"Courtois accused La Liga of bypassing clubs in the decision-making process and argued that the move undermines the principles of fairness in the home-and-away league format. La Liga does whatever it wants because it suits them, said the Belgian. This decision distorts the competition. Playing at home is not the same as playing away. In La Liga, playing away is very difficult, as we saw against Real Sociedad and Getafe. Villarreal away is tough. It's not fair to change the rules mid-season without consulting us."
"Courtois also contrasted La Liga's plans with the NBA and NFL, who regularly play matches abroad. The NBA has 82 games, and the NFL's owners collectively approve these decisions. Here, La Liga acts unilaterally. It's not the same, he said. La Liga players staged silent protests at the weekend by standing motionless at kick-offs across all matches, symbolising their discontent with the decision."
La Liga plans to stage Barcelona's away match against Villarreal in Miami on 20 December at Hard Rock Stadium, marking the first La Liga fixture held outside Spain and the first European league match staged abroad. UEFA has given reluctant approval while Real Madrid and other top-flight teams have opposed the move. Thibaut Courtois said the decision bypassed clubs, distorted competition and undermined the fairness of a home-and-away format. He contrasted the unilateral approach with NBA and NFL practices, noted player silent protests at kick-offs, and criticised broadcasts for showing an aerial shot and a 'Commitment to peace' banner that obscured demonstrations.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]