Why Messi is meeting other captains in La Liga

Lionel Messi will lead La Liga captains to discuss plans to have some games played in the US.

The meeting will take place in the capital Madrid at the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) headquarters in Madrid.

“A meeting between captains and players representing their top division clubs will take place in order to discuss several issues that worry all of them. The AFE and the footballers don’t understand the unilateral decisions taken by La Liga regarding plans for a league game to be played in the United States.” AFE statement read.

La Liga announced earlier that it was considering staging some league matches outside Spain especially in US and Canada but that attracted silent opposition from fans and players who wanted to be involved in matters that affect them. The aim is meant to increase the league’s popularity worldwide to rival the English Premier League.

“The players, as they have notified to AFE, are surprised and upset over not being consulted in an agreement that directly affects them. With their decisions, La Liga is distancing the fans from the players, something that damages the show and the essence of football.” the statement continued to read.

“The players again feel marginalised when it comes to making decisions while we feel that they are the main stars and that their opinions are crucial.” It concluded.

La Liga has already started with Real Madrid and Barcelona winning their opening fixtures.

La Liga is contested by 20 teams, with the three lowest-placed teams relegated to the Segunda División and replaced by the top two teams in that division plus the winner of a play-off.

62 teams have competed in La Liga since its inception. Nine teams have been crowned champions, with Real Madrid winning the title a record 33 times and Barcelona 25 times. Barcelona won the inaugural La Liga in 1929 with Athletic Bilbao claiming several titles in the league’s early years. Barcelona and Real Madrid dominated the championship in the 1950s, winning four La Liga titles each throughout the decade. Real Madrid dominated La Liga from the 1960s through the 1980s, when Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, and Real Sociedad won the league twice in those years. From the 1990s onward, Barcelona has dominated La Liga, winning 15 titles. Although Real Madrid has been prominent, winning 8 titles, La Liga has also seen other champions, including Atlético Madrid, Valencia, and Deportivo de La Coruña. In the 2010s, Atlético Madrid became an increasingly strong team, forming a trio alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona.

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