Players throughout the Spanish top-flight are coming together during Gameweek 9 in an unprecedented protest against La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
Viewers tuning in to any La Liga fixture this weekend will see what appears to be a head-scratching kick off. Instead of getting the game underway upon the referee’s opening whistle, footballers are refusing to play for the first 15 seconds of the game.
Before Espanyol defeated Real Oviedo 2–0 on Friday night, the two clubs became the first participants of the league-wide protest. Both sides remained still as the early seconds of the clash ticked away before they got going at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere.
Teams across the Spanish top-flight are expected to follow suit all weekend long to demonstrate their opposition to a recent controversial decision supported by La Liga president Javier Tebas, along with the RFEF and UEFA.
