Latest news with #JavierTebas
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Rat of s***' – Nico Williams targeted again ahead of expected Barcelona move
Barcelona are expected to announce the signing of Nico Williams next week, with the club intending to pay his Athletic Club release clause. And with days to go until the saga comes to its end, the player has been targeted for the second time in as many weeks. Last weekend, Williams' face was erased from an Athletic mural that depicted him, brother Inaki Williams and Iker Muniain. The club reacted angrily to this action, and they promised to help restore the mural to its original form. Nico Williams mural vandalised for second time in seven days And in the last couple of days, it was restored by Carlos Lopez, who is the artist of the mural. But it has already been defaced again, as per Marca. Williams' face was drawn over by spray paint, and it was accompanied by the words 'rata de mierda', meaning 'rat of s***'. Advertisement Tensions have been extremely high between Athletic and Barcelona in recent years, and especially over the last 12 months due to the Catalans' pursuit of Williams' signature last summer. They failed on that occasion, but in 2025, it appears that they will finally get their hands on the Spain international. Image via Sport However, Athletic are determined not to let that happen. Earlier this week, they made it clear that they intend to protest Barcelona's signing of Williams, claiming that the La Liga champions are not in the 1:1 rule. This was echoed by Javier Tebas, the league's president, but Joan Laporta bit back in this own statements on Friday. Given the animosity between the clubs, it is perhaps unsurprising that supporters are especially unhappy with Williams looks to be joining Barcelona. And after last week's message to the player, in which he was told that 'respect had been lost' whether he stayed or went, a stronger point has been put across now that an exit appears inevitable.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Club World Cup ‘destroys' club football competitions: La Liga president Javier Tebas
SINGAPORE – La Liga president Javier Tebas has kept up his criticism of the current Club World Cup, days after calling for the elimination of the expanded tournament which he claimed is 'breaking the ecosystem' of club football. Instead, he is not averse to the Fifa competition returning to its previous format as an annual competition featuring just the winners of the six continental confederations and the host nation's league champions. The current Club World Cup in the United States is a quadrennial event that was enlarged to feature 32 teams and played over a month-long period after the end of the season. Tebas told The Straits Times on June 23 that if the Club World Cup remain, he would 'be happier if we can go back to the old model'. The 62-year-old Spaniard, who is in town for the La Liga Extratime conference, said via a translator: 'I strongly believe the Club World Cup destroys all established models of club competitions. 'It mainly affects the national leagues but it obviously affects the Champions League as well because it affects the calendar and the players.' At a La Liga event in Madrid last week, when asked how Fifa could do a better job of structuring future Club World Cup, Tebas had said: 'By eliminating it. My objective is that there will be no more Club World Cups, I'm very clear about that.' On June 23, he noted that how the new format led to a congested calendar and can impact the physical and mental well-being of players. 'There are 60,000 professional players in Europe, and these competitions are breaking the ecosystem for the rest of football. All the players involved in these extra matches will also be very tired at the end.' As a fan of Real Madrid, he admitted it would be good for the club if they win the competition, but as La Liga president, his obligation is to look after all the clubs and their players. In 2024, La Liga, together the European Leagues and Fifpro Europe, filed a joint complaint about Fifa's international match schedule to European Union antitrust regulators. European Leagues is an association that includes the English Premier League, the German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1 while Fifpro is the global players' union. Tebas, who said the legal action is ongoing, said the scheduling of the Club World Cup 'affects our broadcast rights because they force us to change the dates, and this produces a break of the audiovisual ecosystem.' 'There is no room for it. There is no need for another competition that moves money towards the same clubs and players.' Tebas also took issue with how the Club World Cup can cause competitive imbalance and financial instability, with the winners set to take home up to US$125 million (S$162 million) while slamming Fifa for 'listening, but then doing whatever they want'. 'This is not about consultation and being informed, because national leagues form the structure of football and there needs to be consensus for any decision that affects the players involved.' At the conference at The Executive Centre at One Raffles Quay, Tebas also warned about the destructive impact of audiovisual piracy, estimating that La Liga clubs suffer losses up to €700 million (S$1.04 billion) per season because of illegal streams. He agreed with the assessment of Serie A chief executive officer Luigi de Siervo, who recently attributed Italy's failure to qualify for the last two World Cups to online piracy. The Italian had said: 'All the money that is lost every year is not invested in the youth teams and in the growth of our young players, a major issue that has led our national team to face many difficulties.' Tebas said: 'The situation is different in different countries, but this is possible and we have to do what we can to stamp out online piracy.' He also threw his weight behind Singaporean tycoon and Valencia owner Peter Lim, who has faced a steady stream of abuse from the club's fans. He said: 'Peter Lim saved the team from bankruptcy. We have to remember the investments and capital he committed on several occasions, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, so I consider his impact and overall management to be very positive. 'I believe some fans think only about the results, and it's not fair. They are very focused on the short term and these are probably only a sector of supporters and not all Valencia fans. 'I am concerned because I don't know what is the real intention behind such abuse but I don't think it will discourage foreign investors from La Liga.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Barcelona one step away from 1:1 spending rule
