La Liga President Comments on New Premier League Television Deal

La Liga president Javier Tebas believes the nearly €7 billion television deal signed by the English Premier League could lead to an exit of elite talent from the top division in Spain.

Matthew Scott of Goal.com reports Tebas has been frustrated by delays in La Liga's efforts to secure a new deal, and when paired with England's success, he sees warning signs. He included comments the league boss made to Spanish outlet EFE:

"

We've done all we have to do and we can only hope that the decision is for the good of football fans and Spanish sport. The delays could result in a very important loss, hundreds of millions of Euros, which would mean a very complicated future for Spanish football.

There will be a new exodus of players. The current model stops us keeping our stars. Our game is going to be devalued.

"

Television revenue is a major source of money for clubs in the world's top leagues. The battle among the top flights across Europe for rights fees, both domestically and internationally, is crucial, and the Premier League struck first in this case.

BBC Sport notes La Liga is also the only major European league in which clubs can negotiate their own television contracts. So that's why sides like Real Madrid and Barcelona have held an obvious edge, but even that is in question with the new EPL deal in place.

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

Tebas is quoted in the report stating the Spanish league must move toward a system more similar to the one used in England. Otherwise, "economically we'll end up with a fifth-level competition," he states.

Exactly how grave his concerns are behind the scenes is unclear. This may simply be an effort to bring some attention to the topic before La Liga gets in an even more compromising position. But he's certainly sounding the warning bells loud and clear.

It's an interesting situation to track as the league attempts to finalize its plans after watching the Premier League score big.