Footballers, on the warpath for training rights

The Women's Football has returned to the warpath. This time, because of the thorny issue of training rights, for which several clubs have put a price on the players trained in their quarries who end their contract this season in case they sign for another team in the First Iberdrola -not if they sign for a foreign team-.

The problem has gotten to the point that the union ‘Footballers On’ announced on Thursday that it has filed before the National Court “a class action lawsuit” against the Association of Women's Soccer Clubs (ACFF) and the Association of Spanish Soccer Players (AFE).

Through an official statement, she explains that “only the cancellation of the Compensation List is being requested, which in no case affects the rest of the I Women's Soccer Collective Agreement.” And adds that due to “the resounding negative of the ACFF and not even an answer from AFE”, The union“ has had no choice but to resort to the National Court ”.

In the agreement signed last February, a compensation list was established through which the clubs set certain amounts to be paid in the event that players under the age of 23 who end the contract decide to leave for another club in the Spanish league. .

It is a clause established in Article 20 of the agreement and that affects 17 players. Their home clubs request amounts ranging from 10,000 to 500,000 euros. The case is that ten of these 17 players have taken to the National Court through iencia Soccer Players On ’their fight for what they understand to be an unfair situation considering the payment of this clause to be abusive

The clearest example is that of Dámaris Egurrola, Athletic Club midfielder, who must pay 250,000 euros to the rojiblanca entity in case of signing for Real Madrid, as the latest rumors indicate, although not in case of calling at PSG or Chelsea. As to Ona Batlle and Eva Navarro, both from Levante, the club's message has been clear: if Barça or Real Madrid want them, they will have to pay 1 million euros for both – the clause of each one is 500,000 euros – figures far removed from women's football.

In the case of Barça, the list includes five youth players, who should pay the figure of 100,000 euros each in case of signing for another club: Candela Andújar, Carla Armengol, Claudia Pina, Gemma Font and Laia Codina.

Barça youth players Laia Aleixandri, Ona Batlle, Paula Fernández, Berta Pujadas, Candela Andújar, Anna Torrodà and Claudia Pina pose in a report for FCB.
Barça youth players Laia Aleixandri, Ona Batlle, Paula Fernández, Berta Pujadas, Candela Andújar, Anna Torrodà and Claudia Pina pose in a report for FCB.

It should be noted that the seven players who have not joined the ‘Footballers On’ initiative have not done so of their own free will, despite the fact that some media have claimed that it was “for fear of retaliation”. Nothing is further from reality. Non-signatories take their cases on their own or do not see this clause abusive.

Last week, a mediation act took place in which AFE, Footballers ON and ACFF participated in the SIMA, although no agreement was reached, so everything is still up in the air. The idea is to find a consensus to cancel said compensation list or to limit the amount required by the clubs.

“We appreciate the commitment and the struggle of the affected players. Especially those that, even without suffering such abusive clauses, have lent their support in solidarity with the rest and with the community. The same solidarity that they also demonstrated when we from the ON footballers called for a strike in view of the fact that the Collective Agreement was not yet becoming a reality. Because commitment is demonstrated by fighting. We will continue ”, concludes the statement from ON Footballers.

Compensation List

Eva Navarro (Levante) 500,000

Battle (Levante) 500,000

Damaris (Athletic) 250,000 euros

Maite Oroz (Athletic) 250,000

Andújar (FC Barcelona) 100,000

Armengol (FC Barcelona) 100,000

Pina (FC Barcelona) 100,000

Font (FC Barcelona) 100,000

Codina (FC Barcelona) 100,000

Longa (Logroño) 20,000

Velázquez (Logroño) 10,000

Luzuriaga (Logroño) 10,000

Laura D. (Madrid CFF) 15,000

Portales (Madrid CFF) 15,000

S. Rubio (Madrid CFF) 15,000

Torrodà (Espanyol) 20,000

Julve (Espanyol) 15,000