The biggest news in Spain was the long awaited passing of the Real Decreto on April 30, which evens out the distribution of revenue from TV contracts. In January, Chinese businessman Wang Jianlin paid around €45M for a 20% stake in La Liga side Atlético Madrid. And after Barcelona was hit with a transfer ban in ’14 -- which the club served this year -- reports surfaced in ’15 that Real Madrid and Atlético could be hit with similar sanctions for violating transfer regulations. One of the top stories in South America has been Rio de Janeiro’s ongoing prep for next summer’s Olympics.
OUTSIDE INVESTMENT: With Wang’s investment in Atlético, he became the latest Asian billionaire with a significant stake in a European football club. Wang, who owns Chinese property company Dalian Wanda Group, called the acquisition a bargain. His interest in raising the quality of football in China is well-known and saw Wanda sign an agreement with the Chinese FA in ’11 to improve the sport. The cash influx is expected to help the club compete with its far wealthier competition in both La Liga and Europe, and was also considered timely as the team looks to complete construction of its new stadium. Later in the year, Wanda shelled out $650M to take over the World Triathlon Corp.
MORE TRANSFER BANS?: Barcelona was unable to sign players during the winter or summer windows this year. Meanwhile, its top rivals Atlético and Real Madrid reportedly may face similar sanctions for violating youth transfer rules. Though no punishments have been confirmed, suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter became the latest to indicate punishment is forthcoming when he said in December that FIFA’s disciplinary committee has files open on both clubs.
BRAZIL GETS READY: A year after hosting the 2014 World Cup -- amid far less off-field controversy than many expected after a tumultuous Confederations Cup in ’13 -- Brazil is once again on the verge of hosting an event that the whole world will be watching. So far, Rio Games organizers have faced far less criticism than the organizers of the World Cup, who attracted widespread negative publicity late in ‘13. This is not to say that next year’s Games will be carried out without any controversy. The economic crisis that has hit the country since it was awarded the event in ’09 has Rio 2016 looking to trim its budget by more than $500M. Another area of concern is the pollution of the Guanabara Bay waters where sailing and other events will take place.
