Andy Mitten looks at how the financial crisis in Europe could end up hurting Spanish football
Not everyone is celebrating the success of Spanish clubs in European competition this season.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are in the Champions League last eight, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao all in the Europa League quarter-finals. Of those, only Athletic don't owe back taxes. Atletico, on the other hand, owe €155 million (Dh751m).
Spanish clubs owe €550m in unpaid taxes, with over €300m due from 14 of the 20 top-flight clubs.
In the past, clubs have got away with lax deadlines because no government wanted to make itself unpopular by closing down football teams because of unpaid bills. Not now. Crisis-hit Spain needs every euro it can get and the government has described the situation as "intolerable"
Spain also needs financial support from other European countries who are asking why they should help bail out a country whose football teams gain an unfair advantage by not paying taxes.
Bayern Munich's outspoken president Uli Hoeness correctly asked why German public money should be used to bail out Spain, when Spanish football clubs don't pay their debts.
Why should a German tax payer fund a Spanish football club who then spend money they can't afford on superior players and potentially defeat a well-run German club? It could happen as Atletico play Hannover
Spanish clubs have long enjoyed favourable credit with banks and unfairly favourable terms with authorities. Uefa's financial fair play rules can't come in soon enough to end this financial doping.
