The president of the Spanish League, Javier Tebas, reiterated his opposition to the Club World Cup: “My goal is that there is no more,” he said in a meeting with the press this Tuesday in Madrid.
Asked about how FIFA could do to improve a tournament that is being played for the first time in the United States with the 32 best teams in the world (from June 14 to July 13), Thebes replied: “Eliminating it.”
“My goal is that there are no more club World Cups, there are no dates. No other competition is needed“The president added.
For Thebes, it is a matter of financial balance. “There is no more money in the world of audiovisual rights. What you have to do is keep the ecosystem and eliminate it. You have to maintain the sustainability of football,” he reiterated.
“There is no way, either by dates or for economy or to maintain the sustainability of football,” he insisted.
The tournament began last Saturday, although Thebes said he has barely followed. “I am not seeing it. Yesterday (Monday) I saw a bit of Chelsea (against Los Angeles FC) and I thought it was a friendly summer, I saw no intensity in the 25 minutes I saw of the match,” he criticized.
Thebes also explained that the participation in the tournament of two Spanish teams, Real Madrid and Atlético, conditions the championship: if any of the two reaches the final, it is scheduled on July 14, just a month before the start of the Spanish League.
“By collective agreement, there are three weeks on vacation (for the players) and LaLiga will comply with. We are going to see what happens,” said a Thebes that admitted that the two Madrid clubs have asked for a postponement of the first games of the championship, although the employer has not yet decided.
“May I know, the Premier teams that are playing (the Club World Cup) are going to start on August 14; those of the Bundesliga too,” he settled.