It has been confirmed that the players’ strike that has disrupted the start of the 2011-12 Primera and Segunda Divisions has ended, with the season due to now start with Week 2’s fixtures this weekend.
Marca and AS understand that the two groups – the Spanish Footballers’ Associtation (AFE) and the Spanish League (LFP) – have agreed a deal to end the union’s action that saw Week 1’s fixtures postponed and threatened Week 2’s games too.
Progress in talks centres on the League’s commitment to looking to change what happens when clubs enter administration, and to develop a plan to clean up the Spanish game.
It is also believed that the AFE have accepted the LFP’s offer to pay back all of the €50m clubs currently owe around 200 players in wages, and that the two parties were then discussing the terms of the wage guarantee fund for future unpaid wages across the coming seasons. This is believed to be a total fund of around €10-11m to cover payments per player at a set maximum fee, if their club enters administration. The League is again pushing that they cannot guarantee 100% of a player’s wage.
The two have been in discussions from 10.30am today, in their seventh meeting, that followed yesterday’s talks than ran into the early hours of the morning.
The second round of League fixtures are now set to go ahead this weekend, seeing defending champions Barcelona kick off the season at home to Villarreal, Real Madrid travel to Zaragoza, Getafe Coach Luis Garica Plaza begin his tenure against his former side Levante. Newly-promoted sides Granada and Betis face off against each other, whilst Sevilla and Malaga play out an Andalusian derby.
Week 1’s fixtures are now set to played on December 28, should the two find conformity that would now have to bypass another point in the players’ collective agreement that otherwise means they don’t have to play across the holiday period.
To make sure you don’t miss any of A Different League‘s Spanish coverage this season, follow the La Liga dedicated Twitter feed: @differentliga
Follow @differentliga
