Spanish football league warns top games could be cancel because of strike

Spain’s football league is urging players and officials to abandon a threatened strike against the sharing of broadcasting revenues. Players from top teams including Barcelona and Real Madrid have joined officials of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in threatening to boycott the last games of the season from 16 May.

Barcelona player Luis Suarez celebrates after he scored a goal against Villarreal during their Spanish King's Cup semi-final in Villarreal, March 4, 2015. Reuters/Heino Kalis

They are protesting against the terms of a new law that obliges broadcasters to negotiate collectively with the league for the lucrative rights to screen matches and redistribute the revenues.

They say it does not give a fair share of television revenues to smaller lower-league clubs.

The league has long been vying for control of Spanish football with the RFEF which governs the lower leagues and amateur football in Spain.

Javier Tebas, the head of the league, warned in a press conference on Monday the strike “would do serious harm” to the sport.

"They are the ones who have called the strike and they are the ones who must call off these stoppages," Tebas said. "It is not only professional football that is concerned but also the football that they claim to care so much about: the third division and amateur football."

He spoke after an extraordinary meeting of the league body, which represents the top two divisions of Spanish football including the Primera Liga.

Tebas said the league had filed a lawsuit against the player’s union, warning the strike could cost 50 million euros per match in lost revenues.

If the stoppage was to go happen, the league would not be the only one disappointed.
It could affect top-flight games this coming weekend, including Atletica Madrid versus Barcelona.