BPL turns to La Liga strategy to rescue clubs
Kabelo Boranabi | Wednesday April 25, 2018 13:46
Most clubs are in debt with the majority struggling to pay players.
After a four-day benchmarking trip to Spain, the BPL wants to implement what it learnt in La Liga to help local clubs stay afloat.
BPL chief executive officer, Thabo Ntshinogang told a media briefing in Gaborone today that clubs in La Liga were highly indebted to players and the government treasury but devised a turnaround strategy. They introduced economic control systems that was meant to regulate players' salaries according to the club's financial stature.
'These economic control measurers improved the economic situations of La Liga clubs. Before its introduction, the clubs owed more than 3.3million Euros in players' arrears. These arrears, through this economic control system have now decreased significantly,' he said.
BPL chairperson Jagdish Shah said through the economic controls, clubs would be expected to reveal their expenses and income in order to help them spend within their means. He said the sanctions if agreed, the new measures would curb overspending on player transfers and salaries.
'The economic sanctions are here to guide teams in terms of how much they can afford to buy a certain player. If you were not able to buy the player at that price, La Liga would refuse registration of the player. This is the agreement that the clubs have made and they would not fight with the La Liga because they have agreed and there is transparency. The La Liga would know the financial capability of the teams and charges would be put in place if the teams do not abide,' he said.
Of late, local teams have failed to pay their playing staff with the hard hit being Mochudi Centre Chiefs, Gaborone United and Gilport Lions. Nshinogang also announced that the BPL and La Liga have signed a two year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU would see the two league boards working on improving the commercialisation of the local game, innovation and marketing strategies and development of referees and youth. This was the second benchmarking trip for the BPL board after they met South Africa's PSL bosses earlier this year.