As had been intimated following Kylian Mbappe’s contract renewal with Paris Saint-Germain, La Liga have presented a complaint to UEFA over the breach of financial rules.
President Javier Tebas has spoken out about the inequality in football’s finances frequently and PSG have once again been the focus of his ire following a gargantuan deal to keep Mbappe at the club.
On Wednesday morning, the official website put out a press release detailing that a complaint to UEFA had been made on the basis that PSG and Manchester City were breaching Financial Fair Play rules. Those assumptions are made after an analysis of data and the audited accounts of the club.
“This week, LaLiga has filed a complaint with UEFA against PSG, which adds to another against Manchester City in April, on the grounds that these clubs are in continuous breach of the current financial fair play rules,” the statement read.
“LaLiga considers that these practices alter the ecosystem and sustainability of football, harm all European clubs and leagues, and only serve to artificially inflate the market, with money not generated within football itself.”
“LaLiga understands that the irregular financing of these clubs is carried out either through direct injections of money or through sponsorship and other contracts that do not correspond to market conditions and do not make economic sense.”
Many have pointed out the hypocrisy of such statements, given some of the irresponsible spending by Barcelona in Spain has increased their debt to well over a billion euros, with little intervention from La Liga.
While the timing and the manner of Tebas’ complaints in particular sound reactionary and bitter at times, there’s no doubt he is touching on an important debate in football. The inequalities in football are likely to continue increasing and the lack of strong governing body is likely to convert football into a business that only serves the rich.
