BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — La Liga players have begun protesting the league’s decision to hold regular-season games in Miami, but the first protest Friday was not televised as expected.
The television broadcast of the game against Espanyol in Oviedo was shown outside the stadium for the first 25 seconds, but the players paused for the first 15 seconds in protest of plans to hold the game in the United States.
The match took place just hours after the Spanish Football Players’ Association announced that protests would take place immediately after kick-off at Round 9 matches from Friday to Monday.
“The players will protest in a symbolic way to denounce La Liga’s lack of transparency, dialogue and consistency regarding the possibility of playing matches in the United States,” the players’ association said in a statement.
La Liga officially announced plans to hold league matches last week. Barcelona vs Villarreal in Miami December 20th.
The association announced that the captains of 20 top league teams have agreed to the protest. However, the association added that it had not asked Barcelona and Villarreal players to take part in the protests, although it said: “They share the basic premises of the protests.”
On Saturday, Barcelona host Girona and Villarreal host Real Betis.
Barcelona players and manager dissatisfied
Early Friday morning, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick and his players were not happy about having to travel 7,200 kilometers (4,500 miles) to play a regular-season match.
“The players are not happy and I am not happy, but La Liga has decided that we will play this game,” Flick said at a press conference, responding to a question about his position on the game.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta defended the move, saying it was an opportunity to further penetrate the American sports market.
But for Flick and his players, it means extra travel before a short winter break. Barcelona will also travel to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup, which starts on January 7th.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong also criticized playing games in the United States, saying players are already overloaded with travel and a congested playing calendar.
Like Barcelona, Villarreal also played in the Champions League.
La Liga president Javier Tebas defended overseas matches as key to increasing “medium- and long-term revenue” and increasing the value of the rival’s TV rights, which lag behind England’s Premier League.
Tebas said the league plans to: annual international match.
The game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
The league arranged for a chartered plane to bring 2,000 to 3,000 fans from home team Villarreal to Florida.
La Liga has tried and failed to hold matches overseas in recent years. If successful, it would be the first major European league to do so, although federation-sponsored events such as the Spanish Super Cup and Italian Super Cup are currently held in Saudi Arabia.
Italy’s Serie A is also planning changes for February 8th. Milan vs Como vs Perth matchAustralia announced that the San Siro would be unavailable after hosting the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics two days ago.
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