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.”
-UEFA reluctantly approves Villarreal-Barcelona game in Miami
-LaLiga: Barcelona-Villarreal historic league game set for Miami
-Frenkie De Jong says he will extend Barcelona contract
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 Copa Libertadores trophy won by Flamengo on Saturday was damaged during the team’s title celebrations.
Flamengo beat Palmeiras 1-0 in the final in Lima, Peru, to become the first Brazilian club to lift the prestigious cup four times.
Flamengo players and staff had a victory parade on the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday afternoon, with an estimated 500,000 people joining in the celebrations.
Players and staff took turns to lift the cup during the parade and images showed that the top part of the trophy, which consists of a figurine of a footballer ready to kick a ball, was wrapped in what appeared to be masking tape.
– Flamengo lift Copa Libertadores, but Brazil’s players look exhausted
The figurine had earlier been broken.
Flamengo will be hoping to wrap up the Brazilian league title on Wednesday when they take on Ceara in front of their own fans in Rio’s Maracana stadium.
They are five points clear of Palmeiras at the top of the standings with two games remaining.
Former England cricketer Moeen Ali has announced his return to the Pakistan Super League (PSL), saying he was excited to be part of the league’s “new era”.
After the 10th edition of the PSL earlier this year, the league is set for an expansion to eight teams, with the addition of two new franchises.
Meanwhile, Moeen, who has previously featured in the marquee league when he represented former champions Multan Sultans in the 2020 and 2021 editions, expressed his eagerness to rejoin the league.
Moeen stated that the PSL, since its advent in 2016, has “earned a reputation for top-level T20 cricket”, featuring close competition and talented players.
“I’m really excited to be joining HBL PSL in its New Era. The league has earned a reputation for top-level T20 cricket, with high-quality competition and world-class talent across every team,” Moeen wrote on Instagram.
The 38-year-old, who represented England in 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is during his illustrious career, was also a part of the Three Lions squad that made its historic tour of Pakistan in 2022 to play a three-match Test series. Besides that, Moeen has made several visits to the country.
Reflecting on his previous experiences in Pakistan, Moeen said that he enjoyed playing in the country and specifically praised the enthusiastic crowd, which he said pushes players to give their best on the field.
“Playing in Pakistan is always incredible; quality of cricket is outstanding and the passion and intensity from the crowd push you to bring your best,” he continued.
“I’m looking forward to being part of it all and creating some great memories along the way. Ready for another special experience Insha’Allah!”
His announcement comes just days after former South African captain Faf du Plessis pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to play in the upcoming PSL season.
In a post on Instagram on November 29, the renowned cricketer said that he would not put his name in the IPL auction this year.
“It’s a big decision, and one that comes with a lot of gratitude when I look back,” he wrote in his post.
The receiver has been plagued by injuries, but Sunday night against the Broncos, he gave Washington something to talk about other than a seventh straight loss.
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Flamengo’s Copa Libertadores trophy damaged in title celebrations
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