BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – A protest by La Liga players against the league’s decision to hold games in the United States was not broadcast to television viewers for the second day in a row.
Saturday’s television coverage of Sevilla vs. Mallorca and Barcelona vs. Girona both did not begin with the usual wide shots of the field, as regular season games for both would have shown players standing still for the first 15 seconds after kickoff. Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami In December.
Sevilla’s television broadcast focused on the center circle for the first few seconds, while in Barcelona the feed was from outside the stadium.
Barcelona’s players appear to have taken part in the protest despite being exempted by the Spanish Football Players’ Association, which organized the protest.
Barcelona midfielder Pedri González said: “Although we were not participating (in the protests), we felt we needed to do what we did out of respect for our fellow professionals.”
The players’ union announced its protest plans on Friday, saying all top-flight team captains supported the players’ union during the ninth round of matches between Friday and Monday.
For the first protest on Friday night, TV Shown the outside of Oviedo’s stadium Meanwhile, the Espanyol players and Espanyol took a 15-second break. The feed returned to normal 25 seconds after the player started playing.
The association said the symbolic action was to protest “La Liga’s lack of transparency, dialogue and consistency regarding the possibility of hosting matches in the United States.”
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick and veteran midfielder Frenkie de Jong criticized the Miami gamesaid it would add unnecessary extra travel to an already packed schedule.
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso was asked about the game against Miami in a press conference on Saturday and called it “competitive cheating.”
The former midfielder also supported the players’ protest.
Alonso said: “The protests are positive because they represent the feelings of many clubs.” “We are against unilateral decisions. If there was unanimity and all participants believed it was possible, that would be fine. But that is not the case.”
The game on December 20th will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
La Liga president Javier Tebas defended the match 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.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta supports the move, calling it an opportunity to further expand into the American sports market.
Tebas said the league plans to: annual international match.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
