Activities and Events

Jose Luis Astiazaran confirms that he will not run for the presidency of the LFP

Jose Luis Astiazaran, chairman of Liga de Futbol Profesional, publicly announced on Monday the 11th of March 2013 that he would not run for re-election at the elections for chairman that would be held on the 27th of April. He asserted that he believed that he had to put an end to an era of great importance and intensity for him.

In his eight years as chairman, the LFP, together with clubs and SADs, worked to strengthen the value of the championship, making decisions in order to establish the economic control needed by football clubs. Its development and compliance will mean that in the medium and long term the clubs’ economic solvency will be strengthened and this will guarantee the feasibility of the competition.

The value of TV rights and the amounts that clubs and SADs receive due to them have increased, thus guaranteeing in the medium term important revenue and consolidating the future changes that will be made over the next few years regarding the exploitation of those rights.

Much work has been done in several FIFA and UEFA international committees, reaching agreements as important as including directly three Spanish teams in the Champions League, out of the 4 that can participate from our league, as well as in the Europa League. In the latter, the revenue received by clubs and SADs has also increased.

The relationship with the players' union has become more professional, thus overcoming the differences that came up over the last few years.

Greater efforts have been made so that the Spanish football league, recognised as the best in the world over the last three years, has the weight it deserves in the international markets, from Latin America to Asia, from the Arab countries to Europe.

Internally, the LFP's organisation has become more professional, with an important increase of marketing and the development of new businesses, as well as an intense relationship with the different sponsors and with BBVA, our title sponsor, consolidating its presence in Liga BBVA and Liga Adelante and, moreover, improving the relationship with the different public administrations and with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

"These have been years of great intensity and relevance due to the work made by the LFP. Many of the goals I committed to achieving eight years ago and that were set by clubs and SADs have been achieved. My era, my cycle, has come to an end. It is time to give way to another LFP chairman who, with the majority support needed for the management of this organisation, and that I have enjoyed all this time, can continue to move forward in the issues that strengthen the future of professional football. A new chairman that will have all my support and with whom I will work to make sure the changeover takes place in an environment of cordiality and normality for the benefit of our football."

Burger King and the LFP presented the new collection of the official Liga glasses

Fair Play Day in Liga BBVA and Liga Adelante

The weekend of the 16/17 March 2013 was the anniversary of the "National Agreement for the Implementation of Fair Play in Spanish Football" which, a year ago, was signed by Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP), the Higher Sports Council (CSD), the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), the Association of Spanish Footballers (AFE), the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) and United Fans (AFEPE).

Thus, over 500,000 blue cards were handed out with the logo of all the organisations that signed it and with a Decalogue. Ten reasonable rules that aim to lead to fair and peaceful games. The objective of this initiative was for the best world league to also have the best ambience possible and for the stadium to be a place where families could enjoy watching football.

Moreover, the "Third Half" was held. An experience that showed that the matches' protagonists, players from both sides and the referee team, are capable of chatting after the final whistle as friends, eliminating some of the drama and setting a good example.

Thus, before the match, players from all the Liga BBVA and Liga Adelante fixtures shook their hands and, after the match ended, they did it again in the centre of the pitch, greeting the spectators and thanking them for their support.

The CEO of the LFP participated as a speaker, at the international football trade show Soccerex

Francisco Roca, CEO of the LFP participated as a speaker in one of the round tables held in Soccerex, the annual international conference that took place in Manchester.

More specifically, the LFP's CEO took part in the forum entitled "Leader leagues" and discussed with the vice-chairman of the English Federation, David Dein, and the EPFL's CEO Emanuel Macedo, issues such as financial fair play, marketing for global fans, calendar problems and racism in football, among others.

Javier Tebas, LFP's chairman

The electoral commission of Liga de Futbol Profesional agreed on the 26th of April 2013 to finally appoint Javier Tebas Medrano as the chairman of the LFP, as his was the only candidacy, thus complying with the statutory rules and regulation applicable and given that no appeal had been presented.

Javier Tebas Medrano (San José de Costa Rica, 1962), of Spanish nationality, has a degree on law by the University of Zaragoza.

He is a partner-manager at Tebas & Coiduras y asociados, a firm that owns the sports law brand Law Sport, and is a practising lawyer since 1987.

He founded his own firm, specialising in commercial law, later on including as areas of speciality sports law and bankruptcy law.

He has worked as an external legal advisor for different Spanish and foreign clubs and sports public limited companies (SAD), as well as being the leading lawyer in numerous creditors' agreements of sport companies and entities. Moreover, he is a member of the board of directors of several national and international bodies.

Tebas frequently acts as a speaker and guest speaker in conferences, seminars and courses in Spain and Latin America. He is the author of several publications and essays published in specialised journals and he is a frequent collaborator in the press, radio and TV. Moreover, he is a lecturer in several masters and courses dealing with commercial and sports law.

The new LFP Chairman was the chairman of S.D. Huesca and he has held different positions and titles at Liga Nacional de Futbol Profesional. Among them, we can highlight that he was a member of its Delegate Commission, first as vice-chairman and then as second vice-chairman, a position he held until now.

