By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – In a major snub to the country’s national federation and its long-time leader, FIFA vice-president Angel Maria Villar Llona, Spain’s national court today blocked a proposed strike that would have thrown the end of the La Liga season into chaos.
Villar’s Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), backed by the players’ union (AFE), had ordered a shutdown of the final two rounds of league games, plus the Copa del Rey final, in protest at a new law – passed by the Spanish government and supported by the Spanish league (LFP) – that will introduce collective bargaining for domestic television rights from 2016.
They claimed the new deal favours top-division players over those lower down the pyramid but the court has lifted the strike allowing Barcelona to win the league on Sunday with a game to spare if they beat current champions Atletico Madrid.
The Spanish Cup final will also go ahead as planned on 30 May.
The dispute reached the courtroom on Wednesday with the league’s lawyer Javier Suarez urging the planned action be called off because the economic damage “would be impossible to repair”.
He claimed the strike could cost the league about £36 million (€50 million) per match day in lost revenues. LFP president Javier Tebas had already described the proposed move as “insane” but AFE president Luis Rubiales said on Wednesday: “I am convinced this strike is legal. Our lawyer took apart, one by one, all the points raised by the other party.”
Whilst the court action represents a significant setback to Villar Llona and his supporters, it may not be the end of the matter.
Shortly before the verdict, it emerged that FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke had written to the government warning of the possibility of sanctions over alleged “interference” in the affairs of the national federation.
Valcke’s letter stated: “Articles 13 and 17 of FIFA statutes stipulate that the member associations should manage their affairs independently and ensure that no interference is permitted by others organisations in its internal affairs.”
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