La Liga teams have publicly shown their objection over plans for Barcelona to face Villarreal in Miami on December 20.
Following weeks of discussions between La Liga officials and their counterparts at UEFA and FIFA a decision on the controversial move was made on October 6.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin labelled the combined authorisation of the move a 'regrettable decision' but claimed it would not set precedent for domestic European league games being played outside their home nations.
The ratification has been objected to by a host of clubs and players - including Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong - and the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE).
Following a meeting with La Liga captains, the AFE requested teams to 'protest symbolically against the league's lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence'.
As La Liga returned from the international break this weekend, players from Real Oviedo and Espanyol stood still for the first 15 seconds of their game on October 17 in a clear statement of opposition.
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The AFE originally requested Barcelona players not to participate in the La Liga-wide protest, at the start of their eventual 2-1 home win over Girona, amid concerns it could be viewed as directed at Barcelona as opposed to La Liga.
However, that call was not heeded by Hansi Flick's players at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, as they want to remain involved in the process.
Pedri and Xabi Alonso speak out on La Liga kickoff protests
As both sets of players stood still at multiple La Liga games, including Atletico Madrid's home tie with Osasuna, TV cameras panned away to show the exterior of stadiums, denying audiences a view of the protest.
At full-time, Barcelona star Pedri confirmed the team felt it was appropriate to join the protest, as pressure ramps up on La Liga.
"We were not part of the [protest] but we felt we needed to follow along out of respect to our fellow professionals," he said.
The protests will continue across the weekend's action, and Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso confirmed will join in away at Getafe.
"We are against the [Miami] match. We believe it distorts the competition.
La Liga footballers protest by NOT playing football in first 15 SECONDS of every match.
— Gemma Soler (@gemma_soler) October 18, 2025
Protest against Barcelona vs Villarreal playing an official match in Miami, USA. pic.twitter.com/volV61DT2G
"There hasn't been unanimity or consultation for it to be played on neutral ground. The protests are positive and the sentiment behind it is positive."
Despite the sharp focus on La Liga, as players bizarrely stand around inactive at the start of matches, there are no current plans to change their creation of a historical first at the Hard Rock Stadium ahead of the winter break.
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