Javier Tebas: “I respect Peter Lim a lot for what he has done”

LaLiga president Javier Tebas gave a speech this Monday at the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera higher education facility, talking about the running of LaLiga and the objectives the Spanish league has for the future. During the presentation, which ran for over two hours, he reviewed the inner workings of the competition and spoke of its global growth.

In the speech, Tebas also commented on the management of Valencia CF.

The arrival of Peter Lim

“It’s very difficult to evaluate how a club is run without knowing details. When Lim bought Valencia CF I remember that there were 25,000 people who turned out at the stadium to thank him. It seems as if we have forgotten that this man came along and avoided Valencia CF going into receivership -or even disappearing. Peter Lim has my full respect, as without being a Valencian he took this step. After that, there have been things he has got right, and also mistakes that have been made.”

The impact of Covid-19 on football

“The situation for big clubs with Covid-19 is difficult, because they lose ticket and shop revenue. In the case of Valencia CF, their income from television was some 42%, and so this affects them even more. The numbers obliged them to sell players. Barça, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have all sold players. The other teams haven’t reinforced their squads either. This has consequences on the sporting side as well, obviously. However, we are going to wait. We’re only 7 games into the season. I remember a year in which Claudio Ranieri lost the first four games, and the season went on to end very well. I have a lot of respect for Peter Lim, for everything that he has done.”

Help and guidance for clubs

“From my position, I always try to ensure that things go as well as possible for the clubs. I don’t think that Valencia CF have a serious financial problem. If it hadn’t been for the Covid-19 crisis, Valencia CF would not have sold so many players.”