Official Statement

On 8 May 2015, the president of the Sindicato de Futbolistas (AFE) sent all of the union's members the argument regarding the strike that they have decided to call. With regards to its concessions, La Liga would like to clear up that in the conciliation procedure held today the following proposals were made:

1.- That the concessions should be carried out within the framework of collective negotiations, which should preside over relations between the LFP and AFE.

2.- That with regards to the concessions signalled by Mr. Luis Rubiales, La Liga suggests the following:

• With regards to the following statement by Luis Rubiales in said letter to players about the "Constitution of salary guarantees through Law, similar to those formed in favour of the Tax Agency and Social Security, with which we also agree. This measure ensures that wages payments are not delayed".

La Liga has no problem in agreeing to this type of guarantee, in an extension of the agreement in order that player salaries are not paid late, remembering that players have fully guaranteed salaries with the current collective agreement, and that in recent years the LFP has proceeded to guarantee the approximate amount of €65 million.

• With regards to the following statement by Luis Rubiales: "The assigning of a percentage of the revenue to AFE, which would never decrease the amount allocated to clubs, which will go to social ends and principally will go to the creation of a Mutual Fund for all players of Primera, Segunda and Segunda B, in order that at the end of their sporting careers they can be incorporated into a new professional activity".

La Liga is prepared to form this Mutual Fund and to collaborate economically with it, by way of collective agreement, involving the RFEF, the players and other collectives such as referees.

• With regards to the following statement by Luis Rubiales: "An increase of the amount assigned to non-professional football (Segunda B and Tercera). Currently only 0.5% is assigned, including and preferentially women's football".

La Liga will look into the possibility of increasing this amount, not just within the framework of the collective agreement, but also in the agreement of organisation with the RFEF, which is the proper institution with regards to the organisation of these competitions.

● With regards to the following statement by Luis Rubiales: "Changing the distribution of payments between the two professional divisions. Currently the allocation is 90% to the first division and 10% to the second. We request that the distribution be 80-20, which would hugely benefit the second division clubs, without substantially reducing the payments to first division clubs. With a figure of one billion euro, this would entail a €100 million increase in the budget for the second division clubs, while the increase for the first division clubs compared to current figures would be €200 million".

The 90/10 distribution has been unanimously accepted by the Segunda División clubs. La Liga’s assessment of the system of distributing other forms of payments concludes that financial returns should be proportional, in a similar fashion to the rest of Europe. There is no sense in changing a model of distribution that has been completely accepted by the clubs.

● In response to the following statement by Luis Rubiales in his letter to the players: "Through this Royal Decree the penalty scheme has also been changed, despite not having any bearing on the television rights, thus hugely benefitting the LFP and causing an enormously detrimental effect on the rights of clubs and players. This is a hugely important point".

La Liga have manifested their willingness in order that all rules of economic control have statutory endorsement, and that they are subject to the control of the directors board of the CSD (in said organisation the AFE are present) and they are also subject to control of judicial organisations of administrative litigation. Remembering that some months ago the AFE were offered the chance to designate an expert to the Committee for economic control.


La Liga does not believe that matters to do with the relationship between business owners and employees can be removed from the collective negotiation process. The removal of these matters, which make up part of a Law, would not just result in damage to labour relations in Spain, but also act as an affront to the rest of the country's workforce, which no one would be able to understand.

In conclusion, La Liga has made a clear and generous offer to the AFE. A failure to call off this strike would be difficult decision to understand as, due to the Agreement, there is no way of bending to these demands, as has been the case for the last 25 years.