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Lovers of Spanish football are in shock over sudden suspension of all games in country from May 16. This means penultimate and final, and championship-deciding rounds of matches in La Liga may not take place. This has happened because of dispute between Spanish football federation and TV companies over TV rights. suspension could affect more than 600,000 football players and 30,000 matches. It could not come at worse moment for La Liga as Barcelona lead rivals Real Madrid by just two points, with three games left to play. Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao is also under threat. Officials say there could be time for all parties to resolve their spat.

dispute is over new law drawn up by Spanish government that makes all teams bargain together over TV rights. Currently, country's top two teams, Barcelona and Real Madrid, are allowed to negotiate their own deals with TV companies. This means they are allotted nearly half of all TV money on offer. Spanish federation accused government of "lack of respect" over interfering in Spanish football. It also complained it had not been consulted properly on proposed new TV rights law. In another twist, players' union, Association of Spanish Footballers, has threatened to strike over being excluded from negotiations. Barcelona star Lionel Messi and others are backing this threat.