Clubs Vote to Delay Start of Spanish League Season
The start of the Spanish soccer league Aug. 31 is in jeopardy after 30 clubs voted Friday to delay the 2003-04 season in protest over the lack of an agreement on television revenue.
The 30 clubs -- eight first-division teams and all 22 from the second tier -- said they would continue negotiations Monday in hopes of breaking the deadlock with Gestsport, a subsidiary of Spanish pay-TV broadcaster Sogecable.
According to Associated Press, the G-30 clubs -- the ones that voted to delay the season -- have rejected an offer of $91.3 million, which was $9.8 million less than they’d hoped to receive from Gestsport.
The G-30 clubs’ decision to delay the start of the season is likely to cause conflict with top-flight teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, which have already agreed to individual deals with Sogecable.
Reports indicated that the split could lead to the formation of a new league.
A delay in the season could cause a headache for schedule makers, since the season has already been compressed because of Euro 2004, which is scheduled to begin June 12.
Many of the lower-level clubs see TV revenues as a way for them to reduce their collective debt, which reached a reported $1.873 million last year.
Speaking of Debt
Barca has sold out.
At least that’s what purists might say after the news sinks in that Barcelona will put a sponsor’s name on its burgundy and blue jerseys this season, for the first time in the 104-year-old club’s history. This could help the 16-time Spanish champion reduce its debt.
No sponsor, though, has been found ... yet.
Although Barca Vice President Ferran Soriano declined to name any potential sponsors on Friday, he told Bloomberg News that the sponsor “will be a modern brand with a global reach that’s in line with the club’s values.”
Recently elected Barca President Joan Laporta said earlier this month that he had met with several companies, among them Pfizer Inc.
Adding a sponsor’s name to jerseys can generate as much as $15 million a year. With Barcelona dealing with a reported $250-million debt, delegates representing the 106,000 members voted 450-32 in favor.
Bora’s Back ... Again
Bora Milutinovic, the Serbian-born gypsy of a coach who had taken five countries to the World Cup, landed in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Friday and officially took over the Honduran national team. He will reportedly make $50,000 to $70,000 a month.
“I’m coming to make the Honduran team more competitive,” Milutinovic told reporters upon arriving at Toncontin International Airport.
Honduras has played in one World Cup, in 1982 in Spain.
Milutinovic has coached China, the United States, Nigeria, Mexico and Costa Rica, and earlier this summer turned down an opportunity to coach his native country.
Times wire services contributed to this report.
