September 7, (THEWILL) – Players from Spain’s top women’s league, Liga F, are carrying out strike action after negotiations to improve pay remained deadlocked, unions representing the players announced on Thursday.
Five unions, including the Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) and the Association of Women’s Footballers (FUTPRO), called for a strike covering the first two rounds of fixtures last week. In a joint statement, they said: “We consider Liga F’s final financial offer unacceptable and the five unions maintain a firm position on the minimum wage needing to reflect players’ talent.”
The unions said they had lowered their demand to a €23,000 minimum wage but Liga F refused to increase their offer above €20,000 annually. Currently the minimum Liga F wage is €16,000 per year. “After meeting Liga F players yesterday, they see the employers’ proposal as unacceptable and are upset at having to continue striking despite lowering their initial demand to €23,000 a year,” the statement added. “This would still be less than match referees earn.”
Pay and condition negotiations began a year ago when Liga F turned professional. The stalled meetings this week focused solely on minimum player wages. Matches were due to start between 8-10 September, with the second round on 15-17 September.
Last season, a refereeing strike disrupted Liga F’s first week. Eventually, referees got higher match fees and a retirement fund contribution from the government. Spanish women’s football has faced turmoil despite August’s World Cup win, including an incident between the Federation president and a player at the medal ceremony. Currently, 81 national team players are also striking over these issues.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
