Thebes, ten years in charge of LaLiga: "The Premier or the Saudi league are only a reference in spending, we need common rules for everyone"

The economic crises, the pandemic, the emergence of new players such as Saudi Arabia…. There are many challenges that Javier Tebas (San José, Costa Rica, 1962) has faced at the helm of LaLiga. And it is that ten years go a long way. The highest leader of professional clubs continues to see things that could be improved in his organization, but he continues to rank it as the best league in the world.

What awaits us in this new LaLiga EA Sports and Hypermotion? This is a year full of novelties in LaLiga: the name, the brand or the logo, but also other deeper ones. The fan will enjoy a new way of experiencing football, especially with innovations in broadcasts. It is also important to improve access to football through operators for both LaLiga EA Sports and LaLiga Hypermotion.
The change of sponsor benefits them financially, right? Yes, but it has not been the main reason. After six seasons with Banco Santander, we understood that in order to make a qualitative leap we needed to implement profound changes such as that of the main sponsor. It is an alliance with a common purpose: we are committed to revolutionizing the consumption of soccer.
Does the change of corporate image respond to this new line of innovation that they want to imprint on the competition? We had an image that no longer matched the reality of LALIGA, it had become too small for us, and at a time of so much strategic change we also decided to evolve this identity.

Javier Tebas at the Ibero-American Congress. Europa Press Since his arrival, LaLiga has improved economically, in terms of impact…. What do you think the competition is missing? We have achieved a lot, we are more than 600 professionals worldwide, more than 200 million people on social networks and they see us in more than 180 countries. But we can still go further, for example in our international presence, key to our growth. Also in new technological developments to explore other ways of connecting with fans, the development of LaLiga clubs….
A very important challenge is to adapt to the disruption of the audiovisual world in sport. Of course, the obligation to continue fighting with more strength, more resources and more forcefulness to eradicate any trace of racism and intolerance from our football. Lastly, developing the defense of a balanced and fair governance model in European football such as the launch of the Union of European Clubs (UEC), supported by LaLiga, which advocates offering a voice to all clubs, not just the most elite .
If you had to make a global ranking, how would you place LaLiga EA Sports worldwide? Sportingly, with objective data, LaLiga would be in first place because we lead the ranking of European titles since, of the last 68 trophies, it has 35 against the 13 of the Premier. If we talk about players, we have a predominant position with 6 Golden Boy, 24 Ballon d'Or and 15 Golden Boot.
But we cannot forget economic sustainability thanks to our financial control. Our competition and its clubs are leaders in solvency without the need for aid or subsidies. Obviously, the Premier League is a great competition, but it does not have a sustainable model, since it has lost more than 2.8 billion euros in just the last five seasons.
The Premier League is a referential competition at the income level, but another actor has burst in with great force, the Saudi league. Is it a threat? What is a reference is in spending and from LaLiga we have spent years defending the need to establish common rules of the game for all. Having leagues that allow clubs losses in a generalized way and that are only sustained thanks to the funds contributed by millionaire shareholders without an economic-financial rationale, distorts the competition. Are you surprised that players, still at the top of their careers, have accepted offers from there, Benzema among them? Each one will have their reasons, but they are still professionals making the decisions they consider most appropriate for their careers. Where you have to focus is on solving the imbalance produced by artificially inflated leagues, which are the ones that cause competitiveness problems and adulterate the competition.
There are others, however, who have rejected it. Kroos, Modric, Busquets, Alba and Mbappé. Do you think Mbappé has reasons to come to LaLiga? Will he do it? Any player who wants to play in the elite has reasons to come to LaLiga. We are the competition with the most European titles and with the most awarded players, so the motivation to come is a fact. About whether or not it will, I should not be the one to answer. Personally, I would love it, I want the best playing here.

Javier Tebas at a press conference on the Negreira case. EFE Does the League lose weight without Benzema, Busquets or Asensio. Is it compensated with the arrivals of Bellingham, Gundogan or Azpilicueta? No, it's a very superficial vision and we must also appreciate those who don't leave and who are the world's leading stars: Vinicius, Pedri, Griezmann or En-Nesyri, among others. In addition, those who have come have done so to a football without inflationary vortex in the purchase of players, the result of a good strategy that causes great players to have arrived free.
They compare us with other leagues due to spending on transfers, but it is a mistake if it is not analyzed if the purchase and sale of players responds to sporting objectives. LaLiga has value as a competition beyond individual talents. Even so, if we talk about great players, the reality is that, of the last 13 Ballon d'Ors, 12 have been for LaLiga players. Recently, you have had a crossover with Gerard Piqué about his Kings League, do you think LaLiga Do you have things to learn from your competition? There is no point in comparing them because they are completely different. But you can learn from everything and Piqué has been able to generate great expectations with a new product made with characters from different fields.. We share innovation, the search for new resources and go beyond the football ecosystem.
Another league with which he does not have a very good relationship is the SuperLiga. Do you conclude the project and its threat? The project is finished, but the threat is not. Its main promoter will continue to use its resources to keep alive an initiative that would allow it to control professional football not only at a Spanish level, but also at a European level and, if you hurry me, worldwide, to the detriment of the rest of the clubs. At least that project has managed to smooth things over between you and Rubiales. Do you think that they will be able to unite Spanish football or that, at least, their personal relationship will not affect you? The conflict between Rubiales and me is not personal. We have opposite concepts of what professional football and management work in it should be. We are committed to sustainability, internationalization and permanent innovation and a transparent and democratic management model.Negreira and the futureLast year one of the largest cases of corruption broke out in the arbitration establishment. In this specific case, we have acted and carried out the pertinent controls based on what our powers allow us.
Do you have plans to continue in charge of LaLiga for many years? I intend to continue for four more seasons and run for re-election, but it is the teams that decide. As of today I feel the support for this renewal of the vast majority.
How do you see LaLiga of the future? It will be an increasingly strong and consolidated brand in areas beyond football. Today it already has the largest ecosystem in the sports and entertainment industry. I think it will have an even bigger international presence. Brands like Real Madrid or FC Barcelona are recognized anywhere in the world, and in the future most of the clubs in our competition will also be. Also, we will have first class facilities thanks to LaLiga Impulso.