MADRID, 13 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The clubs of the ASOBAL League decided this Wednesday to “ban” the Royal Spanish Handball Federation (RFEBM) and not compete in the 2023 Spain Cup, which is being held in Irún this weekend, arguing that there are not “sufficient guarantees” of ” respect the acquired rights of the sponsors and television operator,” according to a statement.
“The ASOBAL League clubs have decided not to compete in the 2023 Spain Cup, which will be held in Irún on December 16 and 17, as there are not sufficient written guarantees from the Royal Spanish Handball Federation (RFEBM) to respect the rights acquired from ASOBAL's sponsors and television operator,” the Association announced on its website.
From the entity they reaffirmed that the men's clubs were “forced to take this measure”, approved “without votes against” at the Extraordinary General Assembly of ASOBAL this Tuesday in Madrid. Furthermore, the Association regretted that the negotiation with the RFEBM that began a month ago reached “an incomprehensible stalemate a few days before the tournament.”
“ASOBAL sent weeks ago the document that lists the commitments already closed for the organization of the event to the president of the RFEBM, Francisco Blázquez, who demanded a prior written apology from Servando Revuelta, head of the ASOBAL League, for taking charge of the organization of its tournament, as a prior step to agreeing to maintain the television and advertising agreements already closed in its capacity as organizer,” the entity reported.
And after the Assembly was held, the elite Spanish handball clubs “returned to transfer a document with the commercial requirements – in a more summarized format – to the top leader of the federative entity.” “He undertook to carry out the pertinent management, give a response and put it in writing within a maximum period that ended today, Wednesday, December 13,” the statement added.
However, ASOBAL insisted that there has been no “satisfactory response” from the RFEBM, the last reason why they will not compete in the Spanish Cup, putting “the good of handball before the need to be at the forefront as organizer of the tournament.” , “obliged to look after their interests and not be part of a tournament not included in the official calendar approved by the RFEBM Assembly due to the institutional impact of the situation.”
“ASOBAL deeply regrets the general photograph as a result of the non-celebration of the ASOBAL Plenitude Cup, approved by the General Assembly of the RFEBM held last June,” the statement concluded.
A month ago, the RFEBM reminded ASOBAL that the organization of the ASOBAL Cup corresponds “solely and exclusively” to the federative entity, since it is “an official competition, at the state level and of a non-professional nature”, and criticized that the association acts “unilaterally and interestedly.”
Blázquez even reiterated that the tournament would be held in Irún this weekend, after clarifying that “a private entity cannot exercise rights that do not correspond to it for commercial exploitation in a unilateral and interested manner,” in reference to the agreements closed by the Association with sponsors and the television operator.