At the moment, Mbappe, Haaland, and esports betting are some of the popular news across the globe. La Liga has escalated its battle against Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain by launching a complaint with Uefa on alleged Financial Fair Play violations.
The president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, has frequently attacked the two teams, which he refers to as “state clubs.”
In May, he was especially critical of PSG for re-signing star player Kylian Mbappe to a lucrative contract. Erling Haaland, formerly of Borussia Dortmund, has since been acquired by Premier League City for $51.2 million.
How it Started
La Liga stated in an official statement that both Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City had been accused of possibly violating Financial FairPlay regulations.
Real Madrid attempted to acquire Kylian Mbappe, a top player for Paris Saint-Germain, and Erling Haaland, a former attacker for Borussia Dortmund, but neither transaction materialized.
The French international player was said to be transferred for free to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer. According to several Spanish sources, this was something the player had long desired. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Kylian Mbappe decided to re-sign with the French champions.
Erling Haaland, a significant figure in Norway, was also tied to Real Madrid. However, he fell in love with the prospect of rejoining his former team, Manchester City, and subsequently joined the Premier League champions.
Javier Tebas and La Liga have filed charges against both teams, alleging that they may have violated Financial FairPlay regulations.
LaLiga Displeased With New Signing
La Liga stated in an official statement that was picked up by the Spanish publication Marca:
“This week, La Liga lodged a complaint with UEFA against PSG. In April, a new case against Manchester City will be lodged on the grounds that both teams habitually violate the principles of financial fair play.”
La Liga believes these practices are detrimental to the ecosystem and sustainability of football, all European clubs, and leagues and only artificially inflate the market with money earned outside of football.
La Liga is aware that these teams are not receiving sufficient funding, either through direct cash infusions or through sponsorships and other partnerships that do not fit the market or make economic sense.
“The accusations against Manchester City were submitted to UEFA in April, while those against Paris Saint-Germain were submitted last week. However, it is probable that some of these concerns will be extended in the coming days as additional information becomes available.”
“La Liga has also retained law firms in France and Switzerland, including the French practice of attorney Juan Branco, to initiate administrative and legal measures with the appropriate French bodies and the European Union as soon as feasible.”
Javier Tebas was also quick to criticize the successful pursuit of Erling Haaland by Manchester City. He highlighted worries about the Premier League club’s ability to sanction such a high-profile transfer, given the costs he thinks were at stake.
Tebas added, “They must have done something because (Erling) Haaland asked the clubs for more than the €60 million that has already been paid.”
Only time will tell if these objections are successful, but Javier Tebas’s interest in clubs that do better than those in his league is not likely to go away very soon.
Why the Complaint
“La Liga knows that these clubs aren’t getting enough money, either via direct cash injections or through sponsorships and other partnerships that don’t fit the market or make economic sense,” the league added.
“La Liga feels that these practices undermine the ecosystem and sustainability of football and hurt all European clubs and leagues. Also, La Liga sees that these practicas only serve to artificially inflate the market with money produced outside of football.”
The case against PSG was launched last week, and the charge against City was submitted in April. However, La Liga has warned that it still has the power to extend these claims.
Both City and PSG have already pushed back hard over Tebas charges.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport reversed Uefa’s decision to ban City from the Champions League for two years for infringing Financial Fair Play regulations. The prohibition will terminate in July 2020.
In April, Uefa established new financial guidelines. One of these restrictions increased the number of money teams might lose over three years from 30 million euros to 60 million euros. Some teams in “good financial shape” were also handed an extra 10 million euros.
Last month, Tebas warned that La Liga would sue PSG because Mbappe turned down a move to Real Madrid.
Instead, the France international extended his contract with PSG until 2025, which Tebas and La Liga warned: “attacks the economic stability” of European football.
Tebas is due to talk at a conference of European Leagues on Thursday in Amsterdam.
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andym
Founder and chief editor of La Liga Blog, Andy fell in love with Spanish football after a university placement year in the Costa Del Sol. His favourite Tapas is Albondigas and on Saturday afternoons, Andy can regularly be found trying to emulate his hero Carles Puyol for his amateur football team.