By Andrew Warshaw at the Dolder Grand in Zurich
November 7 – FC Barcelona President, Sandro Rosell, painted a dire picture today about the state of Spanish football, warning that several clubs faced demotion from La Liga or even extinction as a result of the financial squeeze.
Even his own club and Real Madrid, Rosell told the International Football Arena, were in serious difficulty and had to erase their debts sooner rather than later.
“My opinion is that we are facing huge problems,” Rosell told a 200-strong audience at the high profile annual event just around the corner from FIFA headquarters.
“All clubs in Spain are not in a good position – and that includes Barcelona and Real Madrid.
“We owe a lot of money to the banks.
“The financial situation is not under control.”
Although Barcelona’s business plan for the coming years was designed to place the club in a healthier position, the weaker teams faced a grim future as they try to keep pace with the big two.
“I don’t think some of them will have the opportunity to come back,” Rosell said.
“Some will go into the second division or even disappear.
“Our league has too many clubs.
“Twenty is too many.
“I’d like to see that reduced to 18 or even 16.
“By reducing the number of clubs, we will be more competitive.
“We have to start talking seriously.”
Although Barcelona and Real Madrid have traditionally arranged their own television rights, Rosell believed this would have to change.
“”We are the only league in Europe where TV rights are sold individually.
“Probably in three, four or five years we will have to put all our rights into one pot like in Italy or England.”
Although the debt crisis in Spain is among the worst in Europe, with four La Liga clubs in administration, Rosell said he would fiercely resist any more foreign ownership and said his club would never go down the road of having lunchtime kick-offs simply for the burgeoning Asian market, as Real Madrid did against Osasuna yesterday, when Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in his club’s 7-1 victory.
“For many clubs it is true that you have clients in China or wherever, for Barcelona, no, we have owners, members and feelings,” he said.
“I will never ever put on a game at noon for the Chinese.
“My culture is we have dinner with our parents and then [go to the] stadium.”
Umberto Gandini, operations director of AC Milan, said the situation in Italy was no better.
“It’s definitely in a state of crisis,” he said.
“The real problem is that there is no intention to change things.
“No vision or leadership.
“Everything is about me, me, me rather than looking at the bigger picture.”
Adopt the French system then, said Loic Fery, President of Ligue 1 outfit Lorient, who said that French teams were the best run financially in Europe thanks to their licensing system that can impose instant penalties including relegation.
“Very few have debt,” he said.
“The academies remain very strong, in the Champions League if you look at the number of players per nationality France and Brazil are the top.”
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October 2011: Barcelona President Rosell gives his word on the state of the game in Europe