Association of Spanish Footballers fumes at LaLiga's US agreement

The Association of Spanish Footballers has criticised LaLiga's deal with a multinational media, sports and entertainment company that is set to see top-flight games hosted in the United States.

On Thursday LaLiga and Relevent, the group behind the International Champions Cup, announced a 15-year partnership that includes plans to bring regular-season league games to America for the first time.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas expressed his hope that the arrangement would "give a major impulse to the popularity of the beautiful game in the USA and Canada", yet Spain's players' union has reacted angrily to the proposals.

A statement from The Association of Spanish Footballers read: "In relation to the agreement that LaLiga and the company Relevent have signed, AFE shows its strongest protest.

"LaLiga dispenses with the opinion of the players and engages them in actions that only benefit them, regardless of the health and risks of the players, and much less the feeling of the social masses of the clubs they will force to compete in North American territory once a season.

"David Aganzo, president of the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE), makes his complaint public and points out that 'the footballer is not a currency that can be used in businesses that only benefit third parties'."