Real Madrid’s coach, Xabi Alonso, expressed his support for player protests against LaLiga’s decision to hold a regular-season match in Miami, calling the initiative “positive.”
The match between Barcelona and Villarreal is scheduled to take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on December 20, with tickets expected to go on sale next week.
During the first LaLiga match of the weekend, which featured Real Oviedo against Espanyol, both teams paused for the first 15 seconds as a form of protest. The players’ union AFE stated that this was in response to the league’s “lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence” regarding the Miami game.
The protest was not visible in the global television feed, which instead showed an exterior view of the stadium.
“We oppose the Miami match because we believe it impacts the integrity of the competition,” Alonso remarked in a news conference on Saturday. “There isn’t a consensus among all the clubs in the league, and we have not been consulted.”
“The protests are a positive reflection of the sentiments from many clubs. The Miami game has been arranged unilaterally, and that is what we’re against. If there were agreement, it would be different, but that is not the situation.”
In a match on Saturday morning between Sevilla and Mallorca, the players’ protest was briefly shown on screen after kickoff before the cameras shifted focus to the Sevilla bench.
In a statement, AFE noted that the captains of all 20 LaLiga teams supported the protest at the start of the weekend’s matches, although players from Barcelona and Villarreal were not asked to participate.
Alonso refrained from confirming whether he would endorse additional player actions, such as a potential strike. “Our stance remains the same. The decisions that need to be made will likely be made by others,” he stated.
Real Madrid is set to face Getafe on Sunday, entering the weekend two points ahead of Barcelona, who will host Girona on Saturday.
Alonso also addressed concerns about Kylian Mbappé’s fitness after he returned early from international duty with an ankle injury. “His ankle is fine,” Alonso confirmed. “He’s included in the squad and could potentially start.”
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Alonso mentioned that discussions about a potential January departure for Endrick are “not on my mind,” and noted that midfielder Jude Bellingham is now “better prepared” after returning to fitness.
“Jude has been training and preparing since recovering from shoulder surgery in July,” Alonso said. “He’s doing better. We need the best version of Jude. He’s eager to play well and contribute to the team.”