( CNN ) -- Spain 's football duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona has become so dominant that sponsors have lost interest in backing other Spanish clubs . `` Having two monsters like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona , the world 's leading concert in football , overshadows the other clubs , '' financial expert Jose Maria Gay de Liebana told CNN . `` Sports sponsorship companies are more inclined to be the third or fourth sponsor of these two great clubs , Barcelona and Madrid , rather than be the first sponsor of a club without universal screening , '' he added . Gay de Liebana told CNN that the apparent advantage of having global brands in the top tier of Spanish football -- known as La Liga -- is in fact a serious detriment to many clubs . According to Forbes Magazine 's 2012 rankings , Real Madrid is the richest club in the world by revenue -- $ 695 million -- and second only to Manchester United in market value . Burden . Meanwhile , Barcelona -- widely recognized as the best football team in the world with a pedigree of stars such as Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta -- is the second richest club in the world by revenue . Gay de Liebana says the presence of these two football behemoths combined with billions of euros of debt - estimated at $ 4.5 billion for Primera Division teams -- and liabilities has meant Spanish football clubs can no longer cope with this burden . Traditionally local governments in Spain have had a role to play in the financial management of football clubs . In the past , teams such as Valencia and Madrid , as sporting institutions , have received subsidies from local authorities , according to Spanish football expert Sid Lowe . But in the current economic climate , state investment in football clubs is not a high priority for many politicians as the central government in Madrid grapples with a spiralling national debt and chronic unemployment of over 25 % . Spain -- the eurozone 's fourth largest economy -- is likely to be the next bailout casualty of the debt crisis in the 17-nation currency union . The government in Madrid has already requested a rescue package for its ailing banks , which require almost 60 billion euros ( $ 76.4 million ) in support following an audit in September . Real Oviedo 's plea . Further down the feeding chain of Spanish football the financial situation is even more dire -- so much so that one Spanish club in the third division -- Real Oviedo -- has turned to football fans for help . Earlier this month the Asturias-based team launched a campaign , whereby fans could effectively buy shares at approximately 11 euros [ $ 13 ] each in exchange for a token stake in the club . Word of Real Oviedo 's plight went viral on Twitter and football fans across the globe responded by purchasing shares and raising more than one million euros ( $ 1.2 million ) in nine days . Gay de Liebana argued that the current state of Spanish football clubs is the result of poor financial regulation and supervision . When asked whether other teams might also stand on the precipice of extinction , he said : `` I absolutely know it will happen ... The next few months -- and I hope I am wrong -- will be tragic for some clubs . ''
Spanish football clubs struggle to find sponsorship and marketing deals in economic crisis . Clubs suffer as a result of poor financial regulation , according to financial expert Gay de Liebana . Real Oviedo has appealed to fans for financial help . Gay de Liebana warns next few months for Spanish clubs ` ` could be tragic for some . ''