LaLiga players pause game to protest Miami match

LaLiga players launched protests against the league's determination to signifier a regular play crippled successful Miami, but the archetypal protestation connected Friday was not shown connected unrecorded tv arsenic expected.

The tv provender of the crippled astatine Real Oviedo against Espanyol chopped to the exterior of the stadium for the archetypal 25 seconds of the game, erstwhile players paused for the opening 15 seconds successful absorption to plans to instrumentality a crippled to the United States.

The crippled came conscionable hours aft the Spanish shot players' national announced that protests would beryllium held consecutive aft kickoff successful games successful the ninth circular from Friday done Monday.

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The players' national said successful a connection that the "players volition protestation successful a symbolic manner to denounce the deficiency of transparency, dialog and coherence of LaLiga regarding the anticipation of playing a crippled successful the United States."

LaLiga made authoritative past week its plans to clasp a the Barcelona-Villarreal crippled successful Miami connected Dec. 20.

The national said the captains of the 20 top-flight sides were successful statement with the protest. But the national added it had not asked the Barcelona and Villarreal players to enactment successful the protest, adjacent though, the national said "they stock the basal premise of the protest."

Barcelona big Girona and Villarreal big Real Betis connected Saturday.

Earlier Friday, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and his players were not pleased astatine having to question 7,200 kilometers (4,500 miles) to play a regular play game.

"My players are not happy, I americium not happy, but LaLiga decided that we volition play this game," Flick said astatine a property league successful reply to a question astir his presumption connected the game.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has defended the determination by saying it represents an accidental to further propulsion into the American sports market.

But for Flick and his players, it represents added question earlier a abbreviated wintertime break. Barcelona volition besides question to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup starting connected Jan. 7.

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong besides criticized playing the crippled successful the U.S., saying players were already overloaded with question and a packed playing calendar.

Like Barcelona, Villarreal were besides playing successful the Champions League.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has defended the crippled overseas arsenic a cardinal to boosting "revenues successful the mid- to long-term" and expanding the worth of his competition's tv rights, which lag down those of England's Premier League.

Tebas said the league plans to marque an planetary lucifer an yearly event.

The lucifer volition beryllium astatine Hard Rock Stadium successful Miami Gardens, location of the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

The league has chartered planes to instrumentality to Florida what it estimates volition beryllium 2,000 to 3,000 fans from Villarreal, which is the location team.