BARCELONA, Spain (AP) \u2014 For a second straight day, protests by La Liga players against staging a regular season game in Miami in December were censored or not fully broadcast for television audiences.<\/p>\n
The television feed of Barcelona\u2019s home game against Girona switched right before kickoff to an exterior view of the stadium which only showed part of the field from distance. That impeded home audiences from seeing the teams\u2019 players standing still for the first 15 seconds in opposition to La Liga\u2019s plan to hold the Barcelona-Villarreal game<\/a> across the Atlantic on Dec. 20.<\/p>\n The broadcasts of the initial moments after kickoff of the day\u2019s other three games \u2014 Sevilla-Mallorca, Villarreal-Real Betis and Atletico Madrid-Osasuna \u2014 focused closely from directly above on the center circle, instead of taking a wide angle of the field.<\/p>\n Barcelona\u2019s and Villarreal\u2019s players joined the protests even though they were exempted by the Spanish soccer player\u2019s association which organized it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were not part of the (protest) but we felt that we needed to follow along out of respect for our fellow professionals,\u201d Barcelona midfielder Pedri Gonz\u00e1lez said after his team\u2019s 2-1 win<\/a>.<\/p>\n The players\u2019 union announced the protest plans on Friday, saying all the captains of the top flight teams supported it for games in the ninth round from Friday through Monday.<\/p>\n The play-by-play commentator on Saturday did briefly mentioned the protest, in contrast to Friday when it was completely censored from the broadcast of Oviedo-Espanyol<\/a>. For that first protest, TV audiences saw only the exterior of the stadium for the first 25 seconds after kickoff.<\/p>\n The union said the symbolic action was to protest the \u201clack of transparency, dialogue and coherence of La Liga regarding the possibility of playing a game in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s soccer supporters association, FASFE, applauded the players\u2019 protest against what it called \u201cLa Liga\u2019s obsession with going forward with its demented plan to rob our communities of soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n The league argues the game will be good for promoting Spanish soccer globally.<\/p>\n Coaches also against Miami match<\/p>\n Barcelona coach Hansi Flick and veteran midfielder Frenkie de Jong have criticized the Miami game<\/a>, saying it adds unnecessary extra travel to their already packed schedules.<\/p>\n Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso called the Miami game \u201can adulteration of the competition\u201d when asked about it in a news conference on Saturday. <\/p>\n The former midfielder also backed the protests by players.<\/p>\n \u201cThe protests are positive because they represent what many clubs feel,\u201d Alonso said. \u201cWe are against unilateral decisions. If there is unanimity and all the participants believe that it is possible, then fine, go ahead, but that is not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n La Liga: Miami game will boost revenues<\/p>\n Barcelona president Joan Laporta backs the move by saying it represents an opportunity to further push into the American sports market.<\/p>\n La Liga president Javier Tebas has defended the game as a key to boosting \u201crevenues in the mid- to long-term\u201d and increasing the value of his competition\u2019s television rights, which lag behind those of England\u2019s Premier League.<\/p>\n The Dec. 20 match will be at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, home of the NFL\u2019s Miami Dolphins.<\/p>\n Tebas said the league plans to make an international match an annual event<\/a>.<\/p>\n La Liga has tried and failed in recent years to get a game abroad. If it succeeds this time, it will be the first major European league to do so, even though federation-organized events like the Spanish Super Cup and the Italian Super Cup are now held in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n Italy\u2019s Serie A is also planning to move a Feb. 8 match between Milan and Como to Perth<\/a>, Australia, saying the San Siro won\u2019t be available after hosting the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics two days earlier.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n