Pre-season training is in full swing as the start of a new soccer season in Argentina is near. There is much anticipation for the 2009 Apertura championship to begin, but it has been a problematic offseason for numerous teams and the Argentine Football Association on a financial and administrative level. Clubs are in financial turmoil and AFA, lead by Julio Grondona, wants to restructure its current television contract with TyC Sports to give these teams more economic benefits. It’s an issue that is even involving the Argentine national government, who may be interested in acquiring the television rights if Grondona is able to break the contract with TyC Sports. The current contract with TyC Sports runs through 2014, but TyC Sports wants it to be respected and has stated that they will take legal action if Grondona breaches the contract.

TyC Sports is due to pay the Argentine Football Association about 72 million dollars based on the extension that was signed in 2007. However, Grondona and AFA officials are demanding twice as much for this season. AFA has essentially threatened TyC Sports that they will be dropped from the deal if they don’t comply. Supposedly Nestor Kirchner, former president of Argentina, met with Julio Grondona to discuss a new television deal although this has not been confirmed and it seems to be only rumors. This week is crucial for determining whether the 2009 Apertura championship will start this weekend as initially scheduled. A series of meetings are scheduled to be held with officials from the government, AFA, and TyC Sports to try to put an end to all the conflict.

At least there are some conclusions that even the most casual soccer fan can draw out of this mess despite all the uncertainty, unrest, and tension surrounding the start of the Argentine league. Once again the fans are paying the price for the poor management skills of most soccer club officials in Argentina. Once again the fans are paying the price for the lack of seriousness and the lack of organization from the Argentine Football Association to keep these clubs in check on a financial level. Once again the fans are left empty-handed and disappointed because the start of the season will most likely be delayed. Once again the fans were put on the back seat of yet another sloppy incident in Argentine soccer.