But never with so many fronts open as now and with a total bankruptcy at the institutional level. And above, in the context of the economic crisis that has caused the pandemic. One of the main battles of this war will occur today in the LaLiga assembly, in which the 42 professional football clubs, including Sporting and Oviedo, will have to approve the agreement with CVC, the investment fund that will inject 2,700 million into LaLiga in exchange for almost 11 percent of the business over the next 50 years. Real Madrid and Barça, as well as the Spanish Federation (Luis rubiales), they reject it. But how did all this mess start?
1) 2015, for not going any further
Royal Decree 5/2015 of April 30 comes to light. It leaves the marketing of television rights to Thebes. It is over with each club selling their own separately. The aim of the law is to end the war between televisions and inequalities between clubs. Madrid challenges almost everything. He wants to work with Telefónica and LaLiga already has an agreement with Mediapro (Jaume Roures).
2) The Super League in April, yes, again in April
If the Royal Decree was from April 2015, the announcement that the greats of Europe, with Real Madrid and Barça at the helm, were going to set up the European Super League could not take place in another month. Six years later, European football was going to crack. But the threats made by UEFA (Ceferin) against the rebels ended the revolt in 48 hours. The English got out of the car first. They only keep clinging to the flagpole of the Superliga, a closed competition that only a few could access by invitation, Real Madrid, Barça and Juventus, of the twelve clubs that started the adventure. Against the Super League is also Thebes, who crossed out the issue of “An idea of a bar at 5 in the morning.”
3) This dead man is very alive
Anyway, with Florentino Pérez in between, the issue of the Super League has not yet been ruled out. Proof of this is what happened in recent days. LaLiga announces that it has sold 11 percent of its business to an investment fund –CVC– in exchange for 2,700 million euros. Saving money for Spanish clubs, drowned by the covid crisis. But … Real Madrid rejects the agreement and has already denounced it through civil and criminal proceedings. Accepting the money is having to give up the Super League. Florentino goes for Javier Tebas (LaLiga), Javier de Jaime Guijarro, responsible for the CVC fund, and against the fund itself. Tebas, a leader very active in networks, accuses Florentino of going to court by system.
4) LaLiga, against its two best partners
Faced with the judicialization of the day-to-day Spanish football by the president of Real Madrid, Dart of Tebas: “Clubs and institutions have been supporting their threats for years. Since 2015 against the centralized sale, the constant challenges to agreements, the Super League … Real Madrid deserves more ”. In the middle of this fight there is also Barça, which deserves its own chapter.
5) Laporta, Messi, a man who was passing by …
At first, Laporta said “yes” to the investment fund. He saved Messi’s renewal. Tebas explained the numbers to him and practically linked the Argentine’s renewal to Laporta’s favorable vote to the rescue plan presented by Tebas. But it all fell apart in a few hours. Those who know about numbers at Barça took the matter out of the president’s head. So neither CVC, nor Messi “I am not going to mortgage the club,” he said in the goodbye of “10”. The exit of the culé star led to the resignation of one of its directors, Jaume Lloris, who assured that the “Messi operation” knocked her down between Ferrán Reverter, CEO of Barça, and Florentino Pérez, who convinced Laporta not to give in to Tebas and let the Argentine go. This led Lloris to verbalize what many think: with Messi at PSG, this summer the exit door opens for Mbappé, who already has a preliminary agreement with Real Madrid. What would be a master move.
6) Florentino, on the backlash
Yesterday, Florentino’s statement demanding that Lloris rectify it. The president of Real Madrid denies knowing this Ferran Reverter, much less having made the clamp with him against the “Messi operation”. Lloris folds sails half, but insists that the goodbye to Messi only favors Real Madrid.
7) Rubiales smells blood …
There was never good vibes between Tebas and Luis Rubiales, President of the Federation. The penultimate fight, for the return of football after the pandemic, ended with the CSD mediating. So, how was Rubiales going to remain on the sidelines in the midst of a crisis due to CVC’s entry into LaLiga? “It is illegal, lousy and regrettable,” the leader said yesterday about the agreement.
8) … And Thebes does not bite his tongue
The response of the president of LaLiga did not wait: “On a project that liquidated Spanish football (the Superliga) they do not speak. Of course, to attack LaLiga they do not fail. Instructions must be followed … if the documents have not been studied! ” Tebas tries to link Rubiales with the Super League, a competition that would endanger the national leagues.
9) In the end, everything is numbers
The big clubs want to manage their television rights and get the Federations and UEFA out of the way. The Superliga was going to distribute the first year 3,500 million among its founders for the 2,700 to be returned in 50 years of CVC. Each club would earn 350 million annually for participating in the Super League, compared to the 15.25 that UEFA pays to teams that play the Champions League. UEFA distributes 1,950 million among 32 teams. Among the founders of the Super League – between twelve and fifteen – the aforementioned 3,500 were going to be distributed. The last two winners of the Champions League took 110 million (Liverpool) and 130 (Bayern). Change next to what Florentino promised.
10) Ceferin, Qatar and financial fair play
Clubs of members and not shareholders like Barça and Real Madrid try to fight against the state teams (PSG, City …) in the market. Hence the rush to get more money. Then there is the double yardstick with clubs like the French. In the Gala League the salary limit does not work, suspended until 2023, just after the World Cup in Qatar is played, a country that in turn finances PSG. Qatar is also plagued by accusations of having paid bribes to Platini, a former UEFA president who was suspended for irregular charges for the award of the 2022 World Cup. And it is that what happens in Spanish football is still a local battle within a world war.
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