March 26 – Spain’s 42 professional clubs have put strike plans on hold in order to give authorities more time to draw up proposals for a collective bargaining agreement for TV rights.
Clubs from the first and second divisions had considered downing tools on April 19 but have abandoned the idea, for the moment at least.
La Liga is the only top European league in which clubs negotiate their own TV contracts, with Real Madrid and Barcelona currently commanding €650 million, which equates to almost half of the entire league’s TV money. The huge disparity is causing untold problems for the majority of clubs in terms of trying to stay afloat.
Club officials meeting in Barcelona have now given the government 12 more days to make progress on a centralisation deal, according to Spanish league president Javier Tebas (pictured).
“There needs to be a (law) that regulates the sale of television rights,” Tebas said. “Without it, the reality is that Spanish football will drop to fifth or sixth in the European ranking.”
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