Barcelona’s Camp Nou homecoming in jeopardy? Atlético Madrid clash could be played in USA

Rumours have been rumbling for years now regarding the prospect of La Liga matches being played overseas, but now this looks one step closer to becoming a reality.

The move could also ruin Barcelona’s plans to have a marquee matchup to reopen their Camp Nou home, after a season of playing their football in Montjuïc.

This news comes courtesy of Mundo Deportivo, who are reporting that Barcelona’s December tie against Atlético Madrid could be set to take place across the Atlantic.

This comes after news back in April, when La Liga president Javier Tebas seemingly confirmed that overseas La Liga matches would be coming at some point. Nobody, though, would have expected it to happen this quickly.

The move to bring forward the overseas hosting of Spanish domestic fixtures comes with the approval of FIFA, with a lot of work having taken place behind the scenes to make moves like this happen.

The reported venue for the fixture would be the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, a stadium with a capacity of around 65,000 spectators.

If La Liga can manage to materialise their plans, Barcelona’s return to the Camp Nou would have to wait until the end of January, when they take on Valencia.

It will be interesting to see the reactions of Spanish fans to this news, as their league seeks to host domestic fixtures outside of their national borders for the first time.

GSFN | Ciaran Currie