Investor deal in Spain: Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao lose in court vs. LaLiga

Tebas had sold TV rights

In a long-standing dispute over a billion-dollar deal, Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao suffered a defeat against LaLiga. A court in Madrid ruled in favor of the league’s president Javier Tebas, it was announced on Tuesday. A justice spokesman confirmed the verdict at the request of the German Press Agency. The clubs can appeal the decision, but they have not announced such a step for the time being.

At the end of 2021, the vast majority of Spanish professional clubs approved the professional league’s deal with an investor from Luxembourg, the former Formula 1 owner CVC. For a financial injection of almost two billion euros, CVC will collect around eleven percent of the TV revenues of the 1st and 2nd leagues for 50 years. The investor also takes over around eight percent of the commercial and technology rights.

At the time, league boss Tebas spoke of a “milestone” in football development. However, the plaintiff clubs had complained about “an illegal transaction” that caused “irreparable damage to all of Spanish football” and “blatantly violated the most elementary principles of Spanish sports law and the statutes of La Liga”.

The clubs that are against the agreement do not receive any money, but do not have to give up any rights either. Nevertheless, they went to court against it. A statement from LaLiga said on Tuesday: “The judgment confirms the legality of the project and finds that it is in line with the applicable legal and regulatory framework.”

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