Atletico Madrid have emerged as a third force in Spanish football. However, there is a history in Spain of clubs emerging to challenge the Real-Barcelona duopoly and then fading as they find it too hot at the top. It seems that Atletico’s success is built on shaky financial foundations.
Atletico Madrid have emerged as a third force in Spanish football. However, there is a history in Spain of clubs emerging to challenge the Real-Barcelona duopoly and then fading as they find it too hot at the top. It seems that Atletico’s success is built on shaky financial foundations.
The club has debts of €50m and wages account for a worrying 90 per cent of turnover. It is able to keep going because of its recent winnings and also because the authorities are not pressing it for settlement of a €100m tax debt. That is surprising, given Spain’s financial situation, and certainly wouldn’t happen in Britain. However, foobtball clubs have generally been treated tolerantly by governments at all levels in Spain.
The way forward appears to be to sell the team’s best players from time to time and to attract more sponsorship, but there is an inherent contradiction there and the end result could be a decline in success on the pitch.