La Liga’s players remain unconvinced that plans for an overseas game are in their best interest, the president of the players’ union, David Aganzo, said on Thursday.
The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) met with La Liga on Thursday in Madrid to continue discussions over plans to stage Girona’s home game against Barcelona on Jan. 26, 2019 in Miami and despite La Liga president Javier Tebas’ comments that the issue regarding the players “had been practically solved,” the latest developments suggest otherwise.
“Girona vs Barcelona has a 20 percent chance of being played in Miami,” Aganzo said after the meeting as reported in AS. “The footballers are the main stars in this sport.”
Asked about a possible strike, Aganzo said: “It’s one more tool and until the information given is adequate, they will not go and play in Miami. We don’t rule out going on strike. We believe the information given is not adequate and they have promised to expand it in the next 12 hours.
“From then on, with the information that the footballers have, they cannot go to the United States. We are missing information regarding the financial, health, schedule aspects…we want a proper report of everything that is going to happen to pass it on to our colleagues. The calendar varies and article 8 and 9 of the collective agreement will be modified. We want to know if the conditions are adequate.
“I don’t believe taking unilateral decision is the right way to go about things. They have apologised for the way they have done things but it’s not a case of apologising, but of doing things the right way.”
An AFE statement said: “AFE considers that the agreement signed by La Liga (with Relevent Sports regarding staging one league game in the United States starting this season) contravenes articles 8 (timetable), 9 (weekly rest) and 38 (joint actions of AFE and the National Professional Football League) of the current collective agreement between the two institutions.
“Regarding the league game Girona-Barcelona, that La Liga proposes to be played in Miami in January 2019, AFE considers that the information given (by La Liga) is not enough and manifests its surprise to know that La Liga, which signed a unilateral agreement with an American company (Relevent Sports), turns over the final decision to the clubs and the footballers. AFE will request in writing more information to La Liga with respect to this project.”
La Liga’s plans have been controversial and FIFA president Gianni Infantino expressed reservations.
La Liga also requires approval of the RFEF as well as Spain’s sports council, UEFA, U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF but does not need, according to Tebas, FIFA’s consent to stage a league game overseas.
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