Spanish women's soccer is a mess as league goes on strike
Players in the top women's soccer league in Spain have decided to plan a strike based on pay discrepancies. Liga F players announced the strike just days prior to the start of the 2023/24 season. The athletes will remain on the sidelines for two full weeks. News of the strike adds to the turbulent times […]
Players in the top women’s soccer league in Spain have decided to plan a strike based on pay discrepancies. Liga F players announced the strike just days prior to the start of the 2023/24 season. The athletes will remain on the sidelines for two full weeks.
News of the strike adds to the turbulent times with women’s soccer in Spain. Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales previously made headlines around the world for kissing star Jenni Hermoso during Women’s World Cup celebrations. FIFA has since suspended the exec following a series of peculiar moves by Rubiales. Spain’s women’s team head coach, Jorge Vilda, was then fired on Tuesday.
Liga F players looking to increase minimum wages with strike
However, the Liga F strike comes as players failed to reach an agreement with league officials regarding minimum wage. The Spanish Players’ Association (AFE), a player union, had previously been in negotiations with the top-flight league up until the current week. Talks between the two sides previously began a year ago, soon after the league officially became professional.
The current minimum wage for Liga F players is about $17,000. However, players have been attempting to raise this to $26,000 for the current campaign and $32,000 ahead of the 2024/25 season.
“The aim is to make progress in these negotiations, to achieve fair and dignified treatment for women footballers, (and) to address and reduce the existing pay gap,” the AFE recently claimed in a statement.
League execs blame unions for lack of progress in negotiations
Nevertheless, Liga F officials see things differently. The League blamed the union for not budging on their demands. “The unions [negotiating on behalf of the players] showed absolutely no willingness to negotiate their salary demands,” stated the Spanish women’s top flight.
Liga F also claimed to be willing to raise their minimum wage to $21,000 ahead of the 2023/24 season. However, the unions would not agree to the deal. “The league, in order to avoid a strike, will not give in to pressure or accept proposals that would mean the economic collapse of the competition and, therefore, the failure of women’s professional football,” the league continued in their statement.
Spain’s triumph at the Women’s World Cup should continue to be the focus of the sport in the country. However, controversies have since gotten in the way of celebrating the nation’s success at the tournament.
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