'R.I.P. Football': La Liga fans stage funeral protest against Monday Night Football schedule (VIDEO)
Fans of La Liga side Alaves mourned the switch of their fixture against Levante to a 9pm Monday kick-off as "the death of football" in protest against a trend of fixtures being moved to a late start to satisfy advertisers.
Supporters stayed outside of the club's Mendizorrotza Stadium for five minutes after the game started and held a 'mock funeral' once they arrived, implying that the late kick off time of 9pm on a weekday is too much to ask of fans and that fixture scheduling too often prioritizes the league's bigger side.
The scheduled start time of the match meant that it would be after 11pm local time before the majority of fans would leave the stadium.
✋ FANS DRIVE A POINT HOME ✋Two pics by @AlexandraJonson show @Alaves fans' protest due to scheduling games on Mondays:1) Stadium empty. People waiting at the door and will come inside in the 5th minute 🕛2) Fans, a la Game of Thrones, wearing black! 🖤#LLL🧡🇪🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/1bZIeebeR0
— La Liga Lowdown 🧡🇪🇸⚽️ (@LaLigaLowdown) February 11, 2019
Alaves fans tonight dressed in black and with mobile phones alight, all part of a 'mock funeral' for the death of the soul of modern football.pic.twitter.com/yVi16Crvjo
— Paul Reidy (@paulreidy67) February 11, 2019
Only around 200 fans were present inside the stadium for the kick-off before they filed in five minutes after kick-off. Many were dressed in black and they carried a large coffin into the stadium, chanting in opposition of La Liga Preseident Javier Tebas.
They then unveiled a sign referencing the 'death' of Spain's most popular sport.
"R.I.P. football," it read.
