Spain's player association said that La Liga did not ask players for their opinions on the deal GETTY IMAGES
La Liga's 15-year promotional deal with Relevent Sports to play at least one league match in the U.S. every season has "sparked criticism from Spain's player association," according to Tales Azzoni of the AP. The union said that La Liga "did not ask players for their opinions and that it was unfair for fans in Spain of the teams involved." The league has been "trying to expand internationally for some time, hoping to grow and keep pace" with the EPL (AP, 8/16). In London, Martyn Ziegler notes FIFA, U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF "will have to authorise" the La Liga matches, which "could prove problematic if they are viewed as impacting on tournaments already in the country," such as MLS. The USSF BOD held a meeting Thursday in which the "issue was raised." It is understood that some figures in the organization have "reservations about the prospect of league fixtures from another country being played in the U.S." The USSF had been approached about the scheme, but told organizers that they "need to seek approval" from FIFA first (THETIMES.co.uk, 8/17).
BREAKING IT DOWN: ESPN.com's Sam Marsden as part of a roundtable wrote La Liga's deal with Relevent has "some good elements, but in practice there are some major issues." While "tapping into foreign markets is something which should be encouraged" for La Liga, taking league fixtures abroad is "dangerous ground." ESPN.com's Richard Martin: "La Liga's desire to increase the popularity of teams outside the top two make the likes of Sevilla, Real Betis, Valencia and Villarreal the likely candidates for a game abroad, but it remains to be seen how popular a game not involving one of Real or Barca would be." ESPN.com's Robbie Dunne wrote there is something "almost inevitable" about the Relevent-La Liga deal as the "idea of globalisation continues to erode the community spirit of many fanbases" (ESPN.com, 8/16).
GRABBING AMERICA'S ATTENTION: AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Shlomo Sprung noted the Bundesliga is "trying to further establish and broaden its American presence." Despite Bundesliga matches "making up nearly a tenth of all U.S. televised matches last year, it averaged an embarrassing 59,460 viewers" on Fox Sports channels -- "well below its competitors." Bundesliga Int'l CEO Robert Klein started to "discuss the league’s overarching strategy for making inroads in the U.S." It starts with what Klein referred to as its "business intelligence, figuring out where their fans are, exactly what they’re watching, what their consumption habits are and what other areas can be pursued and developed." Among other ideas is a Bundesliga "goal of the week video for FIFA players on various gaming consoles." The Bundesliga has already "taken steps to try to reach a larger U.S. audience based on the intelligence it’s already gathered, and will try to further that when it opens its first international office" in N.Y.'s Union Square in mid-October (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 8/15).
