The AFE last week issued a warning that action would be taken if a “minimum agreement” was not reached with the Spanish Football League (LFP). At a news conference on Thursday, the AFE claimed the support of more than 100 La Liga players, including Spain internationals Iker Casillas and Carles Puyol, along with representatives from international players’ union FIFPro, France, Germany and Italy.
The AFE is demanding a larger emergency fund to assist players who are not being paid by clubs in administration. Racing Santander last month became the latest club to seek protection from creditors, joining fellow La Liga clubs Real Mallorca and Real Zaragoza as well as all three teams promoted to the first division at the end of last season – Real Betis, Rayo Vallecano and Granada – in administration.
The AFE revealed Eur12 million was owed to approximately 100 players last year, with this increasing to Eur50 million and 200 players by the end of the 2010-11 season. Although negotiations will continue ahead of the start of the new season on August 20, AFE president Luis Rubiales said the players were ready for a work stoppage. “We are unanimous and firm in our decision to call a strike,” he said, according to Reuters. “The league will not commence until a new agreement (between the LFP and the players) has been signed.”
Rubiales continued: “It is lamentable. As it stands we are at the bottom of the pile in Europe. We don't want more money – we want the clubs to honour the contracts they sign with their players. We have put forward proposals which exist in Holland, Germany, France and England which are preventative. In these countries if a club shows it can't pay its players the club doesn't compete. We have asked that players who are owed more than three months (wages) can break their contracts. It seemed like we had an agreement but it was left out.”
The LFP has reacted with surprise to the AFE’s announcement, stating their belief that the league had “adopted two historical changes to Spanish football that corresponded to the players’ requests”.
The changes correspond to a new financial self-regulation model for clubs and a guaranteed fund to protect a proportion of players' wages at clubs in administration. “For this reason, the calling of a strike at a moment when fundamental steps forward are being taken is incomprehensible for the LFP,” the league said in a statement.
