‘This needs to be cut’ | Relief
ANDThe nth connection between Real Madrid and La Liga at the General Assembly clubs. At a meeting this morning, Florentino Pérez’s powerful man, José Angel Sánchez, was very aggressive regarding some items in the annual budget that was about to be approved. One thing in particular: the support that the employers’ association offers to women’s professional football.
Prior to this General Assembly, previous meetings had already been held with all clubs who wished to explain in detail these budgets that were voted on today. However, both JAS and a member of Real Madrid’s legal department were present this morning to discuss various points. The most notable of these is the eight million euros that La Liga contributed to the development of women’s professional football in Liga F..
“It’s too much. We need to cut this down.”JAS snapped at Javier Tebas in front of the other club presidents. In fact, La Liga’s funding of women’s professional football is based on a five-year plan based on commercial rights. They guarantee gradual income by reaching commercial agreements: in the first year it was six million, in the second and the third (which was this season) eight million, the next one will be 10 million 2025/26the same number as in 2026–27, which would be a further 10. However, some issues, such as a lack of payment from previous sponsor Finetwork, have meant this investment in women’s football has caused more headaches than necessary, which they hope recover in the coming seasons.
In addition, League F feeds commercial television rights through DAZN and government support through CSD.which in the last three years has contributed a total of 20 million to the structure and arbitration of the Ligue F. In addition, they have contributed a further 19.5 million euros to the infrastructure of the clubs, depending on the projects presented. This aid will end next season, so maintaining funding for women’s football in other ways becomes even more important. In fact, the F-League is now unthinkable without the support of professional men’s football.
Where are the complaints that some clubs may have? Well, simply because out of 42 professional clubs (20 in the First and 22 in the Second), only 13 of them are represented in League F. But in any case, it seems that this is not a point of confrontation for Real Madrid, which is one of the beneficiaries. this financing model and which for the first time showed some signs of weakness in its annual reports, which led to the use of some lever related to the operation of the VIP area, as explained by Relevo here. There is considerable unanimity among the remaining teams in the decision to support women’s professional football, even among those that are not (yet) represented in the competition.
Today’s meeting with Real Madrid is another chapter after many others because of the centralized sale of rights, because of the CVC, because of the Sports Law, because of the way matches are broadcast (“don’t sing victory” and almost everyone and every initiative that La Liga implements and that the white team discusses even outside the Assemblies… ultimately ends up in court. With rather muted success for the white team.since all the above-mentioned projects eventually found solid legal support, despite the protests in Madrid.
Within the League itself The actions of the Madrid head coach were discussed more than once, and in a tone that sometimes bordered on threat. and that they have reached out to the rest of the clubs to find a common response in protest against this repeated attitude of Real Madrid.