LFP chief: Games have been fixed

La Liga Vice-President Javier Tebas believes that games last season were fixed, and has admitted that authorities are working to catch those involved.

Racing Santander boss Alvaro Cervera and Granada President Quique Pina claimed last term that Real Zaragoza's escape from relegation had been suspicious.

And Tebas, has admitted that the League are trying to gather evidence to prove that those games alleged to have been fixed, were so.

“Games have been bought,” he told Al Primer Toque. “There is the real truth and then the legal truth.

“Match-fixing exists, but you need to be able to prove it to be able to impose a punishment. We are trying to uncover the cheats because there are some, and even if there is just one, for me that is a scandal.”

The LFP administrator also conceded that illegal gambling syndicates may have swayed results in Spain's top division.

“UEFA has said that 0.7 per cent of games are bought,” he added. “In our football, that same thing could happen as went on in Italy.

“I believe that there will be a scandal someday, because it happens.

“Could there be the same percentage of games bought here as UEFA say? There could be.”

As well as his role for La Liga, Tebas is also the G30 representative in television revenue negotiations.

And he has defended the current situation in which Real Madrid and Barcelona take an exponentially higher stake than Atletico Madrid, Valencia and other first division clubs.

“Real Madrid and Barca do not earn €140m per year [as has been reported],” he said. “They earn €130m.

“Besides then €130m, they give €5m to help clubs who have been relegated and another €5m to the G30.

“We are going to be at a difference of approximately 1:6, where the club who earns the least in La Liga gets €20m.”

Tags LFP Spain
La Liga - Club News