Spanish league tries to block game suspensions

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s professional football league (LFP) has taken legal action to overturn a decision by the football federation (RFEF) to suspend matches from May 16 because of a dispute with the government over a new law on television rights. The association’s announcement on Wednesday to halt matches, which was backed by the players’ union (AFE) on Thursday, threatens to throw the final weeks of the La Liga season into chaos and sideline some of the world’s top stars, including Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and rivals Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. The crucial final two matchdays in La Liga could be affected, as could the Copa del Rey final between Barca and Athletic Bilbao, because of a dispute over the way television rights are sold. New rules would replace the current system under which rights are marketed by individual clubs – unique among Europe’s top leagues, where collective bargaining takes place – and could lead to a sharp rise in prices for broadcasters when they come into force from the 2016-17 season. The status quo favours Real, the world’s richest club by revenue, and Barca. The new structure would still favour the biggest clubs, but to a lesser extent. LFP president Javier Tebas, whose relationship with his RFEF counterpart Angel Maria Villar has frayed, said the suspension would damage the image of Spanish football. “The damage would be terrible and far-reaching,” Tebas told reporters in Madrid. “Even from China they have expressed concern about the consequences this could have for our sponsors,” he added. “If the government gives in to this blackmail, we would be taking a step backwards in the renewal of Spanish football.” CABINET APPROVED The television rights bill was signed last week after months of cabinet delays and is designed to create a more level playing field for clubs in Spain’s top two divisions by distributing funds more fairly. Poorer clubs, particularly those with large tax debts, have been calling for rights to be pooled for years to help them make ends meet. But both the RFEF and AFE have opposed this and the two groups support the suspension of competition across Spanish football. Barca captains Xavi and Andres Iniesta and Real captains Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos were among the players who attended an AFE press conference in Madrid on Thursday, where the union complained that the television law did not protect their rights. The LFP reacted to the AFE’s decision to side with the RFEF by announcing it would petition a Spanish court on Friday to block the move. The RFEF accuses the government of a “lack of respect” and complains it was not properly consulted. It believes the law will strip it of some powers and is unhappy about plans to use money from football to fund other sports. The LFP said the RFEF’s decision was legally “invalid” and that it had taken “the appropriate steps with the relevant administrative and judicial bodies” to overturn it. Spanish law gives the LFP the right to organise professional competitions and set the match calendar, the league argued, demanding that disciplinary action be taken against those who voted for suspension. (By Iain Rogers, edited by John O’Brien and Keith Weir)