Details Matter
It is a matter of details—mainly that Mediapro and Telefónica have just negotiated—the new distribution of television rights will come into effect for the 2015-16 season. Great news for Espanyol, whose president, Joan Collet, has been a champion of this cause. This means that the club could earn between eight and ten million extra (it is an approximation, as no one from the club's environment dares to give numbers yet) next season, a key injection to be able to face the following payments to Hacienda and breathe more easily for the next campaign.
The News will Have a Rebound Effect
Primarily, it will affect the sale of shares by the main shareholders to the investment funds Cerberus (United States) and Fosun (China), the two that have been revealed so far. Although negotiations are ongoing, it will no longer be urgent for them to reach a successful outcome quickly. The club will gain enough liquidity to continue reducing debt.
However, the intention of the main shareholders remains the same, as their objective is to sell and at the same time get rid of the guarantees of Cornellà-El Prat.
Cerberus
All the information that has come out regarding the sale of the club to the American investment group Cerberus comes from the side of the main shareholders of Espanyol, whether Dani Sánchez Llibre, Ramon Condal, or the Genética Perica group. This newspaper spoke with representatives of the investment fund in Madrid, who referred the interest in knowing more details of the operation to their counterparts in the United States, who, a week later, continue to choose the law of silence. This is the way this group operates, as they are not prone to explaining details of their operations until the investment is signed.
Interestingly, on Thursday night, a curious encounter took place at the anniversary of the Escullera Fan Club. Oliveró, Dani, and Condal coincided—at different tables—but they did talk at some point in the evening with the sale of shares as a backdrop. A sale that seems irreversible but is no longer urgent because the distribution of television rights will come into effect.