August 8 – The parlous financial state of much of Spanish football has been underlined yet again with Real Murcia demoted to the third tier of the league. It is huge fall from grace for Murcia, who finished fourth in the second division last season before being beaten in the promotion playoffs by Cordoba.
A statement released by the Spanish Professional Football League (LFP) confirmed the sanction, while Murcia’s place looks set to be taken by Mirandes, who finished the highest of the relegated sides at the conclusion of last season.
Murcia are believed to have failed to pay off a number of major debtors, including the Spanish tax authorities and now hold the dubious distinction of being the only club in Spain to have twice been relegated for administrative reasons. Back in 1992, the ‘Pimentoneros’ were demoted when they failed to comply with new rules on the structure of soccer clubs set out in government legislation.
The club has also been fined €180,000 after they failed to get their finances in order.
A delegation from the debt-ridden club, led by coach Jose Manuel Aira and accompanied to the LFP headquarters in Madrid by several hundred protesting fans, failed to prevent the league from ratifying the sanctions.
LFP president Javier Tebas noted at a news conference that 40 of the 42 professional clubs in Spain’s first and second divisions had backed the league’s financial rules and Murcia had been punished because they owed €13 million in tax arrears.
Many Spanish clubs are suffering serious economic problems and Tebas said: “The important thing is to protect the integrity of the competition and try to make clubs as equal as possible in financial terms. The clubs want everyone to pay their players, pay their taxes, social security, their suppliers and their debts.”
“That’s the pressure we are under and we prefer 100 demonstrations like the one we had today before accepting clubs with these financial problems.”
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