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Spain moves closer to football strike as conciliatory talks fail

Xinhua, May 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Spanish Football season moved a step closer to ending in chaos on Tuesday when a meeting between the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), the players' union (AFE) and the Football League (LFP) ended with the three sides failing to move any closer to an agreement which would see the strike called to start on May 16th called off.

Both the RFEF and the AFE have called strikes beginning on that date over disagreements and lack of consultation with the LFP and the Spanish government over the recent decree passed in order to open the way for the collective sale of TV rights.

Tuesday's meeting was called as an act of reconciliation by Spain's arbitration services, SIMA, but with RFEF President, Angel Maria Villar not even attending, an agreement was always unlikely and declarations by AFE President, Luis Rubiales and LFP President, Javier Tebas made clear the lack of progress.

"The AFE has proposed reaching an agreement and for them to be implanted by the government, but the LFP don't want to negotiate.I repeat that we have offered our hand to reach an agreement, but they don't want to negotiate, although I suppose it's at least something that we have sat around the same table," he said, adding the players, "know what our rights are."

Tebas meanwhile made it clear there were limits to what the LFP would negotiate. "We have not advanced at all. We have offered three things to the AFE, but always within the score of the collective agreement, which is where we can talk," he explained.

The next stage of this sage will be in the National Court on Wednesday morning given that the LFP have denounced the strike as illegal. The Court will have to decide which of the parties is right, but could also decide that it does not have the authority to deal with the issue as happened in 2010.

If the issue is not resolved there will be no football this weekend or the following week and the Spanish league would be given as concluded with Barcelona declared Champions. Meanwhile a solution would have to be found for the final of the King's Cup, which is due to be played between Barca and Athletic Club Bilbao on May 30th. Endite