the remaining two playoffs, set to be played in Lahore, will be announced in due course.
The cricket board announced the ticketing details hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif granted approval for public attendance in all three playoffs of the ongoing PSL 11.
Taking to X, PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi said he had a meeting with the premier, during which the cricket board secured his approval for allowing fans in the stadia for the upcoming playoffs of the eight-team tournament.
“Just had a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and I’m pleased to share that we have secured his approval for public attendance in all three PSL playoff matches as well,” Naqvi wrote on the microblogging website.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has unveiled ticketing information for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 Qualifier between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, set to take place at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium on Tuesday.
According to the cricket board, E-Tickets for the high-stakes fixture can be purchased from tonight, with prices for all enclosures of the aforementioned venue set at Rs500.
Furthermore, the physical tickets will be available for sale from Tuesday morning and can be bought at the TCS Express Centre at the China Ground situated opposite the venue.
The PCB further advised fans with tickets to reach the stadium “well before the start of play” to avoid any inconvenience. Notably, the coin toss for the Qualifier will take place at 6:30pm as per the Pakistan Standard Time (PST), with the first ball to be bowled at 7pm.
Meanwhile, the ticket details for the remaining two playoffs, set to be played in Lahore, will be announced in due course.
The cricket board announced the ticketing details hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif granted approval for public attendance in all three playoffs of the ongoing PSL 11.
Taking to X, PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi said he had a meeting with the premier, during which the cricket board secured his approval for allowing fans in the stadia for the upcoming playoffs of the eight-team tournament.
“Just had a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and I’m pleased to share that we have secured his approval for public attendance in all three PSL playoff matches as well,” Naqvi wrote on the microblogging website.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Monday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif granted approval for public attendance in all three playoff matches of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11.
“Just had a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and I’m pleased to share that we have secured his approval for public attendance in all three PSL playoff matches as well,” Naqvi wrote on his official X handle.
However, Naqvi cautioned that the permission “comes with an important condition from his side that fans are strongly encouraged to use public transport or minimise fuel consumption while attending the matches, in line with the ongoing national austerity efforts”.
Just had a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and I’m pleased to share that we have secured his approval for public attendance in all three PSL playoff matches as well.
However, this comes with an important condition from his side that fans are strongly encouraged to… pic.twitter.com/SXtyhrIBpF
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) April 27, 2026
“He also conveyed his best wishes to all four teams competing in the PSL playoffs. Looking forward to some exciting and entertaining cricket ahead,” he added.
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