Spanish Government introduce new rules to protect players wages

By David Gold

September 23 – The Spanish Government has agreed a new law which will prevent the countries’ clubs from using administration to avoid paying players’ wages.

The practise, which has been an increasing problem in recent years as a number of Spanish teams have gone into administration in the top two divisions, was a major cause of the players’ strike earlier this season.

La Liga was delayed by a week after players refused to play in solidarity with peers who had gone unpaid by teams in the lower leagues in recent years when their clubs hit financial troubles.

Spanish clubs have a combined debt of €3.5 billion (£3.1 billion/$5.1 billion), and the players’ union (AFE) have claimed that up to €50 million (£44 million/$67 million) in wages has gone unpaid to players whose clubs have hit trouble.

In the summer the Spanish league agreed new rules which would give them the ability to sanction teams whose finances do not fulfil certain criteria, through measures which could include the withdrawal of licenses or docked points.

“This reform…will prevent the undesirable use and abuse of certain instruments of the bankruptcy law and ensure stability and equality in sports competitions,” the Government said.

The AFE backed the plans, saying in a statement that “this change has been one of the main demands of the AFE for the past 18 months, achieved by the efforts of all the players.

“The main change is that any club starting insolvency proceedings will not be able to prevent the application of the rules governing participation in sporting competition.”

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