Atletico Madrid CEO: The European Super League has already failed. Overseas matches will help increase TV broadcast rights and sponsorship income.

Atletico Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil, as the Spanish club's only representative on the executive committee of European Football Club (EFC, formerly the European Club Association ECA), delivered a speech at the general meeting held on Wednesday.

This conference brought together more than 800 member clubs and senior leaders such as FIFA President Infantino, UEFA President Ceferin, Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser and Barcelona President Laporta.

Gill said: "The Rome Congress brought together more than 800 clubs, fully demonstrating the great unity of European football. From the G14 to today's EFC, we have been growing and growing. Not only has the number of members increased, but also our influence in decision-making forums has become more and more important. Clubs of all sizes from 55 UEFA member associations are brought together here: there are large, medium and small clubs, and they compete in European leagues at all levels. In addition, UEFA also attended this meeting, Cooperation with clubs is getting closer and closer. "

He also mentioned the changes since Nasser took over as chairman: "UEFA and EFC represent the entire European football family. With Nasser's arrival, the club's representation in different organizations has completely changed. We now have a voice and vote and can be part of important decisions such as competition formats, financial controls and more. "

Talking about UC3: "This is a company jointly created by UEFA and the club. The company is responsible for the commercial operations of various events, including television rights sales, sponsor cooperation, economic distribution and support for non-participating clubs. "

Taking advantage of the league suspension period during the national team match days, Gill also discussed the issue of schedule: "If you only consider the interests of your national clubs, it is difficult to understand the huge differences that exist between clubs, leagues and national teams around the world. When you are involved in the work of domestic and foreign organizations, you will have a clearer understanding of balancing interests. beneficial difficulty. In fact, the overcrowded schedule mainly affects a small number of clubs that participate in both domestic and continental competitions and provide a large number of players to the national team. I think the solution to this problem is to limit the number of games a player can play each season for club and country. "

Regarding the European Super League project, Gill has a firm attitude: "This topic is still being discussed only in Spain. This is undoubtedly due to the influence of Real Madrid and its chairman as the initiator. But elsewhere in Europe, this The plan had long since been deemed a failure. At present, we have reached an agreement with UEFA to determine the competition format, revenue distribution plan, and sales strategy for TV broadcast rights and sponsorship contracts during the 2027-2031 cycle, which are contrary to the Super League model. "

Finally, he welcomed Barcelona's return to EFC: "Barcelona should once again become one of the key players in determining the future of our industry. I am pleased that Laporta accepted the invitation and attended the Rome meeting , which is good news for those who support European football unity. We must understand our differences and suggest improvements, but always internally. In fact, I saw that he was passionate and committed to returning to the family. "

Gil also talked about the match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami: "Now everyone is discussing moving domestic games abroad. I sincerely believe that hosting an official match overseas each season for major leagues will not harm the game. Integrity. On the contrary, I think it helps to increase interest in our league and clubs from other countries and regions. This will undoubtedly help increase the value of TV rights, sponsorship revenue and the overall value of our club. "

"Football has become completely global and those involved in the sport must consider both local fans and fans around the world, because it is their collective support that makes our leagues and clubs stronger and stronger. In 380 league games a season , choosing one of the games to be held overseas, I don’t think it will create a sense of alienation for local fans. What's more, it's unlikely that the same team will play abroad frequently. "

Finally, he explained the change in the association's identity: "The old name (ECA, European Club Association) was more general because it did not contain the word 'football'. The new name now better defines what we stand for while also deciding to refresh our image to be more relevant to our sport and our fans. "