Following the conclusion of the international break earlier this week, club football has regained focus all over the world but in Spain, it didn’t happen for the right reasons. The opening clash of this weekend in La Liga on Friday night saw Oviedo and Espanyol players stay still for the first 15 seconds after kickoff as part of the protest against the decision of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) to stage a top flight game in Miami, the USA, later this year.
Notably, the controversial decision made recently to have Villarreal play their home La Liga match against Barcelona in America at the Hark Rock Stadium on December 20, sparked outrage in some sections of the Spanish football community and beyond. To make the Spanish football federation
change their decision, the protest began on Friday, and it picked up pace on Saturday with many clubs following the precedent Oviedo and Espanyol set, which was cut on the live broadcast as La Liga officials decided to show the other shots from the venue instead.
Barcelona players protested against La Liga's decision during 2-1 win over Girona on Saturday
Top Spanish clubs Barcelona and Atletico Madrid had their players take part in the protest before their respective matches in La Liga against Girona and Osasuna respectively. The protest against the RFEF and La Liga also continued during Sevilla versus Mallorca apart from Villarreal versus Real Betis, showcasing the unity between the clubs in Spain, and it is expected to continue when Real Madrid take on Getafe later today.
In their official statement, the Spanish footballers’ association (AFE) stated that they had co-ordinated with each of the team captains in La Liga clubs in a symbolic manner against the decision regarding the league’s overseas expansion. While the AFE didn’t ask the players of Barcelona and Villarreal to be a part of the protest since they are directly involved with the decision due to possible measures against the clubs, they decided to do it regardless.
Pedri was quoted as saying on the matter after Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Girona at home, as per BBC Sport, “We were not part of the [protest] but we felt that we needed to follow along out of respect for our fellow professionals.”
