8. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

And now?

Spanish football is in turmoil. In March 2011 six clubs threatened strike action due to a dispute with the government over free-to-air television matches, in addition to the dissatisfaction with the widespread broadcasting deal dispute. The latest vice-president of the LFP resigned as a result.

The current president, Jose Luis Astiazaran, is under pressure to quit and Javier Tebas, the former vice-president, described him as “lacking leadership”.

Though Tebas says he has enough on his plate, he is not ruling out the possibility of one day taking over from Astiazaran as the head of the LFP: “I have enough problems, this is not on my agenda. (But) It is an option. You cannot throw these options away.”

Tebas believes no other country in world football has as much political in-fighting as Spain and that he sees no end to this. He said: “There will always be conflict between the clubs and the governing body and these problems are unique to Spain.”

The problem lies mainly in that all the power lies with Barcelona and Real Madrid. The rest are nowhere. Not just the other clubs, but the governing bodies too.

Some improvements are on the way as Tebas confirmed: “Right now they (Barcelona and Real Madrid) are getting 49% of the overall money from television.” The other eighteen clubs share the remaining 51%. “But there’s an agreement in place with them (Barca and Real) to reduce that 49% share to 34%. The smaller clubs have signed this with Barcelona and Real Madrid.” Nevertheless, this new arrangement is still three years away from taking hold.

Moreover, Spanish football writer Sid Lowe is not convinced it is a done deal. He said: “It's a proposal at the moment, not yet tied as I understand it.“

The Premier League offer ‘parachute’ payments to relegated clubs as a way of softening the financial blow that comes from not being in the top division. Tebas’ latest work has been arranging a similar proposition in Spain, using the 15% of television money generated from the newly devised deal.

This, Tebas says, is vital for those clubs as without it they could go out of business. “This is important as the money will help prevent them from disappearing.”

But it is not enough. Currently in England the top clubs, like Manchester United and Chelsea, enjoy approximately an 11% share (between them) from the Premier League’s television deal with Sky, ESPN the BBC. Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackpool, for example, enjoy the same percentage from that deal.

The Bundesliga operates in a similar way to the Premier League where the governing body deal with the television companies, rather than the clubs on an individual basis.

Tebas is hopeful that this will one day be the case in Spain.

However, if the status quo remains, and clubs such as Barca and Real can negotiate their own deal, then there could be big trouble for the other clubs in Spain, and we are not just talking about your Malagas and Real Sociedads. Valencia, Spain’s third most successful club since the turn of the millennium, are in dire straits due to the financial downturn and an inability to move to a new stadium.

Imagine Arsenal, England’s third most successful club, facing a similar fate and it gives Valencia’s plight some context.

Tebas would not commit to naming Valencia as a club he feared for but clearly they were at the forefront of his mind when asked about the next five years. “I’m not going to identify a particular club but there are certain clubs that could disappear.”

So, not necessarily Valencia, but a team of similar ilk could cease to exist? “Yes, yes, yes,” came the unequivocal response. “That level of team, there is the possibility it could disappear,” Tebas added.

These are harrowing words, not least because they come from someone in such an esteemed position, but also because there are so few who have such a vantage point with which to judge.

There are more clubs in administration in Spain than there are in England. Sid Lowe expanded upon this: “Over the last few years a huge number of clubs have ended up in administration. Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Real Vallecano.”

La Liga has to change, and it has to change soon, before it finds itself, and some of its member clubs, staring into the abyss.

2. Scotland in the sun: How La Liga’s problems are more than just skin deep

Falling behind - Real Zaragoza, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad

Real Zaragoza

The stadium is in disarray and is located, ironically, next to a hospital. To add insult to injury, the section of said hospital happens to be 'urgencias'.

There is a pretty glum feeling around La Romareda. The graffiti adds to the sense of despair and even the main pub in Plaza de San Francisco, just down the road from the downtrodden ground and beside the university, is a subdued, dark Scottish pub rather than a vibrant Irish establishment. It is as if they tried to be different but in doing so went in the wrong direction, much like Real Zaragoza.

It was not always thus. The Blanquillos finished in the top five on a consistent basis throughout the 1960s during what has been described as a golden era for the club.

In England, the club are most associated with beating Arsenal in the 1995 European Cup Winners' Cup final thanks to an outrageous lob from Nayim towards the end of extra-time. Nayim, an ex-Spurs midfield maestro, bought pleasure to his former club, as he sent their arch rivals into a state of apoplexy.

Nevertheless, the club's official name is Real Zaragoza S.A.D. The acronym stands for Sociedad Anonima Deportiva, meaning a sports corporation, and not Seasonal Affective Disorder, though some locals may disagree.

Valencia

The city celebrated the opening of their opera house in 2005 after 14 years work. The city was on a high at the time: its football team, Valencia CF, had won their second La Liga title in three seasons the year before.

On top of that they finished runners-up in two Champions League finals in a row just after the turn of the century. Things were certainly looking good, the club was in the midst of the most successful period in its history and they were set to move into a new stadium in 2009.

Unfortunately, on the field things turned sour and Valencia have never looked like repeating their success of the early part of the 21st century.

To make matters worse they are still stuck in the old, decrepit stadium that is the Mestalla as they cannot afford to finish the newer, 75,000 seated version. The club are beset with financial problems and many of their best players are regularly sold on to service their debts. £60 million came in the club's direction during the summer of 2010 thanks to the sales of David Silva and David Villa but little of this was re-invested in new players.

Atletico Madrid

Fifth highest point scorers in the history of Spanish football history, and third most successful in terms of La Liga titles, Atletico Madrid have plenty of off the field problems as they are €300 million in debt. They have even been accused of being the worst run club in Europe, as well as being described as a ‘madhouse’. Apart from that, they have little to worry about...

Real Sociedad

Situated in the picturesque coastal town of San Sebastian, Real Sociedad have had to come back from the brink of late.

Their plight has been largely attributed to Jose Luis Astiazaran, the current LFP president and former president of Sociedad.

Sid Lowe and Phil Ball have both claimed that he ran the club into the ground.

Thankfully, they appear to be over their troubles and have even inflicted a rare defeat on Barcelona in the 2009/10 season.

Sociedad won their only league title in 1981.