By Paul Nicholson
March 6 – LaLiga has responded swiftly to a Madrid court ruling today that dismissed the league’s appeal against the RFEF’s decision not to authorise the Miami match between Girona and Barcelona that was going to be played January 26.
In a statement, LaLiga said that while it respected the decision of the court, it didn’t agree with it and that it would be filing an appeal.
The Madrid court ruled that the Spanish federation had not acted unlawfully or in breach of competition laws by not sanctioning the match in the US.
The court also emphasised that the organisation of an overseas match “must be ‘carried out in coordination’ between the RFEF and LaLiga, as already stated in other judicial resolutions of other disputes between these two organizations.”
LaLiga said in its statement that it does not dispute that the “competition must be coordinated with the RFEF, but this coordination cannot be based on arbitrary decisions and against the competitive market.”
It said that it will continue to defend its rights and those of its clubs saying that playing one match abroad is not uncommon – using the example of the NFL and NBA – and that for La Liga it would be both a positive growth for the league but also the RFEF. It said that its objective is “not only to grow but also to defend ourselves in the face of increasingly strong global competitions.”
Pointing out LaLiga’s international and commercial credentials. The statement said: “We will continue to work on the international expansion of LaLiga, which already has 11 offices and 46 delegates around the world, plus 100 million global followers on social networks in which we speak 18 languages, and more than 80 agreements with international television operators.
“LaLiga is Honorary Ambassador of the brand of Spain for the work it carries out in international relations, and the professional football industry generates 1.37% of Spanish GDP, creates 185,000 jobs and contributes 4.1 billion euros in taxes. By staging a LaLiga match outside our borders we can continue to grow and generate wealth for Spanish society as a whole.”
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