Debt Crisis Threatens Argentine Season

Argentine football fans face the prospect of a delayed start, and possibly the suspension, of the coming season. Argentine Football Association (AFA) spokesman Chequis Blaio said that ‘No games will start at any level.’ Not surprisingly, this upset some of the most dedicated fans in the world and the AFA headquarters was sprayed with graffiti. Tension between the country’s top clubs and cable television providers has been brewing for weeks as the country’s top league teams trying to extricate themselves from debts estimated at $300m.

Argentine football fans face the prospect of a delayed start, and possibly the suspension, of the coming season. Argentine Football Association (AFA) spokesman Chequis Blaio said that ‘No games will start at any level.’ Not surprisingly, this upset some of the most dedicated fans in the world and the AFA headquarters was sprayed with graffiti. Tension between the country’s top clubs and cable television providers has been brewing for weeks as the country’s top league teams trying to extricate themselves from debts estimated at $300m. Argentina has been hit by the global recession and many commentators consider that the current government has mismanaged the economy, doctoring statistics to make out things are better than they really are. To try and solve the debt problem, the AFA is lobbying to squeeze more money from television rights. AFA supremo Julio Grondona is pushing for $720m per season, almost three times the current rate. ‘The money that television gives us doesn’t suffice. Once and for all, we want figures that football deserves,’ the embattled AFA president said.

Top-flight football is currently accessible on a pay-per-view basis. The AFA, which has long complained that television rights are undervalued, is pushing to move games to open view and have cable television rates increase accordingly. Mr Grondona thinks that everything would be sorted with an extra 12 pesos ($3.14) monthly subscription. But any increase is highly unpopular with the football-mad public who claim they already pay more than the international average. These complaints have some justification particularly if one considers GDP per capita. However, the television industry is not prepared to back down. Instead, they have offered a $40m upfront payment to deal with current debts. As far as the AFA is concerned, this is nothing more than a sticking plaster. And, as is so often the case, the fans are caught in the middle.