Javier Tebas: "LaLiga is going to rate clubs finacially and publish the scores"

LaLiga was invited by international communications, reputation management and public affairs consultancy firm Kreab to attend its latest sectoral meeting. During this gathering, LaLiga president Javier Tebas analysed the current situation in the football industry and outlined the importance of Spanish professional football boosting its financial profile even further.

"We're working on a rating that will score clubs' financial standing, which will increase our credibility and transparency. We will be the first league in Europe to do this, and it will be an essential factor in continuing to make up ground on the Premier League," noted Tebas. This 'credit rating', which LaLiga will publish from next season, will represent another step forward in the relationship between sponsors and banks, on the one hand, and Spanish clubs and public limited sports companies (SADs) on the other. "Thanks to our work, traditional banks now trust professional football clubs to act under the guidance of LaLiga. Four years ago, that was unthinkable," he went on.

Speaking following an introduction by Kreab managing partner Eugenio Martinez Bravo, the LaLiga president also analysed the recent transformation undergone by professional football in Spain and stated that there is still plenty of work to be done: "So far, we have worked on clubs' financial control, the centralised sale of rights, transparency, corporate social responsibility and internationalisation, but we still have a big challenge ahead to keep growing. Our main goal in the next four years is to close the gap on the Premier League in terms of revenue, and to avoid the creation of a European Super League."

The matter of crowd sizes also generated substantial interest at the event. "LaLiga is constantly striving to keep improving and to attract more fans to stadiums. For this reason, although average attendances have risen 11% over the last season, each club's attendances will also have a hand in determining their split of the broadcasting revenues," Tebas remarked.

Addressing representatives from major companies from the sector, Tebas similarly highlighted the efforts LaLiga is making to increase the value of its product: "Working on the LaLiga brand is extremely important. I'm sure that leagues will end up sponsoring events and campaigns in the future to enhance our value." The numerous international projects being developed by the organisation also have a role to play, as does the structure in place: "Internationally speaking, thanks to the centralised sale of audiovisual rights, LaLiga brings in 650 million euros a season. No company can generate that sort of money without adequate logistics. With a view to serving our international broadcasters and having a bigger presence in every corner of the planet, we have opened several international offices, and new locations will be added in the coming weeks," Tebas explained.