The economist José Gay de Liébana considers that if the coronavirus crisis persists, in the impact it has on sport, and specifically in LaLiga, the players “will have to sacrifice part of their signing to make the clubs viable, or else there will be serious problems in the entities.”
In a telephone conversation with EFE, Gay de Liébana forcefully explained what he considers “a very critical moment” for the viability of the entities “if this unemployment persists”, which considers that if it lasts a few more weeks it should lead the federations to “neutralize the championships and start again from scratch from next season to avoid sports injustices “
De Liébana is one of the most visible sports economists on the Spanish scene, and he usually presents and compares the numbers of the major soccer leagues in Europe at his conferences, almost always sending an alert message because many of the entities “live beyond their means”, and openly pointing out what he sees as a new “soccer bubble”.
With the unexpected situation that has invaded the daily lives of millions of citizens around the world, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, De Liébana considers that this is a time when the economic fragility of sports institutions could lead to more than one to go through a trance between survival and disappearance. Given this unexpected moment, De Liébana has demanded that the representatives of the players and the athletes themselves, as well as the AFE, understand that if the situation persists “The footballers should make a gesture with the entities and download the chips this season.”
Gay de Liébana, who is in the process of treatment for a cancer that he himself announced a few months ago, which makes him a very vulnerable factor at the moment, assured that everyone “has to resist the moment, but some owe more than others”. “The players would have to give up in good part of their record, because as long as there are no competitions, the clubs will stop entering. I don't know what will happen to the season, but I think a gesture that would honor them would be to stop entering part of their chips. The clubs are going to have to take action because the most important sources of their income are not going to come to them: television rights, marketing and box office, “he explained.
“If there are no competitions, the sponsor can argue that it does not have visibility, and it is understandable, because it will have all the right not to pay, just like the partner. If this lengthens, it is normal that there are a series of rethinks and the players would have to make an effort. At the moment, only one day has been suspended. Now the moment is serious, but not very serious. But if in two weeks we remain the same, which gives this impression, because this will not normalize until September, everyone he will have to sacrifice himself, “he argued.
De Liébana defended the viability of the clubs and he pointed out: “What cannot be consented to is that the clubs are in the pillory as a consequence of this so extraordinary and unpredictable. If the players do not want to give up their money, the viability of most entities will be difficult. to see how the television rights clause works, among others. ” “For clubs that are modest, like Espanyol, which receives 50 million television from the 80's of its budget, the entrance in a pothole is almost the destination at the moment. LaLiga has already put the loss at almost 700 million euros. Clubs like Barcelona and Madrid are going to be hooked on fear, because they have different routes of entry, such as television, Champions, sponsorships, etc., and with the tap turned off … “, he stressed.
“The tap has run dry and the most important spending chapter, the chip payment, has not stopped. Here the following circumstance occurs: the clubs count each month with the money they deposit each month; television, both, sponsors, both; and box office, both. Therefore, there is going to be an imbalance of a magnitude that can be brutal, with each team on its scale, “he concluded.