12/22/24
March 28, 2010
Spain's La Liga is turning into the Scottish Premier League: glitzy domination by just two immensely wealthy clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, who are supported by 2/3 of Spain's population, is masking enormous structural problems in arguably the top soccer league in the world. The detailed article analogizes the problem to the unhealthy Scottish dominance of Celtic and Rangers.
Interesting article. A couple of points:
- different tax rates across Europe represent non tariff barriers to trade, maybe something further EU integration will eliminate or reduce
- some domestic leagues have been hit hard by the current financial problems in the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain)
Perhaps the comparison with Scotland was a way to get British readers to open the article, because apart from the 'two dominant team' situation, the article was almost all about financial issues.
If you wanted to tabloid it down another notch, maybe they could have gone with Protestant/Catholic versus Castilian/Catalan*.
*No, I'm not being serious.
posted by owlhouse at 07:09 PM on March 28, 2010
Perhaps the comparison with Scotland was a way to get British readers to open the article, because apart from the 'two dominant team' situation, the article was almost all about financial issues.
Oh, I think it's a fair comparison, though you don't necessarily need teasers to read Sid Lowe on La Liga. Then again, you could have said it about the Eredivisie until very recently (Ajax/PSV) until AZ and Shteve Mac's FC Twente entered the picture, so these situations come and go.
Platini's attempt to avoid clubs taking on heavy debts might make a difference, along with grassroots attempts to take clubs out of the hands of chancers, but it's hard not to step back and imagine the big European clubs jettisoning their cash-strapped domestic peers for good.
posted by etagloh at 07:35 PM on March 28, 2010
Didn't read the article but don't agree with the title at all... In fact, it appears to me that the Spanish League has the best competitive league...
Sure, Barca and Real Madrid have alot of cash and fans...but the following teams also all have the ability to challenge for the title...
A. Madrid Villareal Sevilla Espanyol Valencia
And this year Mallorca, Bilbao and La Coruna are all up there in the standings... Sure, they're not challenging for the title THIS year as RM and Barca are running away with it, but thats only because of the amount they spent this summer...i think next year it will be alot closer.
posted by StarFucker at 01:16 AM on March 29, 2010
the following teams also all have the ability to challenge for the title...
Since you didn't read the article:
According to the third largest shareholder at Atlético Madrid, their debt is above EUR 300m. Villarreal have just failed to pay their players for the first time because the ceramics industry from which their owner, Fernando Roig, makes his money has been hit hard by the crisis. Deportivo La Coruña are more than EUR 120m in debt. Mallorca are desperately seeking a buyer and preparing for administration. Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad have been relegated and, with no parachute payment to break the fall, went into administration. Real Sociedad's president at the time was a certain Astiazarán, now the league's president. "We need to avoid trying to compete with Madrid and Barcelona and sinking ourselves," says Ramn Monchi, sporting director at Sevilla.Now read the article.
posted by etagloh at 01:29 AM on March 29, 2010
Excellent article - thanks, rumple.
Two things that struck me:
1) Are there really only 60 foreigners in Spain earning > 600,000 euros? That seems a very small number.
2) How come none of the Russian or arab quazillionaires have bought up a Spanish club?
I have to confess that although I know that 15 clasicos at the Camp Nou (when did that stop being the Nou Camp?) and 15 at the Bernabeu per year would end up being dull, the prospect of it makes my mouth water.
posted by JJ at 06:05 AM on March 29, 2010
(when did that stop being the Nou Camp?)
Discussion here. No consensus on whether the Franco legacy has anything to do with it, but the shift in English-langage naming (though partial) is definitely tied to the Champions League era -- perhaps because the cameras and commentators go there more regularly.
posted by etagloh at 02:41 PM on March 29, 2010
Let the top teams make the Champions League into a real, 20 team league and the next 20 into a Euro League. All teams play in their respective domestic Cups to give continuity and revenue opportunities to the rest. Top teams (32/64?) not in one of the two pan-European leagues play a UEFA Cup tournament.
Three team promotion/relegation between CL and EL. Four team p/r between Euro League and UEFA Cup (e.g., make the UEFA semis to get into the Europa League).
posted by billsaysthis at 03:58 PM on March 29, 2010
Bill, i don't know WHAT you just wrote there... Etagloh, i had no idea about how broke those teams are...
As far as what i THINK Bill was saying, and i think Platini was trying or is still trying to do...is make the Champions League an ACTUAL Champions League. ALL THE CHAMPIONS from every European league should be in the Champions League...All second place teams go into the Euro League. Then you can have the winners of the nation's CUP tournaments go into some kind of playoff for the rest of the CL and EL places. Winners of the Cups go to the CL, runner ups go to the EL...isn't that the best plan?!
posted by StarFucker at 09:43 PM on March 29, 2010
Thanks for the link, etagloh. Very interesting. And I'm totally calling Ronaldinho "Honaljinyo" from now on.
posted by JJ at 05:13 AM on March 30, 2010
isn't that the best plan?!
Yes. But it isn't the one that makes the most money, so it won't happen.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 09:43 AM on March 30, 2010
This is the article Sid was talking about in the Guardian Football Weekly podcast this week. This chasm is developing in a few leagues across Europe, with the only difference being the number of "haves."