Borussia Dortmund supporters unveiled a profanity-laden banner targeting La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) before Tuesday’s Champions League tie against Villarreal in a protest against staging league matches abroad.
Villarreal had been scheduled to play December’s La Liga match against Barcelona in Miami, which would have been the first time a European top-flight league fixture has taken place in the United States, but this was cancelled in October.
Before Tuesday’s league phase match at Westfalenstadion, Dortmund fans situated in the ‘Yellow Wall’ unfurled three banners reading: “Home is where your heart is” and “Against all games abroad.” The third banner, written in Spanish, read: “P*** (f***) La Liga, P*** RFEF”.
Dortmund could face sanctions from UEFA once the governing body has reviewed the game, should it deem the banners “provocative” or “offensive”.
In August, the RFEF approved the request for December’s La Liga fixture, which was initially scheduled to take place at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica home, to be played in Miami.
La Liga had highlighted the financial and commercial incentives for hosting a game in the U.S, arguing it would have strengthened “the international presence of clubs, the positioning of players and the Spanish football brand in a strategic market”.
On October 6, UEFA approved Italian and Spanish domestic league matches being staged overseas in a landmark ruling, while reiterating its “clear opposition” to the plans. Serie A is planning to play a match between Milan and Como in Australia in February.
However, the planned La Liga match was the subject of persistent criticism, and in October teams staged protests against the proposals by not starting play for the opening 15 seconds of matches.
The event was subsequently cancelled, with promoters Relevent citing “the current uncertainty in Spain” and stating there was “insufficient time” to organise it.
The German Football League (DFL) has ruled out moving any Bundesliga matches abroad.
Dortmund fans have frequently used banners to stage protests during European ties. In November 2023, they threw fake money onto the pitch and displayed a banner appearing to criticise UEFA during a Champions League group stage fixture against Newcastle United, protesting the competition reforms.
They also displayed a banner reading: “Boycott Qatar 2022” during an October 2022 fixture against Manchester City ahead of the World Cup in the Gulf state the following month.
Dortmund were 4-0 winners over Villarreal on Tuesday.