MADRID, 15 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Royal Spanish Handball Federation (RFEBM) reminded ASOBAL this Wednesday 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-governmental nature.” professional”, and criticized that the association acts “unilaterally and interestedly”.
“As recognized by the Association of Clubs (ASOBAL), the ASOBAL Cup is an official, state-level and non-professional competition, so its organization corresponds solely and exclusively to the RFEBM,” explained the federation in a statement.
Thus, the federation responded to ASOBAL, which this Tuesday denounced that the RFEBM prohibits it from organizing the 2023-24 ASOBAL Cup and that for this reason it announced that it will take “administrative and legal measures” to demand responsibilities in the face of “a new attempt to suffocate economically and advertising ” to the league.
The entity chaired by Francisco V. Blázquez reminded ASOBAL that in June, at its General Assembly, the sports calendar for all national competitions was approved, “it being flatly false that this decision implied that the organizer of the ASOBAL Cup was the Association of Clubs”.
The RFEBM insisted that “it has always had as its sole purpose the promotion of Spanish handball”, although it clarified that this “does not mean that it can allow a private entity to exercise rights that do not correspond to it for commercial exploitation in a unilateral and interested manner.”
To go deeper, he alluded to the lack of a new coordination agreement between both entities as an essential element for the organization of a professional competition since the last one was resolved in 2021, at the end of last season. “Since the constitution of the professional league, the agreement has been resolved, and, on the other hand, as it becomes void, a regulatory agreement must be established between both entities, which to date has not been signed,” explained the RFEBM.
“Given the lack of dialogue on the part of ASOBAL, which sent a proposal for an agreement without giving any option for negotiation, on July 16, 2023, the president of RFEBM sent the request for initiation of the CSD to the general director of Sports of the CSD. procedure provided for in the second paragraph of article 96.2 of the Sports Law 39/22, to guarantee the proper start and development of the Men’s Honor Division,” added the RFEBM.
She reiterated that she “values the work that ASOBAL does”, although she “does not understand” that “it unilaterally invests efforts to organize a tournament that is not within its competence.” “The president of the RFEBM offered the president of ASOBAL to reach a specific coloring agreement for this competition, so that the commitments reached by the Association with third parties would not be harmed, as far as possible,” he said.
The RFEBM stressed that ASOBAL signed “agreements on rights that do not correspond to it” for this competition, “as already happened, with the contract signed with a television operator for the sale of the rights to its competitions, without legitimacy to carry it out, since that the agreement with the RFEBM had not yet been signed”. “It is surprising that ASOBAL speaks of a ‘space for dialogue’, when the RFEBM has had to urge the CSD to issue a resolution that would replace the Coordination Agreement,” the statement concluded.