La Liga President Javier Tebas Aims Accusations at Manchester City and PSG

Key Takeaways:

• Javier Tebas has accused Manchester City’s owners of ongoing financial misconduct and criticised PSG for posting losses exceeding €200 million for seven consecutive years
• During the latest transfer window, Premier League clubs invested €3.59 billion, dwarfing the €684 million spent in Spain and €1.19 billion in Italy
• Tebas highlighted a €600 million annual deficit for Spanish clubs compared to the Premier League and Bundesliga, primarily due to fewer VIP stadium facilities

Tebas Questions Financial Discipline at English and French Clubs

La Liga chief Javier Tebas has reignited debate over the financial management within Europe’s leading football leagues, specifically targeting Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. Tebas voiced strong concerns about unregulated spending by elite clubs outside Spain, arguing that such practices do not always translate into competitive dominance.

Tebas stated: “Football is global, and in the matches from European tournaments you have to face clubs that operate in a different system. With them, either financial control is absent, or it is different. In England, there is already concern about the level of debt in domestic football. This is a league where losses are being accumulated constantly. You can operate at a loss for one, two, or three years, but not for four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten years like Manchester City, who lose money but also commit fraud ever since those owners have come,” Tebas began his remarks.

🚨🗣️ 𝗡𝗘𝗪: Tebas: “Manchester City have been cheating and losing money since they came into existence with their new owners. PSG had losses of €200M for seven consecutive years.

But we [La Liga] compete and the results are there. We are 30 European titles ahead of the… pic.twitter.com/kMf56fn71v

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) October 2, 2025

Massive Disparity in Transfer Spend

A significant financial gap has become apparent in the European transfer market. According to Tebas, Premier League sides outspent their continental rivals by a considerable margin in the most recent transfer window, shelling out €3.59 billion. By contrast, Italian clubs spent €1.19 billion, while Spain’s total was only €684 million – less than one fifth of the sum recorded in England.

PSG’s Prolonged Financial Losses and La Liga’s Successes

Tebas drew further attention to Paris Saint-Germain’s ongoing financial issues, noting the club has reported annual losses of €200 million for the past seven years. Despite such figures, Tebas underscored the competitive strength of Spanish football on the European stage, highlighting 30 trophies secured by Spanish clubs this century – a tally well clear of the Premier League’s output.

He also acknowledged areas that require development, such as ticketing revenue. According to Tebas, La Liga faces an annual shortfall of about €600 million compared to England and Germany, much of which he attributed to stadium VIP offerings. Spanish venues feature approximately 4.3% VIP boxes, whereas Bundesliga stadiums offer around 9% and English grounds reach 11.5%. He stated the necessity for change, partly justified by La Liga’s CVC investment.

Financial Regulation and Spanish Football’s Approach

Tebas emphasised the ongoing challenge of regulatory loopholes and rule circumvention in football finances. He asserted Spain’s strong record in club solvency, citing no club liquidations to date, but did mention an outstanding tax debt of €700 million as a point of discomfort.

He added that the introduction of centralised TV rights sales and a temporary financial fair play rule allowed Spanish football to collect an extra €500 million in one year, which has been directed towards restructuring debt and implementing financial fair play measures. Tebas stated: “In our sector, there is always a search for loopholes to circumvent the rules, but they exist specifically to be followed. We must be careful. We are the only sector in which not a single club has been liquidated. Owing 700 million euros to the tax authorities is somewhat uncomfortable, isn’t it? When we began to centralise the TV rights sales, we introduced a temporary rule for financial fair play, which allowed us to gather an extra 500 million euros in one year. Through that, we began to apply the plan for restructuring debt while also enforcing the financial fair play program. If it didn’t exist, these 500 million would go to players for Ferraris, Porsches, yachts, and not for payment of public debt,” Tebas said.