Bull Need Money to Build
Late last month the Spanish government passed a motion to “pressure” clubs to pay around $800 million in back taxes.
The measure passed by a vote of 332 to 1.
We’re not going to pretend to know enough about the Spanish law-making process to understand how they vote to pressure something—and until there is a Schoolhouse Rock that explains it, we’re going to remain in the dark here—but we’re going to think that there is something fundamentally wrong when the laws in place that require the payment of the $800 million in taxes in the first place don’t work.
Said Francisco Jorquera, the Galician party’s parliamentary spokesman who presented the motion: “There’s a dynamic in soccer that’s totally irrational and it contaminates the public sector. Many soccer clubs are technically bankrupt.”
So the solution is then to get these “bankrupt” entities to pony up some more dough?
According to this report the government is going to introduce legislation next year to “rein in spending” on transfers and salaries of Spanish football clubs.
We wonder then if the news today that Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are considering sharing some of their TV money is a preemptive move (e.g. give up a little now, so that the government doesn’t take it all away next year).
The two clubs rake in around half of the country’s entire broadcast money pot.
A Javier Tebas, who is negotiating on behalf of a group of the minnows, hedged his optimism saying, “We hope to get an agreement. But it’s very complicated: it’s like cutting up a cured ham among 42 people.”
In Spain can you not slice cured ham into 42 equal slices? Between the government and the food, we don’t think we understand how things work in Spain.
By the way… when googling “Spain” and “government” for images, this (totally NSFW) came back in the return. So whereas we’re cofused, we are also intrigued.
Los jamones on the girl in that picture could certainly be sliced into 42 servings
That is definitely a pissed off naked woman.
Funny story: I, also, would like some money, please.
I thought I read some story a while back about there being a special tax bracket for footballers and football clubs in Spain: maybe they’re trying to close that loophole? I wonder what CR7 will think if Real has cut back on his free Brazilians.
Law was reviewed about a year ago and I think it was repealed, closing the loophole for foreigners. But I don’t remember seeing anything official after it first came up.
I think the current players may have been grandfathered in after the special tax break was done away with.
@ PR: Thanks, couldn’t recall how long ago it was but remember the loophole being discussed in light of the Spanish govt’s financial plight.
Note to self: next time in Spain, look into this “Ibiza”.