With just three days until the start of the season, the Reus Imperials, runners up to the Spanish crown in 2017 and a team expected to challenge for the title this year, have announced they are folding their senior team for the 2018 season. Citing financial problems and roster depletions, the team released this statement:
“This is probably the most difficult notification we have had to make as an executive board. The Reus Imperials have decided to give up the season for the senior team. The lack of financial guarantees and the team’s roster forces us to make such a tough decision. The Club will work vigorously to face next season. The remaining categories, women, juniors and youth, are not affected by this decision. We would like to thank the coaches Tim Bishop and Tom Mackay for their incredible hard work and we are deeply sorry for this situation.”
The decision by the Imperials comes as a total shock to the Spanish football world, especially after the league had expanded to 15 teams in three groups. This was a team that just a couple of weeks ago issued their annual prank statement, claiming the Netflix series Last Chance U would be filmed in Spain.
The Imperials reached the Spanish final for the first time in their history last year, losing in the final to the Badalona Dracs. They had beaten the Dracs earlier in the season.
The team had been scheduled to play in Spain’s Group A along with the Badalona Dracs, Valencia Firebats, Mallorca Voltors and L’Hospitalet Pioners. Their opening game of the season against Badalona was set for this Sunday.
Reus had risen from the depths of football in Spain under head coach Bart Iaccarino in the space of just a few short years and although Iaccarino had left this year to take over the Lazio football program in his hometown of Rome, Italy, had still been pegged to be one of the contenders to win the Spanish championship.