Great to see La Liga players fighting against the shameful decision to move league matches abroad.
The football authorities in Spain support this shameful shift, both the bosses of La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation.
Villarreal and Barcelona will play in the US (Miami) in December and this will certainly be the first of many unless efforts are made now to prevent this.
La Liga players staged coordinated protests this weekend.
On Friday it was the players of Oviedo and Espanyol who kicked off and refused to move during the first fifteen seconds of the match.
In February 2026, Serie A will follow suit, with Barcelona and Como being allowed to play their league match in Australia (Perth).
Hopefully, fans, players and many others in Italy will also come together to try and prevent this, because again, if a precedent is set, it means an increasing number of Serie A matches will be played abroad as well.
Some Premier League clubs claim that English clubs will not follow suit. if you believe that, you will believe anything. Money will always be used to justify anything, and it will only be a matter of time before Premier League owners force matches to move abroad.
BBC Sports report – October 18, 2025:
Oviedo and Espanyol players refused to move for the first fifteen seconds of their match on Friday as the teams protested La Liga’s decision to stage a match in Miami.
In August, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) approved plans to move Villarreal’s match against Barcelona on December 20 to the Hard Rock Stadium – a decision that has sparked discontent in Spain.
The Spanish Football Federation (AFE) said in a statement that it had agreed with the captains of each La Liga club to “symbolically” protest against the competition’s “lack of transparency, dialogue and cohesion”.
La Liga refuted the external accusations earlier this week and stated a “willingness to meet with the AFE” to “promote a useful dialogue that will allow the project to be explained”.
The protest by the Oviedo and Espanyol players was not shown live on television as cameras moved to the outside of the stadium.
The AFE statement added that there will be replica demonstrations at the remaining La Liga matches this weekend.
However, the association has not asked the players of Barcelona and Villarreal to participate, to avoid this being “interpreted as a possible measure against any club”.
The statement continued: “In light of the continued refusals and unrealistic proposals of La Liga, the Spanish Football Federation categorically rejects a project that does not have the approval of the main players in our sport and demands that the employers’ association create a negotiating table in which all information is shared and the exceptional features of the project are analyzed, the needs and concerns of the footballers are addressed, and the protection of their labor rights and compliance with current regulations are addressed. guaranteed.”
The BBC has contacted La Liga for comment.
The confirmation of the match in Miami followed a decision by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to sanction a Serie A match between AC Milan and Como to be played in Perth, Australia in February.
Earlier on Friday, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his players were unhappy about having to travel to the US to play a La Liga match.
“My players are not happy, I am not happy, but La Liga has decided that we are going to play this match,” Flick said at a news conference.
Real Madrid expressed its opposition when the match was announced, stating that the consequences would be “so serious”, while UEFA “reluctantly” approved the move.
This week, RFEF president Rafael Louzan said the move is “good for football”, while Barcelona president Joan Laporta praised the decision when it was confirmed, adding that the match “will definitely be a great show”.
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