Barcelona and Girona followed in the footsteps of their La Liga rivals by standing still for the first 15 seconds of their top-flight clash on Saturday.
Hansi Flick's side emerged as 2-1 winners against the former Champions League contenders at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, but not before a protest against the league's decision to stage a match in the USA.
La Blaugrana are due to face Villarreal in Miami in December, a decision that has sparked uproar among the Spanish football community and has led to on-field protests.
Real Oviedo and Espanyol did not move for the first 15 seconds of their game on Friday night, and champions Barcelona followed suit in their showdown with Girona.
Some claps and some jeers could be heard as the two sides refused to play straight after the referee's first whistle, while the live feed of the match showed pictures of the outside of the stadium rather than the protest itself.
What has been said about Barcelona's La Liga match in the USA?
La Liga footballers protest by NOT playing football in first 15 SECONDS of every match.
Protest against Barcelona vs Villarreal playing an official match in Miami, USA. pic.twitter.com/volV61DT2G
— Gemma Soler (@gemma_soler) October 18, 2025
Following the decision to move Barca and Villarreal's game on December 20 to the United States, La Blaugrana boss Hansi Flick was one of those to express his disapproval at the plans.
"I understand that there are players who aren’t happy, but La Liga are the ones who decide, and we’ll have to play," Flick told the media. "We’ll have the Christmas break between the last game and the first game of the year against Espanyol. We have to respect that."
Barcelona and Villarreal were informed by the Spanish Footballers' Association that they did not have to protest themselves, lest they risk landing themselves in hot water with their club superiors, but the former stood in solidarity with Girona.
Key midfielder Pedri told reporters after the game: "We were not part of the [protest] but we felt that we needed to follow along out of respect for our fellow professionals."
However, controversial La Liga president Javier Tebas has staunchly defended the money-spinning plans, claiming that the initiative should drive more supporters towards Spanish football rather than away from it.
"What this does is bring more fans to watch football, whether they’re residents of that country or people from elsewhere who become interested, and it helps the sport grow," The Athleticquotes Tebas as saying.
"The market isn’t going to take fans away from LaLiga—quite the opposite. It’s a mistake to think this cannibalizes the national league. It doesn’t cannibalize anything."
What happened in Barcelona vs. Girona after protest?
Barcelona's Ronald Araujo on October 18, 2025
Once the showdown got underway 15 seconds late, Barcelona went ahead in the 13th minute thanks to midfield maestro Pedri, but Girona levelled just seven minutes later through Axel Witsel.
However, there would be one final twist to the tale in Flick's favour, as Ronald Araujo conjured up a 93rd-minute winner to lift Barcelona back to the top of the La Liga table.
La Blaugrana are one point clear of closest challengers Real Madrid, but Los Blancos can return to the summit by beating Getafe on Sunday.
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