La Liga president Javier Tebas has accused the Premier League of inflating the players' salaries and transfer fees. According to the 63-year-old, this affects the global market and other leagues including the Spanish top flight as well as he stressed the importance of "sustainability" across Europe's leagues.
Premier League punching above their weight?
The 2025 summer window saw around 12,000 international transfers, and the spending, as per FIFA, was a whopping $9.7 billion. This was 50% more than last season, with Premier League clubs alone spending $3.19 billion on high profile such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, who all joined Liverpool, and new Manchester United forward Benjamin Sesko. This was more than the cumulative figure of Spain ($666m), Italy ($950m), France ($730m) and Germany ($980m), prompting Tebas to warning of a destructive outcome if such spending continues.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTebas explains his point with an example
While speaking at the third edition of the Expansion & Marca Business Sport Forum, he said: "We always compare ourselves to the Premier League, but we should see how we are doing compared to the Bundesliga. I want to point out how the Premier League's numbers are not correct. The turnover of La Liga and the Bundesliga is very similar; we're around €4 billion in revenue. The Premier League earns not double, but 1.8 million more, but we're going to say double. The logical thing is that if La Liga spends €700 million, the Premier League would spend €1.4 billion. But in the last seven seasons, the Premier League has always spent much more than double, which is what it should have. This year, it should have spent €1.4 billion, but it spent €4 billion. Where do those €2.5 billion come from? Losses. What happens? Inflation. If you pay more than you should have spent, you'll lose. Your turnover, what happens? If someone pays much more, it inflates salaries and affects us all because the market today is global."
He also touched on the UK government's interventions, referring to the establishment of an independent regulator, adding: "Today, the Premier League is being intervened by the government because they are worried about what is happening to English football. Last year, it lost €1.2 billion; La Liga isn't going to lose money, nor is the Bundesliga. I no longer talk about Italy and France because they are much worse off. We always go to the Premier League, but I am careful about the state of the Premier League, which has reached the point of being invested in by the government. Companies are competitive and economically sustainable. What we are doing in Spanish football is very important."
Tebas approached UEFA
Tebas wants to curb the Premier League's spending, and to get it incorporated, he has approached UEFA multiple times.
"The rules need to be made much more uniform because they're different," he said. "What's allowed in the Premier League isn't allowed in Spain, and UEFA should take an interventionist stance there. We've had a few meetings with UEFA, and we'll see if we continue along those lines, which is what everyone wants, including many Premier League teams."
AFPLa Liga more like Bundesliga than Premier League
La Liga introduced their economic control over the teams in 2013, after being inspired by UEFA's Financial Fair Play model. The president says comparisons to the Premier League are not helpful, preferring to put La Liga on a par with the Bundesliga instead.
