Nota de Prensa
VIE 20.09.2013
Javier Tebas was a special guest on Teledeporte's programme ‘Estudio Estadio’ on Thursday night. The President of the Spanish Professional Football League answered all questions regarding Spanish football and analysed the current state of the Liga BBVA and the Liga Adelante.
The match-fixing problem and the controversy surrounding the matter was one of the first subjects to come up. On this issue, the President stated: “These problems are very rare in Spanish football, just as they are in world football, as recognised by FIFA and UEFA, Joseph Blatter and Michel Platini”. Javier Tebas said that “we shouldn't be surprised if there are arrests at some point”, and warned that “it shouldn’t be forgotten that although match fixing only affects 1% of matches, that is enough to do a lot of damage”. The President of the Liga explained that “this is in addition to the betting problem which could arise towards the end of the season, where a lot of money is moved, something which can be done from around the world”. Tebas assured that he is working very hard on the subject and warned that “it is a question of time, but I am completely sure that people will be arrested and sentenced. It is a problem which has to be tackled because otherwise it will spread like a disease”.
On debt, Javier Tebas explained that there are “a lot of clubs who do not owe money to the State, and of the 42 who make up the Liga, 39 have submitted a certificate verifying that they are up to date with their payments or that they have no debt with the State Tax Agency”. To which he added that “debt has reduced by 12% and will continue to fall”. Regarding audio-visual rights, the President reminded viewers that “the Liga does not distribute money as other leagues do, it is the clubs who sell on an individual basis”. On this matter, Javier Tebas explained that “apart from audiovisual rights, 120 million euros in interest is paid per season due to debt. If that debt did not exist, the clubs could be much more competitive, which is why it is so important to eliminate it”.
The subject of audiovisual piracy was also discussed in depth in Teledeporte's interview with Javier Tebas. The President explained that the Liga is losing 500,000 subscribers, “Spain has fewer pay-television subscribers than Portugal, and we are the country with the most piracy in the world”, and he stated that “at the LFP we estimate that piracy is stealing 120 million Euros from football”. Javier Tebas also showed his discomfort at the obligatory existence of a free-view match in the Liga as it “is something which does not happen in any other country, and it shouldn’t exist in Spain either so that we have the same tools to combat the issue”.
In terms of stadium attendances, the President of the LFP explained that “they only fell 2.5% last year, and despite the crisis and the VAT increase, figures this season are higher than those from the previous year”. Tebas also announced his “intention to review the Monday schedule in order to improve it”, but clarified that “it is not only the Spanish league that plays on Mondays, this occurs elsewhere in Europe too”. On ticket prices the chief of the Liga stated that “the LFT has recommended a reduction and the clubs have lowered season ticket prices by between 15% and 30% which will be accompanied by a fall in ticket prices”.
At the end of the interview, Javier Tebas discussed the standard of refereeing in the Spanish league. “It can be improved, like everything in life, but I think the selection process by which the qualified referees come to the Segunda División B needs perfecting”. Finally, Javier Tebas touched on investment funds: “They have been widely disparaged. They could allow us to maintain our competitive capacity”. However, the President is in favour “as long as they are properly regulated and operate with complete transparency”.
© LALIGA - 2013