La Liga players announce strike to delay start of season

The Association of Spanish Footballers has revealed that the Primera Division won't kick off until a collective bargaining agreement has been signed.

The Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE) has announced that Primera and Segunda Division players will go on strike in the first two weekends of the 2011-12 campaign.

The players want a wage guarantee fund in case clubs become insolvent and won't play until a collective bargaining agreement has been signed between the AFE and the individual clubs.

"We are unanimous and firm in our decision to call a strike," AFE president Luis Rubiales said at a press conference on Thursday, as reported by Marca. "All the players in the Primera and Segunda Division support this decision. The competitions will not start until a new agreement between the league and the players has been signed."

Rubiales went on to say that La Liga must catch up to the rest of Europe in how the players are treated.

"We are behind all of Europe in this matter. The current situation is very lamentable. We are not asking for more money, but want contracts to be respected. All the players deserve the same treatment, regardless of the team they play for."

Several Spanish clubs are plagued by financial trouble and have struggled to pay their players' wages in recent years.

Mallorca was banned from playing Europa League football in 2010-11 due to financial worries, while Hercules made the headlines for all the wrong reasons last term when Royston Drenthe went on strike after not receiving his full salary in his first six months at the club.