- Espanyol and Real Oviedo players staged a 15-second on-field protest, but La Liga cut the footage from live broadcast
- Stars across Spain are calling for transparency and open talks over the plan to host Villarreal vs Barcelona abroad
- An Espanyol defender criticized La Liga for hiding the peaceful protest and questioned the league’s honesty
The tension between La Liga and its players escalated on Friday night as Espanyol and Real Oviedo carried out a prearranged on-field protest before kickoff, only for La Liga to censor it from live television.
Both sides had decided to remain motionless for the first 15 seconds of play to demand more transparency and open dialogue from La Liga regarding its decision to host the Villarreal vs Barcelona fixture abroad later this year.
Source: Getty Images
However, once the referee blew the whistle, the official broadcast cut away to wide shots of the stadium, denying fans the chance to witness the protest. The cameras only returned to the field 21 seconds later when the match had already resumed.
Why are players protesting against La Liga?
According to Football Espana, the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) and players across the league are frustrated by what they see as La Liga’s poor communication and lack of consultation over plans to stage official matches outside Spain.
Per reports, their frustration is not with the idea of international games themselves, but with how the process has been handled.
Meanwhile, a scheduled meeting between La Liga, AFE, and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) earlier this week was postponed due to calendar issues. While La Liga claimed to have proposed three alternative dates, AFE dismissed it as an attempt to delay meaningful discussion.
La Liga president Javier Tebas later sent a detailed letter to explain aspects of the project, but AFE insisted it was not enough to call off the protest. Players remain concerned about how many games will be played abroad and how the revenue will be shared among stakeholders.
According to Flashscore, Espanyol won 2-0 against Real Oviedo. After the game, defender Leandro Cabrera expressed frustration with how La Liga has handled the matter, saying the players had already agreed to make their stand, but the league tried to present it differently to the public.
Source: Getty Images
He questioned why, if everything was supposed to be transparent, proper discussions had still not been held. Cabrera also pointed out that although La Liga boasts of giving significant funds to players over the years, the same transparency should apply to the league’s own spending and salaries.
He went on to criticize the decision to hide the protest from television viewers, suggesting that instead of showing the players’ peaceful stand, the cameras focused on empty sections of the stadium.
Cabrera said the players only wanted to express their disagreement respectfully, and he could not understand why the broadcast had to be manipulated, as cited by ESPN.
However, Ghana’s new No. 6, Kwasi Sibo, was an unused substitute for Real Oviedo, and such did not take part in the on-field protest. The energetic defensive midfielder started all of the Black Stars’ matches since his debut against Mali in Accra in September of this year, helping Otto Addo’s men to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Barcelona and Villarreal to play in Miami
In an earlier report, YEN.com.gh revealed that Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey could feature for Villarreal against Barcelona in what may become a historic La Liga match played outside Spain.
The potential fixture has already sparked debate and controversy among players and fans over La Liga’s growing push for international expansion.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Source: Yen.com.gh
