The LNFS clubs accuse the CSD and the Government of aligning themselves “suspiciously with the theses of the RFEF”

2023-04-20 00:53:33

The deadlines are running out and the protagonists of the futsal war do not move an inch their respective trenches. The loss of television rights threatens the National Futsal League (LNFS), holder of them until the summer, and for this reason it exhausts its last avenues to try to prevent the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) from taking over the full control of this sport. Meanwhile, from the federative lines they hope that the last great source of income for the employers expires with the support of the Government and the Higher Sports Council (CSD).

At least that is what the clubs that remain within the LNFS have come to denounce this Wednesday, which through a statement have expressed their deep discontent, even discomfort, with José Manuel Franco and the CSD for their inaction regarding to the request to professionalize the first division of futsal.

A day earlier, on Tuesday, the Government had explained its refusal to consider the professionalization of this sport due to its “lack of maturity and economic stability”, together with “the absence of solid labor structures.” Some arguments that provoked the forceful response of the LNFSwho in their official note, in addition to asking the president of the CSD for “an immediate and reasoned response” to their request, asked the Government to be more “prudent and plural” and not stick to “a biased version” of the matter.

“Faced with what they consider inappropriate administrative silence, the clubs demand, individually and showing their firm determination, the president of the CSD, José Manuel Franco, to offer an immediate and reasoned response to the request officially presented on October 7, 2022 for the qualification of the National Futsal League as a professional,” the statement begins.

The LNFS clubs, with their president, Javier Lozano

LNFS

The association explains that its clubs have sent burofaxes to the parliamentary groups of the PSOE and Unidas Podemos “to show their absolute disagreement with the criteria set forth by their political representatives to vote against professionalization in the Culture and Sports Commission.”

They also ask the Government and the CSD to be “more prudent and plural” when assessing this matter and “do not offer only a biased and distorted version” by questioning in Monday’s response “the lack of maturity and economic stability” of the clubs “with partial information offered by the RFEF, thus undermining the 34-year history that supports the LNFS.” “If they continue to do so publicly, in responses to questions from other parliamentary groups in Congress, both institutions they would be suspiciously aligning themselves with the denial theses of the RFEFwho only seeks his own benefit and not that of the sport, as he already demonstrated with his refusal to create the F League, “he adds.

“A Comparative Tort”

The LNFS chaired by Javier Lozano “urges dialogue and rigor” to the Government and the CSD so that they do not use data that “have not been verified and that lack foundation” about the aforementioned economic sustainability of the competition and the absence of labor structures solid, which he believes could be “publicly compared with those available to women’s football and handball at the time they achieved their professionalization.”

«The confrontation of the figures would expose the CSD and would clearly demonstrate that it is taking place. a comparative grievance with futsal and a tremendous loss for those clubs that scrupulously comply with the legal requirements for their competition to be declared professional”, he adds. The association recalls that the CSD has “an extensive report for months” where it can verify “the current figures of medical and media return” of the First Division and its clubs.

“The decision is being unjustifiably delayed, politicizing and instrumentalizing it to favor the interests of the RFEF through government inaction, thus breaking all the principles of fairness and transparency required,” he criticizes.

On Monday, the Government indicated that the CSD “is analyzing the referred matter, with the realization of a complete assessment of the existence of the legal requirements for this competition to be declared professional.” In this sense, he highlights that “although professionalization is not ruled out in the future, some elements are presented that reflect the lack of maturity and economic stability of the competition and the absence of solid labor structures.” «It should be noted the non-existence of a collective agreement and the lack of economic sustainability of the competitionwhich are necessary aspects established by article 83 of Law 39/2022, of December 30, on Sport, “he argued.

Among other reasons, the Government explained that according to the contract data available in the RFEF, “40 percent” of First Division players do not have an “employment contract”, a figure that increases to “60 percent”. in second. In addition, according to the available data on the contracts of players with a professional license, “90 percent” in the highest category “have a contract of less than 10 months”, while in the Second Division “it would be one hundred percent.”

Finally, he warned that the CSD is aware that the Association of Futsal Players (AJFS) and the RFEF National Futsal Committee are “against this request”, an opinion that is in line with the federation itself.