Spanish Futbol Players Protest Playing In America While NFL Continues Playing International Series Abroad

Spanish footballers remain motionless for 15 seconds to oppose December Miami match

The NFL is back on foreign soil on Sunday with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams providing London with only the second International Series game in which both teams are at least two games over .500. But don’t tell the players of Spain’s La Liga that international games are acceptable.

The Spanish futbol players of La Liga are protesting about having to play a match in America in December. 

International Fixture A First For La Liga

La Liga has never played a regular-season match outside of Spain.

The protest, seen around the league (La Liga) this weekend, manifested with players of Real Oviedo and RCD Espanyol remaining motionless for the first 15 seconds of their match. 

The players on the field just … stood there.

Players across La Liga are expected to repeat the 15-second show of displeasure at the start of most matches this weekend to protest the decision to move FC Barcelona’s December match against Villarreal to the United States.

The discontent comes from the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE), which is the players’ union, citing a lack of dialogue and transparency from La Liga in scheduling the upcoming game in Miami.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 30: A general overall aerial view of Hard Rock Stadium on October 30, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

La Liga Protests May Expand

One player source floated the possibility the protests will continue and, indeed, grow to wider measures if La Liga doesn’t engage with the union about the scheduled Dec. 20 game at Hard Rock Stadium.

And this, of course, is in sharp contrast to the manner the NFL and its players have managed their games abroad with only minor issues.

The NFL this season is playing seven games abroad, including a Nov. 16 game between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders in, you guessed it, Spain. 

NFL players long ago accepted the inconveniences being cited by La Liga players in having routine, schedule, long-distance travel, and other issues possibly affecting competitive advantage. 

But the NFL Players Association signed off on such issues while the AFE has not.

Ripple Effects For NFL Possible

So no issues, right?

Well, no.

You see, the NFL fully intends to expand its international footprint.

“I do see 16 regular-season games, and I do think that will happen in the very near future,” Goodell said in May about playing nearly a full season’s worth of games abroad.

The NFL has even announced a game will be played in Melbourne, Australia next season.

But that expansion of games will have to be negotiated with the NFLPA. And it is quite possible the union will use the La Liga players’ complaints and current protest as a bargaining chip to exact from the NFL concessions on other issues.

Oct 6, 2024; London, United Kingdom; The NFL shield logo at midfield at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

American Fans Have No Advocate

And this: You read about the “other issues” the Spanish players are upset about, right? 

One of those is taking a game away from fans in Spain and outsourcing that game to America. The AFE is not happy about that and contends that’s part of the competitive disadvantage that playing games abroad presents.

It’s interesting, meanwhile, that while the NFL and NFLPA have negotiated playing games abroad, fans in the United States have gotten no one advocate for them as they lose home market games to cities around the world.