MADRID: Squabbling between Spanish football’s power brokers over a tie-up between its elite leagues and a private equity firm intensified on Wednesday, as the body representing lower-tier professional sides joined the two biggest in rejecting it.
La Liga, which covers the top two soccer divisions, announced last week it would get 2.7 billion euros ($3.2 billion) of funding from CVC Capital Partners, with 90 percent of that going to clubs and the firm in return getting 10 percent of La Liga’s revenue and a 10 percent stake in most of its business.
On Wednesday, as two sources said Goldman Sachs would contribute a 1 billion euro syndicated loan to CVC’s planned investment, Spanish Football Association RFEF said it was firmly opposed.
RFEF, which is responsible for professional and amateur clubs from the third division downwards, said it would widen inequalities and make the “reasonable development” of the professional game in Spain impossible.
That drew an angry response from La Liga president Javier Tebas, who suggested the Spanish FA had not properly considered the proposal. “Of course, they don’t fail to attack La Liga ... even if they haven’t studied the documents,” he said in a tweet.
La Liga, which had said the deal would strengthen its clubs and give them funds to spend on new infrastructure and modernization projects as well as increasing how much they could spend on players’ salaries. Later on Wednesday said it strongly rejected the RFEF’s criticisms.
It said it had provided the Spanish FA with all relevant documentation and hosted a meeting at which the RFEF did not raise any objections.
The RFEF also said it had also noted “various complaints and comments” from first and second division clubs.
On Tuesday, Real Madrid said they would launch civil and criminal lawsuits against Tebas and CVC Capital Partners’ chief Javier de Jaime Guijarro over the deal.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said it would have allowed the Catalan giants to re-sign superstar Lionel Messi, who on Tuesday joined Paris St. Germain.
Despite that, the club were opposed to a deal that would be tantamount to “mortgaging the club’s rights over the next half-century,” he added.
Soccer-Row deepens over La Liga private equity deal
https://arab.news/8sxjd
Soccer-Row deepens over La Liga private equity deal
- Goldman Sachs would contribute a 1 billion euro syndicated loan to CVC's planned investment
- Spanish Football Association RFEF said it was firmly opposed
Kane scores as Bayern deliver comeback romp over Leipzig
- The victory restores Bayern’s 11-point lead atop the ladder over second-placed Borussia Dortmund
- Leipzig took a first-half lead through Romulo, but Bayern kicked into gear after the break
LEIPZIG, Germany: Harry Kane scored his 21st goal of the Bundesliga season as Bayern Munich came from behind to win 5-1 at RB Leipzig on Saturday.
The victory restores Bayern’s 11-point lead atop the ladder over second-placed Borussia Dortmund, while continuing their record-breaking campaign.
Unbeaten Bayern have dropped just four points on their way to a record-equalling tally of 50 after 18 games. Bayern’s total of 71 goals scored is also a record at this stage of a German league season.
Leipzig took a first-half lead through Romulo, but Bayern kicked into gear after the break, Serge Gnabry, Kane, Jonathan Tah, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Michael Olize all scoring.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said Leipzig were “twice as good as we were” in the opening half, adding “but in the second-half — my god, the boys delivered.
“We weren’t afraid and we really went for it.”
Leipzig goalscorer Romulo said “we played 75 minutes really on top, then I don’t know what happened, we turned off our minds. We have to learn something out of that.”
Leipzig were strong early and broke through after 20 minutes when Romulo snuck past Bayern’s Tah to poke in an Antonio Nusa pass from close range.
The hosts were undone in the simplest fashion just after half-time. Dayot Upamecano picked Christoph Baumgartner’s pocket and fed Gnabry, who guided the ball into the bottom corner.
Bayern took the lead after 67 minutes, once again thanks to a Leipzig mistake.
Olize’s floated cross looked harmless until Ridle Baku lost his footing, allowing an unmarked Kane time and space to blast home.
With Leipzig’s resistance broken, Tah, Pavlovic and Olize all scored in the final 10 minutes, while Jamal Musiala returned late off the bench after a six-month injury absence.
- Can rescues Dortmund -
Earlier, an Emre Can penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time saved Borussia Dortmund’s blushes in a 3-2 home win against lowly St. Pauli.
In the dying moments, VAR found a foul on Germany forward Maximilian Beier, bringing Dortmund captain Can to the spot.
“What a rollercoaster ride,” Can told Sky Germany.
“We need to do much better to settle things down and to convert our chances,” he added.
The hosts overcame a poor first half when Julian Brandt tapped in from close range just before the break. Having created the opener, Karim Adeyemi gave Dortmund a two-goal buffer in the 54th minute, converting a Fabio Silva assist.
Rock-bottom St. Pauli had won just once since September but fought back into the game when James Sands and Ricky-Jade Jones scored inside 10 minutes midway through the second half to stun the hosts.
Deep into stoppage time, Jones caught Beier on the edge of the penalty area, allowing Can to convert nervelessly from the spot.
Elsewhere, Hoffenheim’s Wouter Burger scored the only goal in a 1-0 home win over flailing Bayer Leverkusen to climb past Leipzig into third in the table.
Burger swung in an excellent free-kick after nine minutes to give the hosts the three points.
“That was an important one,” Burger said of his free-kick. “I was practicing them a bit this morning.”
Relegation candidates last season, Hoffenheim are on track to qualify for Europe’s top competition for just the second time in their history, having last done so under now-Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann in 2017/18.
Leverkusen have now lost four of their past six, falling three points behind the Champions League placings.
Cologne beat Mainz 2-1 at home, Wolfsburg played out a 1-1 home draw with Heidenheim and hosts Hamburg were held to a scoreless draw by Borussia Moenchengladbach.
