La Liga President Javier Tebas warned that the Premier League "could take the best players" from La Liga if "Spanish clubs do not equal the revenue of English clubs in the next five years," according to LIBERTAD DIGITAL. Tebas: "The turnover of clubs in the Premier League, our biggest competitor, is around €5.9 billion ($6.3B), while for Spanish football clubs it is about €3.7 billion ($4B)." TV rights "are the principal source of revenue for La Liga, which exports broadcast rights to 200 countries." He also highlighted that Spanish football clubs' debt to the country's tax authorities has dropped from €650M in '13 to around €150M ($160M) this year. Tebas expects this debt to be eliminated by '20 (LIBERTAD DIGITAL, 4/3). MARCA reported a study by Spain's Superior Sports Council (CSD) found that '15-16 was the fourth year in a row that Spanish football "recorded a profit." Of the total profit of €149,000, €138,000 was recorded by La Liga clubs, while second division teams accounted for €11,000. Total revenue in '15-16 increased by 11.5% from the previous year to €3B. Broadcast rights "remained the principal source of revenue," accounting for 32.6% of total revenue (MARCA, 4/3).
