A Madrid court issued a last-minute ruling to end a player strike that had threatened to bring the La Liga season to a premature end, as well as preventing the final of the Copa del Ray being played. According to the interim ruling by Spain’s national court, the strike would have caused ‘grave organisational disorder’.
There would have been little prospect of playing the cancelled matches at a later date. Javier Tebas, the president of Spain’s professional league, had earlier warned that the stoppage could inflict financial damage of €100m.
A Madrid court issued a last-minute ruling to end a player strike that had threatened to bring the La Liga season to a premature end, as well as preventing the final of the Copa del Ray being played. According to the interim ruling by Spain’s national court, the strike would have caused ‘grave organisational disorder’.
There would have been little prospect of playing the cancelled matches at a later date. Javier Tebas, the president of Spain’s professional league, had earlier warned that the stoppage could inflict financial damage of €100m.
The court decision did not include a ruling on the substance of the case, which turns on the right of players to strike against a new law on Spanish broadcasting rights. This forms part of a broader Europe wide conflict as clubs, players, federations and (last in the queue) grass roots football try to maximise their share of enhanced television rights.
The players’ union was particularly angered by the provision in the new law which meant that only 10 per cent of the revenues would go to second division teams.