La Liga chief Javier Tebas claims he ‘would bet $10,000’ that Girona-Barcelona on January 26 will be played in Miami.
However, Tebas was adamant Girona and Barca ‘wanted’ to contest the mini-Catalan derby in the US, warning ‘I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer’.
“I would bet $10,000 that the game will take place,” he told CNN.
“I know both Spain and the sports world and therefore I knew it would not be easy and that there would be unrest.
“It is an industry that is resistant to change, so other things we have done have also been hard. It’s almost sure that we are going to play in Miami.
“As I’ve said before, I know my country well and its sporting institutions and therefore we knew that this unrest was going to take place.
“I am not surprised by it. We have a strategy, we have a plan and we are going to keep working with the goal of being in Miami on January 26 at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“I think they (the AFE) are just in accordance with the Federation to oppose the initiative. I think the Barcelona and Girona players want to play in Miami.
“I think they would be happy to solve this issue. It doesn’t make sense that they would not want to play an official league game at the United States.
“The people who know me, know that I don’t take a ‘no’ for an answer. I know these organizations very well and I can guarantee that many people who say that they don’t want this match to take place, they privately accept the initiative.”
