Real Sociedad have a higher operating budget than their Basque rivals Athletic Club Bilbao for the first time ever, as highlighted by Marca.
It is a landmark moment in the history of Basque football, in which these two clubs have historically dominated although they have been joined in recent years by Alaves and Eibar (while Osasuna are from the nearby Navarre province).
It is reported that La Real’s budget is €110m for the current season, which is €6m higher than the €104m submitted by their rivals Athletic, with the two still to meet from last season’s postponed Copa del Rey final (pictured).
These budgets have been heavily influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic which has led to widespread losses in the top-flight of Spanish football, although Real Sociedad president Jokin Apperibay has posted a profit of €3m from last season, although Athletic Club’s Aitor Elizegi has presided over a €20m loss.
In this context, Athletic have suffered from the loss in revenue from no fans in the stadiums and a total loss of matchday income, while they also made no major first-team sales (Real Sociedad sold Diego Llorente to Leeds United).
The two clubs who have lost out the most in the pandemic are highlighted as being Barcelona and Valencia, who have both massively revised their budgets negatively from last year.
