Real Madrid general director argues Liga F funding should be cut

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·27 January 2025

Real Madrid general director argues Liga F funding should be cut

During a recent Assembly of Clubs meeting, Real Madrid’s general director Jose Ángel Sánchez argued for a cut in funding to Liga F, according to Relevo. The report from November says Sánchez was ‘very belligerent with some points of the annual budgets that they had to approve’, particularly the support for women’s professional football.

La Liga’s contribution is part of a five-year financial package worth €40 million (€33m) to support the women’s league.

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In its third year, the funding structure began with a £5 million annual contribution. This later increased to £7 million and is set to reach £8 million in the final two years. For context, the funds are drawn from La Liga’s overall revenue from all 42 clubs across the Primera and Segunda divisions, while only 13 clubs have presentation in Liga F.

Liga F have faced financial hurdles, including problems with former sponsor Finetwork after it failed to fulfil payment obligations. The league relies heavily on revenue from streams including lucrative deals with the likes of broadcasting giant DAZN. The league also receives £17 million in annual support from Spain’s Ministry for Sport.

There is £16.5 million being allocated to projects aimed at fostering the development of women’s football over a five-year period. To put this into context, Real Madrid enjoyed over €1 billion (£840 million) in revenue last season.

Sanchez argues against funding

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The general director believes this is too much money for the women’s game and its growth, while it can be seen this league is one of the biggest in Europe. The Real Madrid representative is said to have told La Liga president Javier Tebas at the meeting: “It’s too much. It has to be cut.”

Real Madrid have faced scrutiny over the years due to the club’s approach to the women’s game. In 2019, they launched their women’s side by acquiring existing club CD Tacon and rebranding it to Real Madrid Feminino. This is contradictory to their main Spanish rivals in Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, who at this point had already heavily invested in their women’s teams.