Thebes: “I would ask Messi please not to leave”

Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, was the protagonist in the El Món a RAC-1 program. Thebes reviewed the first week of return to the competition and left headlines on all subjects. The first had to do with Barça and its star, Messi, who gives invaluable to the organization he leads: “Cristiano's departure, although they are bothered in Madrid, had an almost null impact Because at LaLiga we have been preparing for years for the LaLiga brand to transcend players. But Messi's case is different. Messi is the best player in football history. We have been fortunate to have always had it in our League. I think Messi's departure would be noticeable. Of course, more if he went to play another League. He is an icon of Spanish football, of LaLiga and I would ask him to please finish in our competition. How much love we have given. Nor would it be a catastrophe because we have signed television contracts with or without Messi. But what is important is the value it gives you. Messi always delights us. “

But Thebes spoke of more subjects. For example, from calendars. He rejected the idea of ​​a reduction in teams outright because, as he explained, the model works: “We are not considering reducing the number of teams in the short or medium term. The business model is established in 20 clubs and has its raison d'être. The problem with calendars is that the Champions League unfolds, the final is played on the weekend, competitions such as the League of Nations are invented, the number of teams in a Mundia increases … And it must be said that only in one This season, the major leagues in Europe generate more money than five World Cups, five times more than a Champions League. He is an extraordinary model. Let's not change what works and what has created a colossal industry. The football industry in Europe is more important than the NBA and the NFL. “

Linking to income, Thebes admitted that the movement of money in the transfer market will drop a lot this summer: “We will probably see barter. Yes, we will see some money issue, but not large operations. The situation is what it is. Europe has suffered major crises, and there will be no large movements of money unless the state clubs animate the market, but not with money from the sector but with gas or oil. If last summer there were 3,500 million euros among the big leagues, I don't think this year we will go beyond 800 “.

On the return of fans to the stadiums, the president of LaLiga also maintained his speech. Even though that means that they enter some communities before others: “Our interlocutor with the Government is the CSD and we must recognize that they have been a perfect transmission belt with the Ministry of Health. It is the Royal Decree that says that The CSD and the communities are in charge of managing this matter. We are working on a protocol and I hope that in those autonomous communities that authorize it, there will be a public opinion. My opinion is that this may be the case. We must be careful with equity. limit sports integritis, we can take it to the absurd.If there is a re-emergence of the pandemic in October only in a few specific places, what are we going to do: force everyone to play behind closed doors? It's illogical. What you need to have is a protocol that safeguards everyone's health. I mean that I consider that it is not a matter of sports equity. “What Thebes does give his arm to twist is to refill the stadiums before there is a vaccine:” Seeing the stadiums full does not depend on the president of LaLiga. Until there is a vaccine, it is very difficult to see one hundred percent in the stadiums. The population is not immune until there is 70% in that condition. So it's hard to see the stadiums full. We will have to see the evolution of the pandemic. Until there is no vaccine we will not see the stadiums full. “

On the balance of the return of the competition, the incident with the spontaneous from Mallorca and the protocols, Thebes started from a premise: “Satisfied I will find myself if we deliver the Cup to Barça or to whatever and the teams that are promoted. That is, when the competition is over I feel happy that we are doing well I'm not making a mistake on the road I'm taking on the road But we haven't reached the finish line That day is the one where we can feel satisfied We had to start yes or yes this competition “. Then he went on to specify: “Except for the incident on the Mallorca field last weekend, I value it positively. Invading the field of play was very serious because not only did it not comply with the rules, but in these periods when you have to be careful, there was no that put the health of the players at risk. ” Thebes confirmed that no player has tested positive this week: “There is a margin of error and you have to reduce the risk as much as possible. The players are in a green area where the contagion is eliminated but who says that there has not been something exceptional. The key is to decrease the risk of contagion, even if it has to be absurd. We have seen the outbreaks in Beijing or in Germany, Although there is no vaccine, in the sector we will be taking measures though. I already said that it was more difficult to catch a football game than in a supermarket and I was criticized. “

Finally, he discussed two socially sensitive issues that are on the street these days. Racism and homophobia. As president of LaLiga, he sensitizes himself to both. First, in the fight against racism: “We have already positioned ourselves against the issue of racism. I think that the problem is located today in the United States. When we have had racism problems we have attacked it. We have been the only League in the world that we have made a criminal complaint against the energetics that attacked Williams in Cornellà. That is what must be done to attack racism. No less than fifteen times we have denounced for racist or homophobic screams. It is where we have to attack the most, taking tough decisions. ” And as to whether it would be good for footballers to announce their homosexuality in public, he said: “If we really have homosexuals among our footballers, who probably have them by percentage, it would be nice if they think that they co-opt their personality. It would seem perfect to me if some player did it. But not because it is good for society. What cannot be is that they must hide it. “