Suit against the suspension of the League

Athletic Club, along with five other First Division clubs such as RCD Espanyol of Barcelona, Villarreal CF, Real Zaragoza, Real Sociedad, Sevilla FC, have filed a suit at the Civil Court of Madrid on 23 March against the League suspension. With the aim of contesting the resolution adopted at the LFP’s Extraordinary General Assembly meeting on 11 February 2011, which was to suspend the thirtieth First Division match day round of the National League Championship. Besides, in the suit a petition has been made for the implementation of certain provisional measures concerning the dispute of said match day round on the dates scheduled on the current match calendar or, at least, the matches of the six applicant clubs.

Furthermore, these clubs have written to the LFP, the RFEF and Mediapro, urging these to assign match times corresponding to the already mentioned thirtieth match day round and to appoint referees for these encounters.

Espanyol, Villarreal, Zaragoza, Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Athletic Club, in unison with Málaga CF, stated, on Tuesday afternoon, at the LFP’s First Division meeting that was convened by the latter, their opposing opinion to the suspension of the round, which came up against the opposition of the remaining 13 teams, who expressed their support in favour of the suspension.

Athletic Club and the representatives of the other five Clubs had put forward all kinds of arguments against the suspension, considering this measure to be disproportionate, inopportune, against the law, as well as against the interests of the clubs, the competition and the fans.

Athletic Club backs the claims made at the round of negotiations held with political parties and the Government. Which are the withdrawal of the compulsory nature of broadcasting matches for free and the withdrawal of the demands concerning the Gaming Law and their return to professional football, and the regulation of information rights, all of which are the Clubs’ legitimate rights, and in which some cases have been taken away, and are essential for the better expansion and growth of the competition. Nevertheless, our entity totally disagrees with the negotiation strategy and the forced measures taken.