MADRID.- The Belgian goalkeeper real Madrid, Thibaut Courtoischarged this Tuesday against the celebration of the league match between the Villarreal and the Barcelona in Miami, USAon December 20, ensuring that “it adulterates the competition.”
“It’s easy to talk about the NBA, the NFL. The NBA has 82 games where in the end they play for a playoff spot that doesn’t change anything; the NFL is voted for by the owners of all the teams,” Courtois began at the press conference prior to the Champions League clash against the Juventus.
“Here it is the complete opposite,” continued the Belgian goalkeeper, criticizing that LaLiga has made the decision without taking into account the players: “It adulterates the competition” and “does not comply with the players’ agreement,” he reiterated.
In this way, the Belgian footballer joins the recent criticism against his coach’s game in Miami Xabi Alonso and its captain Dani Carvajal.
Faced with LaLiga, Real Madrid has always opposed the relocation of league matches.
Courtois, who will play his 300th match with the Madrid team, believes that all teams must play in their own field and in that of their rival.
“Playing at home is not the same as playing away. Playing away from home in LaLiga is very complicated, as has happened to us against Real (Sociedad), Getafe. Villarreal away is difficult,” he said.
At the same time, he attacked the president of LaLiga, Javier Tebasdue to censorship during the 15-second protests at the start of last weekend’s games carried out by the players and which were barely seen on television broadcasts.
“I don’t know what surprises you because he has been doing these things for a long time, making public responses, on networks; I have never seen a president of a league, of any sport, speak like that. Hiding it and, furthermore, changing why we are protesting is censorship and manipulation and it is serious,” he said.
Download against Laporta
He also referred to the words of the president of Barcelona, Joan Laportawho hinted at a possible white hand in the arbitration.
“Laporta says what he has to say about the Negreira case,” he said in reference to the case that is being investigated for payments from Barcelona for years to the former leader of the arbitration team, José María Enríquez Negreira.
“I have never noticed that they have favored us, quite the opposite. The referees are human, like the players and coaches, and there can be mistakes,” he concluded.
