MADRID (AFP) - A Spanish court on Thursday suspended a planned strike by star footballers in protest against a new TV rights law.

The National Court ruled that allowing the strike to go ahead would "prevent the conclusion of the championship" and "cause a serious organisational disorder".

A strike would also disrupt the international commitments of Spain and its clubs, as well as players' holidays, the court added.

The AFE players' union announced last week that footballers would go on strike indefinitely from Saturday. The league, which controls clubs in the top two divisions, filed a petition to have the action declared illegal.

The court said the decision to suspend the strike was an interim measure while it studied the case, with a final ruling expected in June.

The stoppage threatened to halt the clash between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona on Sunday which could seal the championship for Barca.

It would also have disrupted the last league matches on May 23 and the Spanish cup final on May 30 between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao.