Prospect of further strike action in La Liga

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The prospect of further strike action in La Liga has emerged after the Spanish Football League (LFP) announced that it had terminated talks with the players’ union (AFE) on a wide-ranging agreement concerning wages and working conditions.

The LFP made the announcement on Thursday, outlining six main points of disagreement and bemoaning the “intransigence” of the AFE. The latest news comes just months after players called off a damaging strike that delayed the start of the domestic Liga campaign for the first time in 27 years. The AFE struck a deal with the LFP in August over wage guarantees and an arrangement to allow stars to break their contracts if they are not paid for three consecutive months. According to the AFE, 200 players across the top two divisions were owed a total of about Eur50 million in unpaid wages with several clubs in administration.

The agreement in August was always intended to be a temporary measure, with talks continuing between the two parties since then. However, the LFP has stated that an agreement has not been possible over issues such as a new salary structure, disciplinary measures and players’ image rights. “After months of talks, the LFP yesterday felt obliged to break off negotiations over a collective accord for professional football given the intransigence of the AFE’s position at the table,” the LFP said on Thursday.

Responding to the LFP’s statement, the AFE expressed its surprise at the move, adding that “we understand that this rupture is driven by other circumstances external to the negotiating table”. The union added that it was ready to restart talks, but suggested an official from the government’s sports unit, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) or the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) come to the table as an independent observer.

The AFE added: “The AFE Negotiating Commission does not understand or share this decision, or the reasons the LFP gave to justify it. We maintain our readiness to continue the negotiations. This stance of the LFP has been a surprise to AFE, given the good atmosphere existing between the parties in the different meetings of the negotiations.”