The players protesting against La Liga’s handling of plans to host Villarreal-Barcelona in December have reacted angrily to the decision to censor their action during Friday night’s game between Real Oviedo and Espanyol. It could see them take more drastic action to avoid it.
After kick off, the players paused on the ball for the opening 15 seconds of the match as part of a planned protest against the lack of transparency from La Liga on the hosting of the game in the USA. However the TV coverage of the game cut to aerial shots of the stadium while the protest was ongoing, censoring any impact it may have. Espanyol captain Leandro Cabrera did not wait to express his frustration after the game.
Players react furiously to censorship of protest
According to Cadena SER, the reaction on the players’ WhatsApp group was furious. The group, which is represented by the Spanish Players Association (AFE) in talks with La Liga, felt that once again they had been ignored, which is ultimately the genesis of the issue. Villarreal and Barcelona players have been left out of the official strike action in order to avoid potential rancour with the club.
Protest could be altered to avoid censorship
Their information continues on to say there is talk amongst the players and AFE of potentially modifying the protest to avoid censorship, and gain maximum exposure. Some are in favour of stronger measures, and there are captains within La Liga that are already prepared to go on strike.
La Liga call meeting with AFE
In light of the events and the protests, Marca report that La Liga have called a meeting with the AFE for the 24th of October. Within a letter to the AFE, La Liga pointed out that as Relevent is the promoter of the event in Miami, it is not within their power to halt ticket sales, as had been requested. “Their position demonstrates AFE’s bad faith regarding the current situation and would prove that we are facing a fraudulent attempt to block the project,” La Liga go on to express.
La Liga have not shown footage of the first 25 seconds of the game between Real Oviedo and Espanyol. It is rumoured that all of La Liga teams’ captains have decided to not play any football in the first 15-30 seconds of the games this weekend as a protest for the Villarreal – FC…
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 17, 2025
Short of general strike action from the AFE, it seems they have little power to halt the game going forward in the United States. La Liga seem intent on going ahead with the plans, and short of FIFA intervention, which also looks unlikely, it seems there will be no obstacles to them doing so.
