Big salaries, apartments, bonuses, a luxurious headquarters... This is the unrealistic professionalization of women's soccer.

As we reported a week ago, the Higher Sports Council (CSD) received a complaint from the vice president of the Professional Women's Football League (LPFF) against its president and general director. Rubén Alcaine accuses Beatriz Álvarez and Pablo Vilches of a serious and repeated violation of the LPFF Statutes, including overstepping their authority, fraudulently scrutinizing the composition of the Assembly, and illegally calling a vote of no confidence against him.

This complaint indirectly included a third person: Pedro Malabia, known as the Mini Yo of Tebas , who, according to Alcaine in the document sent to the CSD so that it could forward it to the Administrative Court of Sport (TAD), "in February 2023, the General Director incorporated him into the structure of the LPFF, appointing him General Director of Strategic Planning and Development , with the status of General Director and a remuneration very similar to his own."

"There is no agreement from the General Assembly or the Delegate Committee that expressly authorizes such hiring at such a rank or such remuneration. Thus, Pablo Vilches, contradicting the provisions of the LPFF statutes and usurping the functions of the LPFF General Assembly, exceeded the scope of his position," the vice president explains.

Back to the hiring of Pedro Malabia

"The only question that needs to be asked is whether such a hiring was imposed by a third party," Alcaine adds, likely referring to Malabia's close relationship with LaLiga, where he worked. Therefore, this fact, in addition to giving rise to the possible, though unlikely, nullification of Pedro Malabia 's appointment , "is classified as a very serious violation by the General Director," the complaint concludes.

One argument for promoting the motion of censure against the vice president, who criticized the management, is that it "would allow for cost savings."

That said, it turns out that one of the arguments used to promote the motion of censure against Alcaine is that, if successful, "the clubs will have to choose who holds the vice presidency and study a statutory modification to change the model of the position. In this way, they will have a similar one to LaLiga, where it is exercised by one of the member clubs of the Delegate Committee on an unpaid basis . This would allow greater control of these and cost savings."

They didn't give any names, but everything points to Lola Romero, the current director of Atlético de Madrid Femenino . Beyond clearly seeing the hand that rocks LaLiga, as can be seen on its transparency portal, the F League has become a chiringuito, in which "the remuneration received in the 2023-2024 season by the professional management structure , which includes the presidency, vice-presidency, general management and management positions, amounts to 970,159.52 euros."

"The remuneration for the 2023-2024 season for the professional management structure amounts to 970,159.52 euros," is the latest data on the website.

In this sense, the names of Pedro (Malabia) and Pablo (Vilches), hence their nickname "The Flintstones ," dominate internal conversations. Both earn salaries exceeding €200,000 annually, or more than €8,000 net per month . "Malabia, who landed with the global expert's narrative, and Vilches, an opaque but well-positioned figure, have made the organization their personal stronghold," comments someone who knows them well and asks to remain anonymous.

Regarding these huge salaries, it's worth remembering that, according to the latest General State Budget, the Prime Minister's salary is €90,010.20 per year , with no extra payments and a 12-month salary, so he earns around €7,500 a month. Meanwhile, the president of the Higher Sports Council (CSD), currently José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes , earns slightly less, €83,505.06 . In both cases, they're far from the salaries of Pedro and Pablo.

And what are the Flintstones' merits? is the question that arises. "Consolidating a pyramidal, opaque, and extremely costly structure , while independent clubs are suffocating . Those in LaLiga see that the money isn't coming in, or it's coming in from what they themselves generate through men's football, and many players choose to sign at a lower rate or leave," the same deep voice points out.

In addition to the net monthly salary of more than 8,000 euros, there's housing assistance . Valencian Malabia shares an apartment with fellow countryman Javier Gómez . Yes, the corporate general manager of LaLiga. And, if that weren't enough, the general managers are stipulated to receive juicy bonuses of close to 30,000 euros per year, in which Pedro and Pablo themselves set targets , which the clubs are unaware of. Hence, against the will of some of them, it's assumed they meet them and pocket them.

General managers receive a bonus of around 30,000 euros, the targets of which they set themselves and the clubs are unaware of.

That's true, despite the fact that Liga F has outstanding settlements with its members for the 2023-24 season and owes amounts exceeding €700,000 to a large number of them. "It's a model where pedagogy is only applied to the clubs. 'You have to educate them, and they don't need so much information,' they repeat at Fortuny. They, on the other hand, have arrived learned , with salaries well above the market and without accountability," explains the deep-throat.

Adding up salary, housing allowance, and bonuses, plus other expenses for food and travel, the earnings of Liga F managers are far removed from the reality of Spanish professional women's football. Not surprisingly, the minimum salary for players was €22,500 gross for the 2024-25 season, which some claim they have not received, and will be €23,500 in the 2025-26 season . That's around €1,573 net per month, with a seniority bonus of €800 per year after the third season at the same club.

Half a million a year for the renovated Fortuny headquarters

And what can we say about the luxurious headquarters on Madrid's Fortuny Street , whose name reflects its cost : around half a million a year in rent and community fees. Added to this is the cost of an equally disproportionate and unnecessary renovation. "Figures that border on the absurd, since with that budget, Liga F could have acquired a property, ensuring a stable and lasting asset," comments Deep Throat, who concludes: "They don't think about tomorrow. They live from day to day, as if the manna from the CSD and the money LaLiga gives them for commercial rights were inexhaustible."

To complete the pile of expenses, with galas above any market logic, a particularly glaring case is that of the legal consultancy firm, headed by Santiago Nebot , with a budget exceeding €300,000 annually . The result? Advice worthy of a major company, but one that has proven to be deficient. Especially at key moments such as the calling of assemblies or the processing of the motion of censure against the former vice president, as he has reported to the CSD.

Another expense that draws attention is that of the legal consultancy, directed by Santiago Nebot and with an annual budget of 300,000 euros.

Precisely, returning to the motion of censure against Rubén Alcaine, whose role was diluted in January 2024 after being stripped of his powers by the president herself , it can be said that it was precisely this decision, arbitrary and without statutory basis, as he has denounced, that marked the beginning of a cascade of blunders and irregularities that have ended up breaking the already fragile institutional stability of the F League and forced the reviled vice president to resort to the CSD.

In 2023, Alcaine warned of the need to reduce expenses

Alcaine assures that "in May 2023, coinciding with my repeated comments and observations on the need to review the management of the LPFF , given the high amount of expenses, the inability to generate its own income from the activity and the low remuneration received by the clubs, I received criticism, which was formally transformed into the fact that, motivated, apparently, by a report issued by the Garrigues Law Firm according to Mr. Vilches, the LPFF decided not to reimburse me for the expenses that the Vice Presidency could incur."

In short, as one outside observer comments, "what is presented as a political standoff between Alcaine and the current management is actually the visible symptom of a much deeper illness: the appropriation of the F League by a minority operating without control, without transparency and without a real project for women's football . The blame for the lack of collection of the amounts owed always lies with the debtors and not with the management." And all of this is outside the control of the clubs, although, incomprehensibly, some of them are insisting on being complicit in an issue that could end up in court.