Laliga President: 40% of Spanish People Watch Games Through Pirated Streams, Which Will Lead to Revenue Decline and Club Dissolution

On September 23, Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish LaLiga, delivered a speech at a forum, sharing his views on the current operations of LaLiga and topics such as the European Super League.

Regarding the issue of pirated streaming of LaLiga matches

Tebas: If this situation does not change in the next two years, our broadcasting fees will also decrease accordingly. Football brings us an annual income of 200 million euros, most of which is distributed to elite athletes. If the situation doesn’t improve, our revenue will be halved, clubs will dissolve, and salary levels will drop… In Argentina, the local court has ordered Google to remove the application providing pirated streams; now in Spain, we will file a criminal lawsuit against Google, as well as in France, Ecuador, Brazil… There are too many cases, and this will cause problems for us.

Currently, 40% of Spaniards are watching games through pirated streams. If this issue is not resolved, we will face an extremely difficult situation, and these large tech companies must stop cooperating with pirated software.

Regarding the new Club World Cup format and other new competition systems

Tebas: This issue has sparked controversy due to recent comments by Rodri. It’s not just about the health of the players, but it also poses a crisis to other aspects of the football industry because it disrupts economic sustainability, which has already been damaged.

Some jobs will disappear, and small and medium-sized clubs will suffer financial losses. This is what is about to happen. We have noticed the new UEFA Champions League format, where the price of broadcasting rights has already dropped in some regions. These changes in competition formats are harmful to the football industry and individual clubs. What we need to promote is a competitive national league.

Regarding the threat of player strikes

I do not support player strikes, but from some conversations, it seems that this could actually happen. The players’ union and the league are very united. Currently, there is a potential risk in the football industry that could even lead to the economic death of a country’s league.

Regarding the relationship between LaLiga and Real Madrid

My relationship with Florentino Perez is not a personal issue, but a cultural one. I know how he speaks and thinks because we represent two different models. This is a confrontation between a strong national league model and a model that was leading us to destruction until 2014. Today, most Spanish football professionals hope to establish a strong, centralized national league and fair play rules. As for the so-called Super Leagues, they all go against us.