MADRID, 14 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
This Thursday, ASOBAL showed “its most sincere disappointment” with the Royal Spanish Handball Federation (RFEBM) for forcing “once again a situation that affects the main assets of elite men's handball” due to the celebration of the Spanish Cup in detriment of the ASOBAL Cup and stressed that their clubs “have no obligation” to compete in it and that “handball is not a monopoly” of the entity chaired by Francisco V.Blázquez.
“The ASOBAL League wants to show its most sincere disappointment in the position of the president of the Royal Spanish Handball Federation, first generating and forcing, once again, a situation that affects the main assets of the state's elite men's handball, within the framework of the celebration of the Spanish Cup, a tournament that is not in the official calendar approved by the RFEBM Assembly and that, therefore, has no official character,” ASOBAL remarked in a statement.
The association reiterated that its clubs “have been forced to resign” from playing this competition due to the lack of “sufficient guarantees in writing to respect the rights acquired” with their sponsors and television operator by the RFEBM, and underlined “the surprise “unjustified claim” by the federative president, Francisco V.Blázquez, “who has received on up to two occasions the document that lists the commitments already closed for the organization of the ASOBAL Cup.”
In this sense, he explained that the first occurred “at the beginning of November”, while the second, “in the same vein”, was carried out “through the host club of the tournament”, Bidasoa, “without having received no answer.” “Mr. Blázquez's position was to demand the drafting – as a sine qua non – of a letter of apology and gratitude in terms that are unknown, since apparently no
The letter that the ASOBAL League sent to the RFEBM on December 7 was valid,” he pointed out.
“Everything, with the focus on the Spanish Cup, a tournament outside the calendar approved by the RFEBM Assembly, which did schedule the celebration of the ASOBAL Cup which, according to the agreements of the federative Assembly to which reference is made , was organized in accordance with the agreement in force at that time,” clarified ASOBAL, which stressed that its clubs “do not have the obligation to participate” in that Spanish Cup as it does not appear on the calendar.
The body chaired by Servando Revuelta makes it clear that the clubs, “with the intention of defending the interests” of handball, “for the good of the show and for respect for the fans, have always been willing to collaborate, without giving up at any time to the ASOBAL Cup, a championship that the federative president cannot prohibit since handball is not a monopoly of his entity”, and shows his surprise that the RFEBM “had not done anything to organize the Spanish Cup until there was a month left until the celebration of the ASOBAL Cup”, an event whose “existence and organizational position of ASOBAL has been admitted” by the federative entity.
“CHANGE OF CRITERION” OF THE RFEBM
Furthermore, the association believes that the launch of the Spanish Cup “collides head-on” with the request made by Blázquez, the captain of the men's team, Gedeón Guardiola, and the national coach, Jordi Ribera, to “advance the dates.” “of this ASOBAL Cup” to guarantee more rest time in order to prepare for the next European Championship since the RFEBM is “supposedly” the organizer of this Spanish Cup, so it can “adjust schedules and venue without depending on third parties.”
“The change in criteria responds only to interests that ASOBAL is unaware of and that directly affects the work in terms of sponsorship and audiovisual agreements that were already closed since last season, designing ahead of time what was intended to be a maximum ASOBAL Cup The RFEBM and its president agree to respect part of these contracts only due to the fear and possible liability that it has incurred for failing to comply with the statutes and agreements of its
Assembly itself,” ASOBAL continued.
It also “has no knowledge of the management that the RFEBM may have done with LALIGA+”, the audiovisual platform linked to the League.
ASOBAL, and argues that “the last three editions” of the Copa del Rey “had a presence, precisely, in the window of the strategic partner of the domestic competition, for a reason intentionally far removed from that used by the federation.”
“The agreement did not start from a hypothetical predisposition of the federative entity to respect ASOBAL's audiovisual agreements, but from a threat to ASOBAL itself regarding the possible withdrawal of powers over the transferred competitions. A gesture that finally caused the operator to request of ASOBAL agreed to share the signal,” he detailed, highlighting that Francisco V. Blázquez alleges that “his legal department did not draft what he wanted to say and that, although he signed it, the text of the contract with ASOBAL did not respond to the intention that according to he had to pick up.”
Finally, the association considers that the RFEBM “has recorded its intention to take good note of the position of
“ASOBAL also sends this statement to its 16 clubs, respecting its intention to keep them constantly informed,” he stated.