LA LIGA PRESIDENT Javier Tebas has hit out at Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, saying the “state-run” clubs are ruining European football.
Man City, owned by Sheikh Mansour, a member of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates and PSG, owned by Qatar Sports Investments, have both achieved huge domestic success in recent years in part due to their big-spending ways.
Both clubs have also been forced to deny breaking UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules, with City currently facing a potential season-long Champions League ban.
Tebas believes that the clubs’ success has come at a huge cost to the rest of Europe, with teams unable to compete against clubs funded by “petrol money.”
Speaking at the Financial Times’ Business of Football summit, Tebas said: ”The problem with PSG and City is they’re state-run clubs: one off petrol money, one off gas.
“The damage happening on Euro football is massive because they are inflating the market so clubs have to pay ridiculous sums to keep their players.
“There are clubs who could not care less what their real incomes are when they want to sign a player because they receive incomes from a state.
“It forces other clubs into an economic situation which is really living on the edge. It skews the balance of the entire European football structure.
“This is no longer sport. This is no longer an industry. It becomes more like a toy, the plaything of a state.
“And when it’s a plaything, kids start playing with other kids. You end up ruining the entire system.”
Tebas, who has been La Liga chief for six years, also criticised the planned European Super League, which would provide a competition for the continent’s richest clubs without requiring them to qualify.
“The origin of this entire problem with the Super League is the inflationary effect that Manchester City and PSG have created across the whole of Europe because the rest of the clubs in Europe want money to compete with these guys,” Tebas said.
“There’s a lot in play here but the future of European professional football is at risk,” he said. “This is not a joke what is going on right now. And English fans need to know what every club thinks about this.
“Because the history of English football and its clubs is in danger. We need to be much more transparent about a Super League.”
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Agree with his comments in that regard but a bit rich coming from him as La Liga chief where Barca and Real carve up the TV rights with their own TV deals which dwarf the alms handed out to the rest. Could do with sorting his own shop too..
@alternativefacter: your right about the TV rights there has been slight improvement but still nowhere near enough in Spanish football
PSG and City just copying the financial doping model invented by the Spanish and Catalan governments.
@Stanley Baggins: that’s just plain ignorance. The Spanish government lost true control years ago over the sport . It wasn’t a plan it was just ineptitude . The Catalan government is a regional government and have nothing to do with it . Still you’ll get more likes cos people love to believe s#it€
He wasnt saying anything when Real were winning. How much debt has the goverment wiped clean for them?
@Kingshu: used to be the king, is the government at it now?
@Kingshu: he is the League President , he has two many enemies , the Spanish FA and UEFA/CL
@Dave O Keeffe: the King ??? Haha haha deluded ! That’s like saying it was Franco cos he was top dog in Europe .
The rest of the football world should seize & allow Real & Barca to dominate
Javier has made some excellent points.
It was okay when their lads were the biggest fish in the pond. I agree with him but its hypocritical on his part. The two he mentions can’t get within an ass’s roar of a final no matter how much they bend the rules.
@Hardly Normal: Wait
…at one point they were going to wind up Real Madrid. It would have taken the main Spanish banks down with them. State support???
@Tom McHugh: what point was that ? A date maybe ?
City’s record signing is £60 million, what is Barcelona’s or Real’s. And they apparently wanted this idiot to be chief executive of the Premier League.
@William Boland: city just buy buy buy and consistently price other teams out of signings. I think your forgetting PSG though. Remember the whole Neymar+Mbappe double transfer? That was beyond farcical
@William Boland: it’s not what they pay it’s who they pay it for ? Real and Barca also sell their players for often more than when signed , even Ronaldo’s fee for Juventus was technically more . Who do City sell for more than they paid for ??
@Limón Madrugada: in the last 5 years, who have City overpaid for? They got out of the race for Sanchez because they didn’t want to overpay for him, same as DeJong. You can say PSG City in no way created the market the way it is now.
@William Boland: I haven’t said they’ve overpaid for anyone . I’m saying if you spend 12 x50M that’s 600M whereas if you’re an extremely rich club like Real Madrid or Barca you spend 200M -300M because you’ve just sold Neymar , Ronaldo or even Morata for 70-100-250M , and you’ve picked up 100m for winning the CL .. or should I say 400M for winning it 4 times in 5 years . It’s the total spend that’s high not the price for the player .And how you generated the money to pay for him . Madrid generates 120M a year from Adidas alone . 120M from ticket sales . Barca even more . City don’t generate that income , but they can spend better than the best .
He’s right too..
But its ok for Barcelona and Real to buy La Liga every year
@Brysonpieters: Barca didn’t buy it this year . Nor last year . Madrid’s last League win included the European double and they made no significant additions to that years squad that made the difference . Madrid has spent its money recently on future players some of whom have just started to play a bit ( Vinicius Jr) or Rodrygo , yet to arrive . Their impact on Madrid’s league position is minimal