After the third round of fixtures in Spain’s top flight, one thing is certainly clear: the gap between the big two and the rest is bigger than ever. So far, Barcelona have put five past Villarreal and eight past Osasuna, while Real Madrid scored six against Real Zaragoza and four against Getafe. OK, I know you’ll immediately point out that Barca dropped points against Real Sociedad and Real Madrid lost to Levante. Yes, they did, but those are just freak results that happen. Remember Hercules at Camp Nou and Sporting at Bernabeu last season?
Of course, they are the architects of their own problems to a certain extent. With the way that the television revenue is split in Spain, the Big Two get nearly half of all the money between them, with the other eighteen clubs left to pick up the scraps. Whether you love or hate Sky, you have to admit that they are much fairer with the distribution of TV money. But the fact that the big two get the lion’s share of the TV cash means that the other clubs have no chance of competing with them when it comes to transfer fees and wages. Surely they could let a bit more of the TV money flow down the division, considering the global income both clubs enjoy? It essentially comes down to greed, but it could backfire in the very near future.
If this current setup continues, and the only challenge that Barcelona and Real Madrid face in the league every season is two games against each other, then how would that affect potential signings? The clubs have always attracted the top talent in the world, the likes of Ronaldo and Alexis, but if the league provides less of a challenge year after year, why would the world’s best come to Spain? There are already problems for some clubs to pay their players on time, which doesn’t help matters, and if there is no chance of a club outside of the capital or Catalunya ever winning the league, it doesn’t scream healthy competition does it? The comparisons with the Scottish Premier League (SPL) are misguided and unfair, but they are valid to a certain extent.
In the SPL, either Celtic or Rangers have won the league since 1985-86. The last manager outside the Old Firm to win the title was Sir Alex Ferguson, with Aberdeen. Unless things change in Spain, we could see a similar future in La Liga. It’s already been seven years since we had a different champion, when Valencia triumphed.
This could have a big impact. In Scotland, we used to see players like Henrik Larsson, Claudio Caniggia and Paul Gascoigne. Now, even the two Old Firm clubs are forced to buy players from the English second and third divisions. They cannot now attract the same calibre of player that they could even ten years ago. Their own TV revenue is tiny in comparison to virtually any other league in Europe, and even Rangers were experiencing financial difficulties as recently as last season.
I have real worries that things could get much worse in Spain before the situation is addressed. The problem is, it could be too late by then. If the top two continue to pull away from the rest, then the international television companies could stop buying the rights to show the games, meaning that the top players won’t want to move to Spain because of the lack of coverage internationally. It could, though, also mean that players like Ronaldo and Messi could be forced to move on also.
Messi has always said that he is happy at Camp Nou, and Ronaldo’s dream was always to play for Real Madrid. But if the league continues to become less and less competitive, couldn’t they be tempted to move to the Premier League or to Serie A? Players want to be tested week in, week out, as that is the only way they stay on top of their game and fitness. So far, it hasn’t had a detrimental effect, largely down to the two players’ fierce determination to be the best in the world. It may not even affect the brilliant Portuguese or Argentinian, but it could have a huge effect later on down the line.
As I said, the comparisons with the Scottish Premier League are largely inaccurate and unfair, but the state of the game in Scotland should act as a warning. The Big Two need to stop being so selfish and protect their own domestic league, even if it means someone else wins the league once in a while.
La Liga News 24/7
Pingback: My Articles For Other Sites | playtothewhistle
Pingback: Money Corner: UEFA Financial Report – Part 2 | BUSINESS GUIDE BLOG