Making La Liga Equitable

Today the president of the Málaga FC, Abdullah Al Thani, has joined the many other presidents in the Spanish league that have complained about the distribution of television rights for the first and second divisions. It was a great rant, difficult to know if it was his voice coming through, or if these are his thoughts consistently most days, but it is absolutely his official Twitter account so at least in this sense and on this topic we have his unedited opinion. I've punctuated it a bit for clarity I must add and rearranged the text to make it chronological, but it's his words.

Hello, good evening, first of all I don't want to add on the vice president speech because what he said was clear to all, the thread I'm talking about is TV rights. Why is there spaces between other teams? My letter is directed to the press in general. I want to open an investigation to the free media that are non-politicized by big clubs that takes into their interests. If it possible that a second division takes 29 million euro for the Tv right? And us first division and take ONLY 13 million euros? Where is this the justice how will we play right when the first and second receive each one individually in the range of 140 million euros and the third in the range of 65 million euros. I demand for making the right and equal all teams Tv rights and there is something else which is that there is corruption and bribes by some clubs (without mentioning any names) for small clubs, to not speak or ask for an equal tv rights. How will the teams develop there clubs and in the interest of the league which is the first worldwide while these things happen so the second division and third experience of these things that do harm the Spanish league. I ask for an investigation from media who are non-politicized from the clubs and there is also another disaster is that there are some clubs that evade taxes in their own way and you know them well if these thing continues to this limit will be the clubs threatened and Bankruptcy and fall suddenly and this is very dangerous and detrimental to the reputation of the Spainish league. I hope my message is clear for all. Everyone knew my intention. Thanks I am waiting for the media and free press, the honorable and the Spanish Federation to respond to these things, professedly to the public. Good night to all of Malaguista family. - Abdullah N Al-Thani.

I know people are going to come out and denounce him, or at least ridicule him for his spelling errors or the fact that he repeats himself and is unclear at times or that he in effect has mixed his complaints altogether. Stop it. English is not his first language. The Spanish papers are translating from  this so be aware that the English translation you are reading elsewhere has been run through the process twice already. The point he is making is very serious as are the allegations. Does anyone have a problem with what he is asserting, though?

He is right on his the first count. The Spanish league has a severe problem with the distribution of television rights. It is not equitable. I'm sick of hearing from Real Madrid and Barcelona apologists on this. I realize that the big clubs in Spain bring more visibility and glory to the Spanish league. No one is trying to create "a system of social welfare" or "reward clubs for their failure to compete in an open marketplace." It is not a matter of dividing the pie equally. The English Premier League doesn't distribute their television contracts equally. The big clubs still get the most money, but there is a more equitable distribution of television money that factors in support and record over time. Leagues in France, Germany and Italy have fairer systems. When relegated clubs in England make 3 times what a European contender like Malaga CF makes in television revenue, then it is time for the big clubs in Spain to concede.

He is also right on the second count. Part of the reason why this doesn't get talked about much or mentioned in the national press is that for the most part the press in Spain is very much central to maintaining the status quo. It is not just the sports dailies like Marca and As or Sport and Mundo Deportivo on the other. Regional papers have an interest in supporting the duopolies. Even the reputable national newspapers support the big clubs. It is a self-perpetuating system and smaller clubs have become so stratified so much that it is unlikely not only that a club like Malaga can compete with Real Madrid or FC Barcelona, but even with Valencia who will likely maintain their third slot and the fourth Champions League slot will become a Golden Ticket for those clubs like Malaga with the ambition and personal fortune to invest in the Spanish league. The Al-Thani's have millions to invest. They own construction companies and they bring jobs. They invest in the infrastructure and they have an affinity for Andalusia and Spain in general. How long will they keep investing if they are treated like second-class citizens in a league that is beholden to only two clubs and two sets of ownership groups? Time to start making nice with the foreign investment.

Lastly, and probably most controversially is his assertion of corruption and tax evasion. I'll start with the tax issue first. Spanish clubs owe more than 700 million euros in back taxes to the Spanish government. Real Madrid and Barcelona have little tax debt, part of their ability to increase profits far beyond what the rest of Spanish clubs, but there are a series of clubs in that secondary group that are allowed to run rampant with the rules. There are countless clubs that benefit from being under Spain's Ley Concursal, their public administration, but continue to thumb their noses both at the tax-man, the Spanish Football Federation and at clubs who do pay their debts and operate under international rules. It's this group that is most susceptible and while there is no concrete proof that there is corruption and bribery is at hand, I point you to the last time this issue came to a head: last year under the leadership of Jose Maria del Nido. He led a group most notably supported by Espanyol, Villarreal and a handful of other clubs that would have been most helped by a changing of the economic status quo. At the last minute, after phonecalls from leadership at both of the big clubs in Spain amongst others, what looked like a large coalition of like-minded clubs fell apart and nothing came from it. Real proof that clubs took bribes for backing away from Del Nido's rebels? No, but the court of public opinion came away from it sure that some sort of strong-arm tactic was put on by Florentino Perez or Sandro Rosell to get smaller clubs in Spain to concede their vote for the betterment of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

So, I am not surprised by Al-Thani. He posits a problem that is well-known in Spanish football, and like death and taxes will probably never be amended. They are too big to fail. Spain is not Scotland. Real Madrid and Barcelona are bigger than Rangers and Celtic. It does not mean that we can agree with it.