Spanish football clubs delighted by the passing of the Royal Decree

Presidents and directors of clubs in the Liga BBVA and Liga Adelante showed their appreciation this weekend for the approval of the new Royal Decree on the shared distribution of television rights in Spanish football, which was passed last Thursday by the Spanish Government.

The Spanish football family's positive response to the passing of the new law was unanimous. Quique Pina, the president of Granada CF, congratulated those "who have worked so hard to make La Liga more competitive". He also expressed the gratitude of the majority of clubs, who see in this Royal Decree "an opportunity to create more solid projects thanks to new revenue streams".

Ángel Torres, the president of Getafe CF, also analysed the impact of the new television deal and explained "the fact that television rights will be controlled via a decree is crucial in ensuring there is no abuse and will guarantee that football is more balanced and more competitive over the next six years."

Alex Aranzábal, president of SD Eibar, said the new law "was very good news, an historic and a positive decision for everyone". The director of the Basque club added that the new centralised contract will "increase the revenues for Spanish football and for the most humble clubs, such as Eibar. It will strengthen our economic structure."

The Málaga CF general director, Vicente Casado, also spoke highly about the new decree set to revolutionise Spanish football. "This is an historic moment. It gives us breathing room and helps towards us being able to maintain what we have". Additionally, he thanked the La Liga president, Javier Tebas, for "the huge effort he has made to accomplish this". José María San-Matías, the Elche CF spokesman, spoke in a similar terms about the approval of the deal, stating, "it is an historic moment because it allows us to narrow the gap between the biggest and the smallest clubs".

The mission La Liga and Spanish football have set out for themselves following the approval of this new deal to distribute television rights is to continue working towards improving the championship. Amadeo Salvo, the Valencia executive president, also touched on the view of the footballing family and spoke in glowing terms about this new measure that allows for a more equitable distribution of television rights for Spanish football. "I would like to back up what my fellow colleagues and presidents from other clubs have been saying. The Royal Decree means that for the first time, and hopefully for a long time to come, that television rights will be sold centrally. The time has come for La Liga to be properly valued here at home as well as internationally. We have a fantastic product and we should treat it accordingly and give it the value it deserves".