Accused of prioritizing profit over player health, La Liga receives a warning of an unprecedented rebellion.

La Liga is encountering severe criticism from the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) due to the new season's kick-off calendar.

Dispute over the new season's fixture list

The controversy arises in the context that La Liga's 2026/27 season is scheduled to start on August 16, less than a month after the 2026 World Cup ends on July 19. Meanwhile, the Premier League will not start until August 21, Serie A begins on the weekend of August 22-23, and the Bundesliga waits until August 28.

Notably, the Bundesliga even confirmed that this season is delayed by a week compared to usual due to the World Cup's impact. The AFE had requested La Liga to postpone the opening day to around August 21 to give players more rest and preparation time, but this was not accepted.

In an interview with AS, AFE President David Aganzo did not hide his dissatisfaction. According to him, the issue is not simply that La Liga starts earlier than other leagues, but that players are increasingly having less recovery time between long seasons.

"In the past, we had nearly two months of preseason to reach peak condition. Now, players almost have to cut their 21-day vacation short to prepare,"President Aganzo shared.

The most affected are the players who just participated in the World Cup. According to Mr. Aganzo, some were still playing on July 19, but only a few weeks later they had to prepare to return for the first matchday of La Liga.

This means the short period between two tournaments must include vacation, physical and mental recovery, and the preseason phase. Mr. Aganzo believes the most obvious consequence of this situation is the risk of injury.

"Rest, both physical and mental, is necessary. After that, players need a good preparation process to be fit to compete,"the AFE leader emphasized.

"Television money is always prioritized"

When asked by AS whether television interests are being placed above players, Mr. Aganzo replied succinctly: "Always."

According to him, La Liga may claim they protect players, but the way the schedule is built shows that business interests and television rights are still prioritized. Mr. Aganzo also pointed out a paradox of modern football. The number of tournaments and matches keeps increasing, yet the top players are still the ones who have to appear most frequently. Some players must maintain a Wednesday-Sunday match schedule for months, almost without a significant break, and very little time for family.

The AFE president also refuted the viewpoint that often arises whenever players speak out about the schedule: they are paid very high salaries, so they must accept the corresponding workload.

"No player holds a gun to a club president's head to force them to sign a contract. If they pay a player 10, it's because they have the ability to generate value of up to 20 for the club,"he said.

Warning of a protest

Most notably, the AFE president believes that the current situation cannot last forever.

"La Liga, FIFA, UEFA... each side defends its own position. The only ones who have to endure and play all the matches are the players. But they are the least cared for and have the least voice. There will come a time when players have to stop and stand up. They will have to decide for themselves,"Mr. Aganzo stated.

This is not entirely an unfounded threat. The AFE has previously demonstrated its ability to mobilize players' voices in the controversy surrounding the plan to bring a La Liga match to Miami.

According to Aganzo, it was the pressure from players that was one of the reasons why this plan could not be implemented as expected. He also believes that the current generation of players is increasingly aware of the role of the union and their own rights.

"They know the number of matches they have to play is not normal. They have families, they want space, time, and a private life. Some players go through six months of continuous Wednesday-Sunday matches with almost no time to see their families,"Aganzo said.