The LFP's Chairman promoted Liga BBVA and Liga Adelante in Miami as a guest of Spanish Renowned Brands

Javier Tebas, chairman of Liga de Futbol Profesional, travelled from 2-4 of May to Miami due to the promotion that the city was making of Spanish Renowned Brands with occasion of the 5th Centenary of the Foundation of Florida. The LFP is one of the Spanish Renowned Brands.

BeIn, Friend of the Brand Spain

The Business Forum organised on board the training ship Juan Sebastian Elcano was organised on Friday the 3rd of May 2013 for this occasion. The objective of this forum was to promote and generate business opportunities.

In the evening of that same day there was an appointment ceremony for the Friends of the Brand Spain. It is a public and institutional recognition to those local personalities (physical entities, companies or institutions) that, in their respective professional fields, stood out in their support and collaboration with Spain and/or with Spanish brands in that benchmark market. This initiative was developed with success over the last few years in China, Russia and the United Kingdom.

Liga Nacional de Futbol Profesional had proposed to the BeIn Sport chain, a company that broadcasts on TV Spanish Liga matches in North America, as a Friend of the Brand Spain, and its chairman Yousef Al-Obaidly was in charge of collecting the prize.

Reception of Imagina US

Making the most of his stay in that US city, Tebas attended on the Thursday he arrived a reception offered by Imagina US, during which he visited the TV sets of BeIn. During the reception, the LFP's chairman was accompanied by Jaume Roures, who represented Imagina. The LFP's CEO Francisco Roca accompanied Javier Tebas in this trip.

The LFP held a legal breakfast in which it analysed the "Baena case" ruling

Training a player in a club's youth squad does not guarantee that it will be able to hire the star when he is older. This is the argument used by the Supreme court to declare null the pre-contracts and compensations in the cases of non-emancipated minors. In this sense, legal firm Gómez-Acebo & Pombo and Foundation Fundación del Fútbol Profesional held in the morning of the 8th of May 2013 at the headquarters of the LFP the seminar "Loyalty-Building in Minors playing for youth squads", addressed to sport entities so that they could look into the potential solutions.

The event, presented by the LFP chairman Javier Tebas Medrano, dealt with issues such as: ways to evaluate training costs, mechanisms to obtain court authorisations in those cases or how to demand non-contractual liability from the destination clubs, amongst many other issues that were analysed and discussed during the two-hour meeting.

This seminar was attended by most clubs and SADs from the LFP, as well as by representatives of several institutions and public administrations, and it had the participation of the experts from Gómez-Acebo & Pombo: Antonio V. Sempere Navarro, Ángel Carrasco Perera and Manuel J. Martín Domínguez, the CEO of Villarreal C.F, S.A.D, Fernando Roig Negueroles and the legal advisor of Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, Miguel Mª García Caba.

Javier Tebas, protagonist of "Desayunos Deportivos" of Europa Press

The recently appointed chairman of Liga de Futbol Profesional (LFP) Javier Tebas was the protagonist of Desayuno Deportivo (Sport Mornings) of Europa Press on the 9th of May 2013, during which he analysed the current issues of the football world and the new era the LFP is starting with his mandate.

The morning program started at 10 am at the Intercontinental Hotel in Madrid.

The new LFP Chairman visited Real Sporting

LFP's Chairman Javier Tebas visited on the 15th of May the managers of Real Sporting, with whom he met in order to explain to them the details of the economic control mechanism established by Liga de Futbol Profesional and the effort that all clubs must make in order to meet the demanding parameters established so that they have healthy accounts and to guarantee their viability in the future.

Javier Tebas in the presentation of the '20th Edition of the National BlueBBVA 7-a-side Football Championship"

Fans of Malaga and Girona received the award "Player No. 12"

Clemente Villaverde and Victor Manuel Martin, vice-chairmen of the LFP

New members on the Trust of Fundacion del Futbol Profesional

LFP's chairman, Javier Tebas, his first and second vice-chairmen, Clemente Villaverde and Victor Manuel Martin, and the chairman of Asociacion Española de la Prensa Deportiva (Spanish Association of Sport Press), Julian Redondo, were appointed members of the Trust of Fundacion del Futbol Profesional for the next four years during the Extraordinary General Meeting held on the 30th of May at the LFP's headquarters

The new members replaced Jose Luis Astiazaran, Francisco Javier Catalan and Mari Carmen Izquierdo, who ended their mandate because they no longer served the position they were appointed for. Javier Tebas was already part of the Trust because of his position as second vice-chairman of the LFP. Now he is a member as chairman of the LFP.

The Meeting also approved the modification of the Articles of Association of the Foundation regarding the Trust's composition, in order to adapt its structure to the new increase in the volume of activities, which will also entail greater participation by the Trustees.

Eva Turegano, LFP's Communication manager

Eva Turegano Garcia joined in the last week of May Liga de Futbol Profesional, where she heads the recently created Communication Department.

She was born in Madrid and she has spent her professional career in Real Madrid TV and Antena 3 TV. She has also collaborated with different media such as Cadena Cope and Intereconomia TV.