Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has accused La Liga of “manipulation” after a number of the weekend’s protests against the plan to host Villarreal versus Barcelona in Miami were not broadcast.
Teams staged protests against the plans during the weekend’s La Liga fixtures by not starting play for the opening 15 seconds of matches. The protests were not widely broadcast and The Athletic reported this was after La Liga asked TV companies not to show them, according to multiple people familiar with the request.
On Thursday, La Liga president Javier Tebas wrote a letter, seen by The Athletic, to Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) president David Aganzo, in which he said the planned strike could lead to “unwanted consequences” for players involved.
“I don’t know why you’re surprised, they’ve been doing this for a long time,” Courtois told a press conference on Tuesday. “Making public statements on social media, I’ve never seen a president of any sports league speak like that. Hiding the protests is hiding, it’s manipulating, and it’s serious.”
La Liga matches are produced by the company HBS, following a previous agreement with Mediapro. HBS did not respond to a request for comment, and La Liga declined to comment over the weekend. La Liga has been approached for further comment following Courtois’ remarks.
UEFA authorised La Liga’s plans to host December’s match at the Hard Rock Stadium on October 6, and, pending FIFA’s approval, it will become the first European top-flight match to be played in the United States.
The game had been due to be played at Villarreal’s Estadi de la Ceramica, and Courtois argued the plans promoted unfairness as it removed home advantage.
“Yes, totally, it distorts the competition,” he added. “In the NBA or the NFL, they play 82 games and it doesn’t change anything if they play elsewhere. These leagues are owned by the clubs, unlike LaLiga, which does not comply with the players’ agreement and distorts the competition.
“I don’t think it’s right. We know that in La Liga playing against a team at home is not the same as playing away.”
Team-mate Dani Carvajal echoed Courtois’ thoughts, writing on Instagram in a statement addressed to Tebas: “There will be a stain on the competition if the match is held.”
Madrid have frequently voiced their disagreement to the fixture in the U.S. and have sent two letters to the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) in recent weeks expressing their opposition to hosting La Liga matches outside of Spain.
Representatives from the AFE and La Liga are in talks to arrange a meeting to discuss next steps.