Dimitris Kouimtsidis
CORONAVIRUS has hit women’s football in Spain particularly hard.
The pandemic has stopped all football from being played nationwide, destroying the income for these teams.
On top of that, the clubs also have to deal with increased players’ wages, which are due to come in this month.
The agreement for increased wages was a historic moment for the women’s game, bringing minimum salaries to €16,000 per year for full-time contracts and €12,000 for part-time ones.
Most of the teams – especially those that don’t have the financial backing of a men’s club behind them – rely on ticket sales, advertising and television rights.
These have all been absent for the last two weeks and with the new and improved wages coming in, the clubs will lose even more money.
Granadilla and Sport Club de Huelva have both submitted a request whereby the Government subsidises 70% of the players’ salaries.
Madrid CFF and Logrono are two other team’s in the top division that are considering this idea.
The president of Logrono, Ivan Antonanzas said: “I’m talking to advisers, to have all the information possible before making a decision.
“We have to pay the wages as set out by the new agreement and in addition pay all the arrears from the beginning of the season.
“That’s about €60,000 or €70,000 for us,” he explained.
The Clubs’ Association is looking to negotiate with the players’ union (AFE), in order to delay the payments of arrears.
The AFE are open to this idea, as long as all the teams accept.
