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La Liga president Javier Tebas has said that the league will have no problems moving their schedule to accommodate change in dates of the 2022 World Cup, if any. |
Speaking on the sidelines of the Doha GOALS forum here yesterday, Tebas said, “Qatar is ready to host the World Cup. Nobody can question that. Having said that, the calendar is something that is manageable and the La Liga is happy to co-operate in finding the right window to play the matches. We are supporting Qatar in this case.”
Tebas was in Doha to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aspire Academy to co-operate closely in exchanging know-how in sporting development. Under the terms of the agreement, Qatar will be positioned as a global football centre. A planned Under-15 La Liga tournament with the participation of Aspire teams will provide the centrepiece of the partnership, with 12 teams competing at Aspire Academy in Doha in April 2014.
Out of these 12 teams, Aspire will field two teams while the remaining 10 will be top youth sides from Spain.
On the agreement, Tebas said: “The Middle East and North Africa region, with over 23 markets, holds over 128 million La Liga fans. Thus, today’s agreement takes us one step closer to our fan-base.
“In the past, we have engaged local football leagues, clubs and players through Spanish talent and direct engagement. Now, we want to further strengthen that relationship,” Tebas added.
Ivan Bravo, director general of Aspire Academy, said, “We are delighted to be working closely with La Liga in promoting the development of the beautiful game, both here in Qatar and further afield. They are widely recognised as one of the world’s greatest football competitions and, as our Academy students continue their pursuit of excellence, they will undoubtedly be motivated by the example set by some of the game’s most accomplished players.”
Tebas was elected to the post of La Liga president in April 2013 and one of the first tasks he has had to face in this capacity is the distribution of television revenues across Spanish teams. In Spain, unlike England, teams are free to sign individual broadcast contracts, which means that last year Barcelona and Real Madrid pocketed €140m, while Granada earned a paltry €12mn.
Tebas, however, was confident that things are changing and in other two years’ time, they should get even better. “In 2009, the ratio of revenue split between the first and the last team was 13:1. Nowadays, it is 6.5:1. In two years’ time, hopefully, it will be 4.5:1. Definitely La Liga understands that. The two big teams – Barcelona and Real Madrid – are also co-operating on this,” he said.
Accompanied by Fernando Sanz Durán, La Liga’s Middle East and North Africa General Director, Tebas held several meetings in the Qatar during their participation at Doha GOALS Forum. Such meetings are aimed at eventually seeing the Spanish league further establish precedents in Qatar and the region.
Sanz, a former Real Madrid and Malaga defender, and former owner and president of the Malaga team, indicated that he is here to stay in the Middle East and facilitate exchanges of knowledge, skill sets and technical prowess that La Liga has.
“Our plans for the Mena region are long-term,” explained Sanz. “However, in the short-term, we intend to bring events, friendly games, and famous players to share their experiences with local talent and leagues, as well as organise football clinics and road shows. We will be involved with football associations, share our knowledge with the local leagues and provide strategic input and insight into the game here.”
