According to reports from Ser Radio, Villarreal Club CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles was interviewed and answered questions related to La Liga’s overseas matches.
Note: After approval by UEFA on Monday, Villarreal and Barcelona will stage the first overseas match in La Liga history. The match will be held on December 20 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, USA.
This game in Miami has been basically determined. Is Villarreal ready?
We have limited control over the schedule, but judging from the information currently available, UEFA is fully prepared. We will go to a (La Liga) game outside of Spain for the first time in team history. Today we have started working on this to find the best solution. Huangqian fans who want to go to watch the game can travel for free. For fans who are unable to go, we plan to refund 20% of the season ticket fee. We are still working hard to increase this ratio to 25% or even higher.
Do you think this is a victory for La Liga, Spanish football, or a victory for Villarreal Club?
This is a victory for Spanish football. We are a club from an area with a smaller population and we have to differentiate ourselves from clubs in areas with a larger population to survive. We have 16 to 18 academies in the United States, which build our brand and bring in revenue, so for us, going to the United States is a good thing and will hopefully pay off for us. If it can expand its influence locally, we will naturally welcome it - of course we also know that any new thing has its shortcomings, and this is not a panacea.
Will Villarreal receive corresponding compensation for participating in Miami?
No, we do not receive any compensation for this. Otherwise, it would be unfair to the other clubs in La Liga. All revenue generated from the match will be used to compensate Villarreal fans and season ticket holders for the inconvenience caused by this match.
What do you think of the view that "touring overseas to compete will undermine the integrity of the league"?
People always talk about the home crowd... You know, we have not been able to beat Barcelona at home for 20 years, but we have defeated them on the road in the past two years. After a team participates in the European competition, the subsequent league lineup may be weakened, so the home field factor is similar to this kind of situation and is only one of the factors that affects the game. I think the discussion about home court is a bit incendiary now, because home advantage is not that critical in a single game.
What's more, from the data point of view, our winning rate against Barcelona in Barcelona is higher than that at Villarreal's home court. When you try to do something different, you're always going to have problems and it's impossible to do everything perfectly. We understand that there are different viewpoints, but we believe that the benefits of competing in the United States and the room for development it brings to the club far outweigh the disadvantages. "
The Spanish Players Union and the captains of each team issued a statement against this game. What do you think about this?
I have not read the statement, but someone told me that at that meeting (discussing the event), the vast majority of the captains, including the captains of Villarreal and Barcelona, remained neutral, and only two captains were opposed. La Liga will Paying a portion of its TV revenue to the players union, after so many years in this industry, my experience is that revenue growth often leads to player salary increases, so I don't think this will harm the players. In the long run, the higher the club's revenue, the more benefits the players will receive.
Since there is no financial gain, players seem to be reluctant to go... What are the positives of this game?
The statement that 'players are unwilling to go' was made by you. That statement was issued by the players union and does not represent the common opinions of the captains of the La Liga teams. I think Americans have a more open mentality in this regard, while Europeans, especially Spaniards, are becoming more and more closed-minded.
Mini-game recommendations:Mega Ramps stunt cars 3d