How players’ media boycott could hit Athletic’s finances | OneFootball

Athletic’s first-team refused all media duties at Camp Nou and left without speaking, which the club cast as an internal matter and a players’ decision. They skipped rights broadcasters, club channels and the mixed zone. The stance could carry financial consequences under LaLiga’s media-cooperation scheme.

Two seasons ago, Diario de Navarra reported Osasuna earned 300,000 euros extra for full cooperation, and estimated that opting out would have cost a little over two million euros.

LaLiga awards up to 500 points, minimum 175, for collaboration with its broadcasts, then settles payouts accordingly. A formula introduced in 2023 splits a pot of just over 130 million euros, half equal, 25% on sporting performance over five seasons, 25% on social implantation. This is the 'show classification', where Athletic typically score 500 and Real Madrid 0 after refusing to work with the Tebas-led body.

The boycott came days after Jon Uriarte’s board withdrew free match tickets previously granted to players, former presidents, employees, retirees and ex-players. The move aims to maximise stadium revenue, with more than 7,000 supporters on a membership waiting list.

Those allocations will be sold around the ground, adding tickets for fans and lifting gate receipts. The first team’s stance appears to be a protest, and the board will meet the dressing room in the coming days. Any extra income could be eroded if reduced cooperation persists.

Source: El Correo

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”