Barcelona President Joan Laporta and La Liga President Javier Tebas contradicted each other less than 24 hours apart this week. The former declared that the Blaugrana were back within their salary limit, while the latter said that it was not the case. It is not the first time the pair are at odds, nor will it be the last. There is plenty of uncertainty over Barcelona's financial position, and their proximity to being within their salary limit. The aim is to be back within the so-called 1:1 spending rule; clubs over their salary limit are only permitted to use 60% of the money they bring in or save to spend on registering new players. Barcelona convinced about salary limit status According to MD, Barcelona are convinced that they will be back within their salary limit. Their belief is that they are just one step away from that being the case. After auditors Crowe refused to accept their €100m VIP seats lease in March, it directly affected the accounts they were able to submit to La Liga. Photo by La Liga Advertisement The Catalan giants believe that after construction group Limak certified that the VIP seats had been delivered to Barelona, Crowe will now accept the €100m deal, and include it in their accounts – previously Crowe submitted that the product did not exist. The green light from the auditor is the only thing missing. Doubts about latest asset sale at Barcelona The deal has been questioned since it was first announced. Neither of the two companies purchasing the seats were in existence at the turn of the decade, and both have links to Barcelona indirectly. La Liga have voiced suspicion about the deals, and there has also been some suggestion that Crowe or La Liga may divide the €100m income across the 30 years of the deal. So far, Barcelona appear to be in the clear though, and a definitive call on the salary limit will come before July.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Barcelona President Joan Laporta disputes Javier Tebas words over 1:1 rule
Less than 24 hours after La Liga President Javier Tebas claimed that Barcelona were not under their salary limit, and by proxy, in the so-called '1:1 spending rule', Barcelona chief Joan Laporta has directly disputed that idea. After making noises about potential signings, Laporta told the Barcelona senate that they were indeed under said rule. On Wednesday Barcelona confirmed the signing of Joan Garcia from Espanyol, after paying his €25m release clause. Tebas was optimistic about their ability to register Garcia, but told the press that the Blaugrana would need to make sales in order to pull off a deal for and then register Athletic Club winger Nico Williams. Something Laporta disagrees with. Laporta claims Barcelona are in 1:1 rule After teasing the signing of Williams, for whom Barcelona must activate another release clause, this time of the value of €58m, Laporta explained to Marca that they could 'sign normally.' Image via Alberto Estevez / EFE Advertisement 'It's a source of satisfaction because we've worked hard during this time of economic recovery. Regarding the salary margin, it's allowed us to comply with the 1:1 rule granted by La Liga. Last year, it was tight, but we achieved it, and now we're in this relationship, which is why we signed Olmo and Pau Victor.' 'They put a lot of obstacles in our way, but we got there. We can sign normally and are no longer under La Liga's extra spending restrictions. We're close to making an imminent signing, and we'll be able to make another signing, which we're excited about. They put a lot of obstacles in our way, but we comply with the regulations.' Barcelona have agreed personal terms with Williams On Wednesday, Director of Football Deco and Bojan Krkic traveled to Ibiza, where Williams is on holiday, and continued to advance his signing. Personal terms are reportedly agreed with Williams, and Laporta was positive about their economic situation, saying that the work that has been done on their finances is finally being seen.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
La Liga president launches scathing criticism at Club World Cup to heap more pressure on FIFA
La Liga president launches scathing criticism at Club World Cup to heap more pressure on FIFA La Liga president Javier Tebas has unleashed a scathing attack on the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup, branding it a threat to the very fabric of global football. In a strongly worded statement during a recent La Liga event, Tebas didn't hold back, calling for the competition to be scrapped altogether. Advertisement 'My goal is to ensure there are no more Club World Cups – that's very clear,' he said (via the Daily Mail). The revamped tournament now features 32 teams competing in the United States for a chance to be crowned world champions. However, it has sparked considerable controversy. FIFA president Gianni Infantino was confident about selling enough tickets to fill out stadiums, but the early signs have been massively underwhelming. In the build-up to the curtain raiser between Lionel Messi-led Major League Soccer side Inter Miami and Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly, ticket sales were at an all-time low. FIFA were forced to slash the prices, but it made little difference. The sight of empty seats at Chelsea's opening match against Los Angeles FC was also damning. Advertisement Just over 22,000 fans attended the 71,000-seater Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, leaving a large section of the venue closed due to low demand. Tebas pointed to the disappointing turnout as evidence that the competition is a flop. The 62-year-old admitted he had watched 25 minutes of Chelsea's 2-0 win over Los Angeles but slammed the fixture for looking like 'a pre-season friendly', saying 'I didn't see any intensity'. Asked if improvements could be made for future editions, he said: 'There are no dates. ''There's no need for yet another competition that moves money to a sector of clubs and players and comes from somewhere. We have to maintain the ecosystem and eliminate it. Advertisement 'Keep it as it was before, which was a weekend. There's no way, neither in terms of dates, nor economics, nor maintaining the sustainability of football.' The Club World Cup has been a massive failure on Infantino's part. The tournament has failed to gather the attendance or attention he claimed it would. Things could pick up in the knockout stage, but the early signs are not promising.
