Players and footballing staff at Spanish football club Racing Santander (Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D.) had declined to compete against Real Sociedad in the second leg of the quarter-final of the Copa Del Rey (King’s Cup) in protest at not having being paid for several months.
Players and footballing staff at Spanish football club Racing Santander (Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D.) had declined to compete against Real Sociedad in the second leg of the quarter-final of the Copa Del Rey (King’s Cup) in protest at not having being paid for several months.
Despite only being a third-tier team (following consecutive relegations from the Primera), Racing’s stand-off made the front pages of the two largest sports papers in Spain (AS and Mundo Deportivo).
By Friday evening, the Spanish Football Federation had had them banned from next year’s competition – and added a euro3,006 fine on top, just to rub it in.
The fans have been supportive of the players’ stance and blamed the club president and his deputies.
The pressure seems to have worked as by Saturday night (1st Feb 2014) a new president had been installed, Juan Antonio ‘Tuto’ Sañudo, along with a new board.