The clubs of the ASOBAL League have decided not to participate in the Spanish Cup 2023, scheduled to take place in Irún on December 16 and 17, due to the lack of sufficient written guarantees from the Royal Spanish Handball Federation (RFEBM) to respect the acquired rights of ASOBAL’s sponsors and TV operator.
Members of the Spanish male handball elite have been forced to take this measure, which was approved without any votes against in the Extraordinary General Assembly held this Tuesday in Madrid, as the negotiations between the two parties – initiated a month ago – reached an inexplicable deadlock just days before the tournament.
ASOBAL sent the document listing event commitments to RFEBM President Francisco Blázquez weeks ago. Blázquez insisted on a written apology from Servando Revuelta, the ASOBAL League head, as a condition to maintain closed TV and advertising agreements.
After Tuesday’s assembly, ASOBAL clubs submitted a condensed document with commercial requirements to the federative entity’s top authority. They expected an appropriate response by today, Wednesday, December 13.
With no satisfactory reply, members of the Extraordinary General Assembly prioritize sport’s well-being over organizing the tournament. They won’t participate in an unofficial event, impacting RFEBM’s approved calendar. ASOBAL regrets the overall situation post the non-celebration of Copa Plenitude ASOBAL, approved by the RFEBM General Assembly held in last June.
Source: ASOBAL.es