Following a three-hour meeting, the Spanish Basketball League (ACB) and the players' association (ABP) reached an agreement regarding the social fund, "which had caused talks between the organizations to break down" and led the ABP to call a strike ahead of the Copa del Rey, which starts Thursday, according to Carlos Santos of MARCA. With the strike "called off, the tournament will take place as scheduled and Spanish basketball breathes a sigh of relief." Under the agreement reached on Tuesday, the social fund, "on which the structure of the ABP is dependent, will remain in its current form for the next two years." The ACB will continue to contribute €315,000 ($389,200) per year. Starting in the second year, the ABP "will begin to use a system of quotas with its partners," and the ACB will reduce its contributions, paying €280,000 ($346,000) in the third year and €270,000 ($334,000) in year four. The new collective bargaining agreement "will also include increasing players' salaries by 10%" (MARCA, 2/13). Santos also reported ACB Secretary General Esther Queraltó said, "We are very satisfied. For us, this [the Copa del Rey] is the most important thing." She added that thousands of fans "will be able to travel and enjoy the games" and praised "the generosity of the clubs, without which the agreement would not have been possible" (MARCA, 2/13). Santos also reported ABP President Alfonso Reyes said, "It is a great day for Spanish basketball. We leave with a new relationship between the players and the clubs. It is a starting point to face new challenges. It is time to enjoy the Copa, which is our crown jewel" (MARCA, 2/13).
UNCERTAIN FUTURE: In Madrid, Robert Álvarez reported the future of ACB club Joventut "is once again being seriously threatened due to the organization's grave economic problems." The club "suffered a setback after the Badalona City Council said that it no longer considers its agreements with Joventut viable." The news "has already begun to force the team to delay payments to employees and players." The "club is also in second-to-last place in the ACB, putting it in danger of relegation" (EL PAÍS, 2/12).
