I Am Not Certain But I Am Optimistic, Says Charlie Stillitano

Despite La Liga players opting to play outside Spain, La Liga and Relevant Sports are confident that their plans to move a regular-season game to the United States (US) will get approved. Relevant’s executive chairman Charlie Stillitano is hopeful that La Liga games will be played in the US.

The players, including the fan groups in Spain, are against the proposal of playing a game in the US. According to reports, the players might even go on strike if it gets approved.

However, Spanish club Girona on Thursday said they are finalising a proposal to play a game against Barcelona at Miami in the US. The match is likely to take place on 27th January, 2019.

Relevant’s executive chairman Stillitano said in a recent press conference:

“I’m not certain, but I’m optimistic. We have every desire to do it, and La Liga has given us every indication that they want to do it. We are trying to be respectful to everyone involved. We’re confident that it can happen and we are just taking a wait-and-see attitude. Because they have to get all the permissions from the league side first before we can do anything.”

Meanwhile, La Liga president Javie Tebas is also confident that the game will take place in the United States.

“We know it’s a complicated issue. But we are working so that it can materialise and I think it will be done. The AFE agreement will not be achieved via a financial compensation,” he added.

“There is no reason for it. With the wage control we have implemented, it has raised [players’] salaries by 66 per cent,” he said.

The La Liga president Javier Tebas also explained why he desperately wants the games to take place in the U.S. Earlier, Charlie Stillitano expressed the satisfaction.

“Many La Liga teams have offered to play in the United States. It’s an important opportunity for them, and it’s not an obligation to play in the United States, it’s voluntary. Only the clubs that want to go will do so that we are looking to do is to enter and place ourselves in the American market, which is very important,” Tebas concluded.