BARCELONA: La Liga players will protest this weekend the league’s decision to hold a regular season game in Miami, the Spanish soccer players’ union said on Friday.
Players plan to pause for 15 seconds after kickoff in games in the ninth round held from Friday through Monday, Spanish media reported.
The players’ union said in a statement that the “players will protest in a symbolic fashion to denounce the lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence of La Liga regarding the possibility of playing a game in the United States.”
La Liga made official last week its plans to hold the Barcelona-Villarreal game in Miami on Dec. 20.
The union said the captains of the 20 top-flight sides were in agreement with the protest.
But the union added it had not asked the Barcelona and Villarreal players to participate in the protest, even though, the union said “they share the basic premise of the protest.”
The ninth round kicked off on Friday with Oviedo hosting Espanyol.
Barcelona players and coach not happy
Earlier Friday, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, and his players were not pleased at having to travel 7,200 kilometers (4,500 miles) to play a regular season game.
“My players are not happy, I am not happy, but La Liga decided that we will play this game,” Flick said at a press conference in reply to a question about his position on the game.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has defended the move by saying it represents an opportunity to further push into the American sports market.
But for Flick and his players, it represents added travel before a short winter break. Barcelona will also travel to Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup starting on Jan.
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