LaLiga TV broadcast cuts away from pitch as players refuse to move in protest

LALIGA stars stood still for 15 seconds at the start of last night’s match between Real Oviedo and Espanyol in protest at a controversial decision by league bosses.

But the gesture was NOT shown on TV, with the feed instead cutting away to an aerial view of the stadium.

Earlier this month it was confirmed that Barcelona will play a regular season match against Villarreal in Miami on December 20.

In response, the Spanish players’ union revealed that stars would stand still for the opening 15 seconds of matches this weekend, as a protest against the move.

A statement claimed that players would “protest in a symbolic fashion to denounce the lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence of LaLiga regarding the possibility of playing a game in the United States.”

They added that all 20 LaLiga captains share the same stance on the matter.

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Although Barcelona and Villarreal will be excluded from this weekend’s action, despite sharing “the basic premise of the protest”.

Last night’s contest at Carlos Tartiere Stadium was the opening match of the LaLiga weekend, meaning that the 15-second protest was seen for the first time.

Fans watching at home, however, were prevented from seeing the gesture as TV chiefs opted to remain on overhead shots of the stadium for a full 25 seconds.

Espanyol went on to win the match 2-0, courtesy of second half goals by Kike Garcia and Pere Milla.

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Barcelona vs Villarreal is not the only major European fixture to have been moved abroad this season.

AC Milan are set to play a Serie A match against Como, which is located a mere 40-minute drive away from San Siro, all the way in Perth, Australia in February.

Earlier this week, Uefa explained that its ruling executive committee had “reluctantly taken the decision to approve, on an exceptional basis” the requests from Spain and Italy, citing a lack of rules to prevent the games being switched.

But Euro bosses vowed to work with Fifa in order to “uphold the integrity of domestic competitions and the close bond between clubs, their supporters and local communities”.