Spain set to reintroduce Monday matches
Reuters - Wednesday 27 January 2010, 12:23
MADRID - The Spanish football federation
(RFEF) and the professional football league (LFP) have agreed to
reintroduce La Liga matches on Mondays from next month.
If clubs give the go-ahead, top-flight matches could take
place on Mondays from February 8, the RFEF said on its website.
"It's clear this move was needed to extend the range of what
is offered on television because the Spanish league was at a
disadvantage compared to other championships like the (English)
Premier League and the (German) Bundesliga," LFP vice president
Javier Tebas told As newspaper on Wednesday.
"Many clubs are due to renew their TV contracts in 2011 and
this agreement will allow them to be worth much more than they
would have done."
The deal between the RFEF and LFP also foresees playing one
second-division match on Fridays.
Tebas dismissed the claim that staging matches on Mondays
for two seasons in the 1990s had not been a success.
"I am sure Monday is a great day for people to watch
football because many are at home and you could say the same
about Fridays," he told As.
The LFP has also been mulling the idea of staging weekend La
Liga matches earlier so that Asian viewers can see them more
conveniently, a move supported by clubs like Real Madrid who
want to raise their profile there.