• Copa del Rey

Racing Santander players refuse to play in wage row

ESPN staff
January 30, 2014
ESPN analyst Steve Nicol reviews Racing Santander's strike


The Copa de Rey quarter-final second leg between Racing Santander and Real Sociedad was abandoned just seconds after kick-off on Thursday when Racing players refused to play in protest for alleged non-payment of salaries.

Because of Racing's forfeiture, Real Sociedad will play Barcelona on Wednesday's semi-final, after advancing 3-1 in the first leg.

The Racing players released a joint statement on Monday announcing they would boycott the second leg unless president Angel Lavin and his board stepped down. That did not happen prior to kick-off.

The home players turned up and completed their warm-up on Thursday. But when the first whistle blew and Sociedad kicked off, the Racing players moved in and stood arm in arm around the centre circle, with substitutes and coaching staff lining up in solidarity on the touchline.

Sociedad passed the ball between themselves in their own half for a while before kicking it out for a throw-in, at which point the referee signalled that the match was suspended.

Racing's board of directors is scheduled to meet Friday.

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