"On Tuesday, Madrid's Thibaut Courtois became the latest player to voice his opposition to playing the LaLiga game in Miami, saying doing so would "totally affect the integrity of the competition.""
"Earlier this month, Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong said the plan was " not good for the players" citing fatigue from travel and concerns around fairness, while coach Hansi Flick admitted he and his squad were "not happy.""
"Last weekend, players paused for 15 seconds at the start of each LaLiga game in protest at what players' union AFE said was a "lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence" in how the Miami match had been organised."
"The plan to play Villarreal vs Barcelona in Miami was made official earlier this month, with LaLiga president Javier Tebas calling it a "historic step" and saying the aim was to bring the league "closer to that global fanbase.""
LaLiga called off the December regular-season Villarreal versus Barcelona match planned for Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and delayed presale ticket sales citing a technical issue. The fixture faced widespread opposition from players, fan groups and Real Madrid, prompting appeals to FIFA, UEFA and Spain's Sports Ministry. Players staged a 15-second protest and voiced concerns about fairness, travel fatigue and competition integrity. LaLiga president Javier Tebas described the move as a historic step to reach global fans. Italy's Serie A has separately proposed an overseas match between AC Milan and Como in Perth.
Read at ESPN.com
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