Threats of a delay to the start of the Spanish football season disappeared on Monday when eight first division clubs who do not have individual deals and the 22 second division sides agreed a TV rights deal with broadcasters.

The season can now go ahead from Saturday as scheduled following agreement on a three-year deal worth 260 million euros (283 million dollars) Spanish Football League (LFP) president Pedro Tomas said.

Over the three years Sogecable, which holds the broadcasting rights, will pay the clubs 84, 88 and 92 million euros.

The 12 clubs with the biggest pulling power in Spain, such as champions Real Madrid and Barcelona, have negotiated their own separate deals and the smaller clubs had threatened to pull the plug on the new campaign if they did not receive an acceptable deal of their own.

That stance had led the 12 - Real Madrid, Barcelona, Deportivo La Coruna, Valencia, Villarreal, Espanyol, Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Seville, Malaga and Murcia - to threaten legal action if the season was delayed.