The cancellation of the overseas La Liga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in the United States is a blow for the competition, says the Spanish league's president Javier Tebas.

In August, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) approved plans to move Villarreal's fixture against Barcelona to Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on 20 December.

However, the decision was reversed on Tuesday after the move sparked a backlash, with top-flight players refusing to move for the first 15 seconds of La Liga matches last weekend in protest.

"Today, Spanish football has lost an opportunity to advance, project itself globally, and strengthen its future," Tebas wrote on X.

"The defence of 'tradition' is invoked from a narrow-minded and provincial perspective, while the true traditions of European football are threatened by decisions by the governing institutions, which year after year destroy national leagues.

"La Liga will continue working, with rigour and conviction, to keep Spanish football competitive, standing up to those who seek to destroy it, but always respecting its roots and ensuring its sustainability."

Tebas added that Spanish football "deserved to look to the future with ambition, not fear" and that the league will continue attempt to play matches overseas.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his players were "not happy" with the initial decision, while Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal said an overseas game would be a "stain" on the competition.

The decision to cancel the match in Miami was announced during Villarreal's 2-0 Champions League defeat at home by Manchester City. It would have been the first time a European top-flight league match had taken place in the United States, although the Spanish Super Cup has been held in Saudi Arabia in four of the past five seasons.

The Italian football federation followed La Liga in announcing an overseas game, with the Serie A match between AC Milan and Como set to be played in Perth, Australia, in February.

Despite the match being cancelled, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague does not think this is the end of the story. He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "While Javier Tebas is the head of La Liga, he will try to get one game away.

"He thinks that it's a project, as the statement says, aimed at enhancing the visibility of Spanish football.

"It complied fully with federation regulations. The position on the project was just for reasons unrelated to regulatory or sporting integrity."

Balague believes finances were the main reason behind the cancellation of the match.

"Perhaps there wasn't enough money, perhaps the money wasn't clear where it was going, but certainly it's been a lot of confusion," he added.

"Villarreal were saying, 'We're not getting any money for it', but Barcelona were saying, 'As soon as we get into the plane, we will get money'.

"It wasn't clear how Villarreal had promised about 5,000 of their fans would go to Miami, or how that was going to happen."