Spanish Soccer Fans Use ‘The Simpsons’ During Elaborate Protest

Fresh off an episode voicing their opinion on fracking, and recently taking a side on Scotland’s independence referendum, The Simpsons have logged a complaint about another big issue: soccer kick-off times.

Alright, this isn’t an official statement by any stretch of the imagination, but dammit: the folks behind the protest did their homework.

While some fans of the Rayo Vallecano La Liga football team of Madrid expressed their displeasure by standing behind the goal during Monday night’s match versus Eibar, other protestors were a bit more creative.

The two seating sections which die-hard fans (the “Bukaneros”) usually occupy remained completely empty until just prior to kick-off, instead erecting a giant banner in their place which read: “No to football on Monday,” as well as a scene depicting the fictional family’s famed living room, complete with their beloved TV. Some fans even dressed as various Simpsons characters to protest the Spanish Football League (LFP) time regulations.

Numerous other slogans were displayed, including much-quoted lines from the show, such as Helen Lovejoy’s “Won’t somebody think of the children?” and a Ralph Wiggum-style statement saying, “I like Mondays, I am special.”

In a rare show of solidarity, the opposing team’s fans even joined in the cause, holding their own banner featuring Otto complaining about driving conditions on Mondays.

This isn’t Rayo fans’ first rodeo either. Last year, the Bukaneros left their seats empty during a way-too-late 11pm game against Levante. The sole onlooker duo that attended were dressed as Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie in sleeping bags under a sign reading: “Please keep the noise down; it’s sleep time, not football time”.

A month later, the same group also staged a mock funeral in their section, even bringing a casket along to lament the death of “the soul of football.”

Back in 2012, Rayo fans cut electricity to the stadium’s floodlights during a nighttime match against Real Madrid. It had to be postponed until the next day.

So why choose The Simpsons as the spokespeople for their cause? Most likely because the show and its characters are famous worldwide, and thus more apt to bring attention to their cause. If anyone wishes to question the effectiveness of this strategy, just consider that the story is now being covered by an obscure cartoon website based in the states, in an article written by a guy who cringes every time he has to refer to soccer as “football.”

[via The Independent]