MADRID: For all the brilliance of Real Madrid and Barcelona on the pitch and off it – they are first and second in the Deloitte Rich List – Spanish clubs in total are €752m in debt writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

A survey undertaken by government statisticians have revealed that clubs in the top division have a combined debt of €490m and those in the second division €184m. Clubs further down aggregate €78m.

This means that the total debt has increased by €150m over the past four years – figures which can only spur UEFA president Michel Platini is pressing forward with Financial Fair Play which starts to take effect from this year.

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