( CNN ) -- Crisis club Racing Santander has been thrown out of next season 's Copa del Rey after its players staged a bizarre on-pitch boycott of a quarterfinal tie against Real Sociedad . The protest Thursday saw Racing players link arms on the center circle and refuse to play the second leg . They needed to pull back a two-goal deficit to earn a last four clash with Catalan giants Barcelona , but months of frustration over unpaid wages boiled over . The match was quickly abandoned but the Spanish football federation ( RFEF ) reacted Friday by imposing the penalty and a fine of â‚¬3,000 ( $ 4050 ) on the stricken Cantabrian club . A statement on the federation 's official website said its competitions committee had awarded the tie to Basque side Real Sociedad , who had led 3-1 from their home leg . `` The non-appearing club will not be able to participate in the next edition of the Copa del Rey , '' it read . The Racing players , who were applauded by their home fans in the El Sardinero , had warned before the match that they would take action unless club president Angel Lavin and his board resigned . Substitutes and staff -- including coach Paco Fernandez -- who has reportedly not been paid for sixth months -- performed the same gesture of defiance on the touchline before the referee Gil Manzano called a halt to the proceedings after less than a minute . Fernandez told a post-match press conference that he was proud of his players for the stance they had taken and the support they had received . `` We feel touched . We regret having to make this decision but we have done it out of respect to football , the sport that we love , and to ourselves , '' he said . `` I want to thank my players for their bravery . Today was the biggest game of our lives and we have done it for our dignity . Without the fans ' support , today 's decision would have been very difficult to take . '' Racing had reached the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey after upset victories over La Liga top-flight sides Sevilla and Almeria , despite languishing in Spain 's third division . The majority of the club 's 101-year history has been spent in the top division of La Liga themselves with a sixth-placed finish as recently as 2008 . But plagued by debt , Racing suffered two straight relegations as well as entering administration .
Racing Santander players stage boycott of Copa del Rey quarterfinal . Angry about unpaid wages at cash-strapped club . Real Sociedad led 3-1 after first leg on their home ground . NEW : Spanish federation ban Racing from next season 's competition .