This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On August 16, 2019, La Liga was set to kick off its new season with a highly anticipated match between Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona at Bilbao's San Mames stadium. However, a bitter dispute between La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has thrown the season's schedule into chaos.
According to Luis Rubiales, the RFEF president, fixtures can only be played on Fridays and Mondays with the approval of the RFEF. This stance has been met with resistance from La Liga, which argues that it has the authority to set the dates and times of the calendar.
La Liga's position is that removing Friday and Monday matches would put existing television deals in jeopardy. "Broadcasters would begin to negotiate 30 per cent downwards," warned Jaume Roures, the president of Mediapro, who was presented as a witness by La Liga. "It would have very significant economic consequences," Roures added.
The RFEF, however, insists that the previous agreement with La Liga that allowed matches to be played on Friday and Monday expired in June. The slots have proven controversial in Spain, where Friday and Monday games have attracted disappointing attendances and been reserved primarily for the league's lower teams.
As a result of the dispute, a commercial court in Madrid has postponed its decision on the time and date of La Liga's opening games. The decision may not be made until Friday or even Monday, four days before the league had been due to begin.
