October 27 – Spain’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of LaLiga having the right to set the dates and kick-off times for matches in the country’s top two leagues, including on Mondays and Fridays.
The ruling comes following a dispute that began in 2019, when then Spanish FA (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales, in conflict with LaLiga and its president Javier Tebas, refused to authorise games clubs, did not authorise Monday and Friday games.
The court has also left open the possibility for LaLiga to claim damages from the RFEF for the uncertainty and financial losses caused to clubs, in particular surrounding broadcast rights, where the ability to scheduled fixtures on different days and at different times is seen as key for broadcast sales.
Friday’s ruling dismissed an appeal filed by the RFEF against a previous ruling that deemed the RFEF’s actions to prevent LaLiga from scheduling those matches as unfair competition.
The court ruled that “the power to determine the dates and times of matches is part of the organization of the Championship, which falls exclusively within the competence of LaLiga… the coordination foreseen with the sports federation should only be understood as a mechanism to avoid conflicts with other national or international competitions, and does not imply any authorisation or veto power on the part of the RFEF.”
The decision gives LaLiga a degree of solace after last week being forced to pull its unsanctioned Villareal-Barcelona regular season game scheduled for December 20 in Miami, USA.
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