Game On

The Levante players confirmed at a press conference today that they had called off their strike and would play the last game of the season at the Bernabéu tonight. The players, who have not trained all week, have been asking for all their unpaid salary contributions over the past couple of seasons to be guaranteed and were using the game against Real Madrid as a very visible platform for their demands.

Earlier in the week, Bernd Schuster had said that the striking players had probably not picked the best game for their protest, as it would have been better to target games where there was something in play. Some intense negotiations, however, seem to have resulted in an agreement, described as "in extremis" by Levante captain Luis Manuel Rubiales. This agreement includes at least one and possibly two fundraising games (the first planned for next January) between the Levante squad and a selection of players from the Spanish league. Rubiales praised Real Madrid who had agreed to allow the Bernabéu to be used for the games at no cost and the players of both Real Madrid and Barcelona who made commitments to take part in the matches.