Tebas setback as National Court rules Miami Villarreal v Barcelona protest was not illegal strike | OneFootball

Spain’s National Court has ruled that the Primera División players’ 15-second protest over the proposed Villarreal v Barcelona game in Miami did not amount to a covert strike. The court rejected LaLiga’s claim and held that the stoppage, organised by the AFE union, fell within the players’ freedom of expression.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the protest took place on the ninth matchday, when team captains agreed to delay the opening seconds of each fixture. It followed controversy around staging Villarreal v Barcelona in the United States.

Players argued LaLiga had not properly informed them about the project and that the decision had been taken without considering their views.

Days later, LaLiga met AFE, and Javier Tebas told union president David Aganzo they viewed the action as an illegal strike because it had not been lawfully called. By then, promoter Relevent had cancelled the Miami match amid uncertainty, including Real Madrid’s intention to challenge it in court and unrest among players from both clubs.

In early December, LaLiga filed a conciliation claim with SIMA, the interconfederal mediation and arbitration service. A meeting on 16 December ended without agreement. Aganzo attended, but Tebas did not. Afterwards, the case went to the National Court.

Today’s judgment is not final. LaLiga plans to file a Supreme Court cassation appeal to clarify the scope of these rights in professional football and to protect the competition’s integrity and its audiovisual rights.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo