LaLiga clubs reduced to less than half its debt to the National Tax Agency

Through recent seasons, LaLiga has as one of its main objectives the reduction of the debt that sports clubs and public limited companies integrated into the Professional Football League remain with the public administration and in particular with the National Tax Administration Agency (AEAT) . By using the powers established in the Sports Act, LaLiga has developed a specific legislation that aims to reduce the aforementioned debt.

This morning, at the headquarters of the Sports Council (CSD), Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, gave to Miguel Cardenal, president of CSD, the report with the results of this specific regulation of economic control. Of that report it shows that efforts to control the activity of clubs and sport public limited companies integrated in LaLiga, as had committed the current leadership, have allowed the reduction of the debt to the Tax Agency to September 1 2015 to less than half of the existing in January 1, 2013.

Specifically, according to data updated to September 1st, 2015, the breakthrough has been very important, having suffered the existing debt in January 2013 reduced to -333 euros (-51%), representing an average reduction of -133 million euros per season. The debt, liquid, due and payable, that the AEAT is claiming by embargoes, is around 5 million euros, an amount that will go down in coming weeks to zero.

Javier Tebas assessed the efforts and commitment of the clubs to achieve the goal of reducing debt: "The evolution is amazing. And most importantly, it has been not loss of competitiveness in our football. The proof is that our clubs have come far in European competition". Likewise, the president of LaLiga stressed the importance of this change for the future of the competition: "With this debt reduction, private and public, it shows not only that LaLiga is the best league in the world with the best players but we also have the best executives in the world. Our future at club level, also in economic terms, will take us very close to the Premier League, to compete with them on equal terms in the coming years", said Tebas.

On the other hand, Miguel Cardenal thanked the efforts of the Spanish professional football: "The overall assessment is very satisfactory. We are very pleased with the work done by LaLiga, the results in the evolution of the debt and the financial health of football. For the first time in history, teams are profitable and have reduced the debt ratio. UEFA has recognized it and we see it every day with the arrival of investors. We are very excited to the objectives achieved”, said the president of CSD.

.@Tebasjavier presenta en @deportegob la evolución de la deuda de los clubes de #LaLiga con la Agencia Tributaria. pic.twitter.com/lGDhTuB2Gt

— LaLiga (@LaLiga) September 18, 2015

Javier Gomez, LaLiga’s CEO, highlighted the evolution of beatable net debt of Spanish clubs, reduced practically to zero: "Within three years it can be said that Liga BBVA will be completely healthy. In four or five years we want to say the same of Liga Adelante". Fernando Puig, CSD´s Deputy Director of Inspection, also welcomed the results: "This has not been the result of chance but the work of nearly four years by the professional football. We came from a critical situation. Now we are talking about 2020 as the healthiest of the Spanish competition. 

During the preparation of budgets for the 2015-16 season, LaLiga placed special emphasis on the use of a significant part of the increase achieved by the sale of media rights to the repayment of debt with the Tax Agency and the advance, as far as possible, of the calendar established. LaLiga emphasizes the importance of the results and highlights its intention to continue efforts in this line for the purpose to put an end to this debt by the end of the 2019/20 season.