La Liga president bites back at Joan Laporta over Premier League – La Liga comparisons

Barcelona and Real Madrid have been very critical of La Liga’s strict financial rules this year. The stringent implementation has seen several Spanish clubs thrown into a state of direct disadvantage compared to their competitors in other leagues and forced them to even sell star players to balance the finances.

Joan Laporta openly spoke up against the injustice earlier this week and stressed how Premier League clubs boasted of superior economic muscle, thus luring away potential transfer targets from their doorstep.

Less than 24-hours after the Barcelona President’s accusations, Javier Tebas has come out via his Twitter account to defend La Liga’s position.

Alongside a statistical chart, he hit back at Laporta and warned him to be aware of facts before spreading misinformation. As revealed by Mundo Deportivo, he said,

“Dear Laporta, I’m showing you the TV rights for Barcelona compared to Premier League clubs. You’re just as competitive. La Liga earns less money, and you earn less than the Premier League’s biggest clubs. You should inform yourself before criticizing.”

According to the chart posted by the La Liga President, Barcelona were eighth on the list of clubs with the highest TV revenue and only marginally behind Real Madrid. Further, the statistics showed that La Liga saw a better growth percentage when compared to the English League by a factor of three.

At an annual income of €160 million, the Blaugranas only stood €16 million behind the highest-earning club Manchester City. Thus, the difference would not be as exaggerated as claimed by Laporta.

In his interview yesterday, the Barcelona administrator opened the doors for discussion with UEFA and La Liga on the aforementioned topic. With Tebas hitting back with statistics, it remains to be seen if Laporta was truly misinformed or sees a loophole in the accounts.

“I always try to generate dialogue and empathy even with people who think differently. This is not the case. There can be dialogue with UEFA, with LaLiga and the RFEF as well. We are open to talking. The issue is fundamental for the sustainability of clubs.”