PFL Chief Hits Back at Florentino Perez After Refusing to Play La Liga Games Abroad

The Professional Football League chief Javier Tebas has hit back at Real Madrid president Florentino Perez after he refused to play La Liga games abroad.

The PFL recently agreed a 15-year deal with US media and entertainment company Relevent which will see La Liga games played over in America in an attempt to grow the game over in the States.

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Whilst many have praised the ground-breaking deal, many have also begun to criticise it, none more so than Real president Perez who has stated that his club would categorically refuse to play any official La Liga matches in America.

However speaking via AS, Tebas has hit back at his claims reminding Perez that whilst it's voluntary for teams to play across the pond, the company Relevant who they have agreed the deal with are the same company that organise Real's pre-season tours of America every year.

He said: "Playing a game in Miami is voluntary and is no club is obliged to do so. I would like to point out that this proposal to play [La] Liga games in the USA came into being over a year ago with exactly the same company that organises Real Madrid's pre-season tours of the United States."

The first game of this deal is set to be Girona taking on the mighty Barcelona with both clubs agreeing in principle to have their game played in Miami. 

The fixtures falls on week 21 of the season, and will be a benchmark for future games to be played over in America in an attempt for the game to reach a wider audience.