'LaLiga is light years away from Premier League' - Former Gunner Santi Cazorla slams LaLiga

Santi Cazorla, the experienced Spanish midfielder, has launched a scathing attack on LaLiga, the competition he plays in with Real Oviedo. The 41-year-old compared the Spanish top flight to the Premier League following an incident during the latest round of fixtures.

Oviedo were due to face Rayo Vallecano at Vallecas in matchweek 23 of LaLiga. However, the match was postponed due to poor pitch conditions caused by bad weather. The decision to postpone the game came after the Asturian side had already travelled to Madrid for the clash.

© Imago

Cazorla does not mince his words

Taking to social media, the player was blunt and did not hold back in his criticism of the league presided over by Javier Tebas. Having played for Arsenal between 2012 and 2018, the midfielder was direct in his comparison between the two leagues he has experienced.

"The reality is that LaLiga is light years behind the Premier League in every sense," Cazorla wrote.

In a statement, the league explained that the pitch "does not meet the necessary safety conditions for the match to take place." Rayo Vallecano, as the home side, had worked throughout the week to try to maintain the schedule, but the weather conditions were not favourable and did not allow the event to go ahead.

La realidad es que la @LaLiga está a años luz de la @premierleague en todos los sentidos.

— Santi Cazorla (@19SCazorla) February 8, 2026

Controversy intensifies behind the scenes

After the match was postponed, Real Oviedo formally requested that the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) award them victory and the three points.

The club, through an official statement, guaranteed that they will defend their interests on all fronts and that they felt aggrieved by the change, given they were already at the venue, as were their supporters who had travelled to Madrid to watch the match.

"Considering that many supporters were forced to interrupt or cancel their trips, incurring transport, accommodation and other costs, without being able to attend the match for which they had organised their trip in advance, our organisation, together with the Real Oviedo Supporters' Association, is studying all possible avenues to claim from the competent authorities the determination of responsibilities and reimbursement of the economic damages caused to our supporters," the club wrote in a statement.

"All information collected will be used exclusively to assess the real impact of what happened and to support any actions that may be taken in defence of our supporters and the Club itself, parties affected by a situation that should never have happened," the club added, having sent out a form to reimburse supporters who had travelled to the venue.

Rayo Vallecano vs Real Oviedo, which was scheduled for Saturday (7th), has not yet been rescheduled by the league.