2011 Copa del Rey Final Business: Barcelona And Real Madrid’s Loss-Maker

February 4, 2011 By Isaac Asante

Topics: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Copa del Rey, El Clasico

For a simple football fan, the Barcelona vs Real Madrid game in the Copa del Rey final is excellent from all angles; but for the clubs’ business men, it is definitely not as “wonderful” as many believe it is.

The famous Bloomberg website revealed that El Clasico of April 20 will surely be a “financial flop” for the two Spanish titans. As the most renowned soccer teams in Spain, Barcelona and Real Madrid nearly get 50% of the $875 million television income earned through the TV broadcast of Spanish football, annually.

It is said that the 2011 Copa del Rey final will give them each a maximum of $409,000 of broadcast revenue. In line with a recent interview from federation executive Miguel Angel Lopez, they will also have to split advertising and ticket sales with the national federation and match venue owner. An expert in team finances for UEFA—Jose Maria Gay—selected the expected bonus payments to the participating players of the final as a major source for upcoming financial debit.

His conclusion to his researches obviously concerned the eventual winner of the Copa del Rey final. Gay—also a Barcelona University accountancy professor—deduced in an interview:

“The Spanish Cup is a loss-maker for teams. It is only good for their image because there is a trophy at stake.” Esteve Calzada, a one-time team marketing executive at Barcelona, added: “What makes things worse is that whoever wins will have to spend more on bonuses than the 1 million-euro prize money. Real and Barca will have to do with boosting their brand if they win.”

Director of a sports management course in Madrid—Antonio Martin—however preferred to look at the brighter side of the Barcelona vs Real Madrid clash in the final. He explained that it will let them earn even better sponsorship deals in the future, and more importantly, keep their fans in high spirits.

Furthermore, Martin looked at the big game’s importance from a plain angle, and accentuated on the heat of the huge rivalry between the two finalists. He simply declared: “Winning the final against your eternal rival cannot be bad.” Barcelona and Real Madrid will face each other for the first time in the Copa del Rey final in 21 years. Barca are currently the most successful side in the competition’s history with 25 trophies in their name.