Nota de Prensa
JUE 12.05.2016
LaLiga took centre stage at Soccerex Mexico, aka the Americas Forum, the first edition of this regular international football trade show to be held in Latin America. Numerous representatives from sponsors, clubs – including several from Spain –, leagues and media outlets from all over the world were in attendance at the Camino Real Polanco resort in Mexico City. Javier Tebas, the president of LaLiga; Raul Gonzalez, LaLiga's country manager for the United States; and Fernando Sanz, LaLiga's MENA office manager and director of international projects, headed up the delegation from the Spanish professional football leagues.
"Right now the Premier League leads the way for revenue, but it won't in a few years: LaLiga will. What's important is for every industry and league to leverage what we have. Doing just that has driven us to grow extremely quickly on the international stage in recent years. We have great clubs and the best players and professionals. LaLiga clubs' success in international competitions is no accident. In terms of the balance between finances and football, LaLiga is already the number-one league in the world," Javier Tebas stated.
The LaLiga president took part in a round-table discussion alongside Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber; David Dein, a founding member of the Premier League; and Enrique Bonilla, the president of the Mexican league. "You can see what sets LaLiga apart when UEFA publish their coefficient rankings: we're way out ahead of second place. We're the strongest and most competitive league in Europe. We're also lucky enough to have two of the best clubs in the world, who have the biggest stars in world football. The day I have made LaLiga not only the best because of its players or clubs, but as a brand, then I will have succeeded," Tebas went on.
The LaLiga country manager for the United States, Raul Gonzalez, took part in a talk alongside Jorge Valdano, in which he spoke about his work as a LaLiga official: "The challenge that LaLiga offers me is a different and exciting one. I'm very happy after having enjoyed a great career as a professional footballer. The market in the United States and the Americas is massive and we want to add a lot more value to our brand and that of all of the LaLiga clubs, whilst getting closer to the American fans so that they watch a lot more LaLiga football." For Raul, the current state of Spanish football is reflected by the success being enjoyed by its clubs on the international scene, a fact that is well highlighted by the two teams to have reached the Champions League final. "I'm pleased that it's two LaLiga sides that'll be contesting the final. It'll be a real party for Spanish football. Let's hope that it's a great game, it'll be a marvellous 90 minutes."
For his part, Fernando Sanz, LaLiga's MENA office manager and head of international projects, explained the big influence that LaLiga has internationally. "LaLiga has 1.2 billion followers throughout the world. The international projects which we launched over two years ago aim to bring us closer to these supporters. We want to be in contact with them and work with leagues and clubs from across the globe, this is LaLiga's commitment and how we present ourselves to the market, it's our duty. We wish to share our knowledge and our work, something we're looking to do here at Soccerex as well."
About Soccerex
The global trade fair organisation, Soccerex, hosts various international events for the football industry throughout the year across Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe. For over 20 years it has offered a networking and knowledge-sharing platform for the various stakeholders from within the football industry.
© LALIGA - 2016