With the return of the UEFA Champions League group stage last week, capturing the attention of not only European soccer fans but also the entire globe, MP & Silva co-founder and President Riccardo Silva was once again left wondering: Why aren’t we doing this in the Americas?
That question has provided the impetus for an ambitious project from the international media rights company: a new soccer club tournament that would cover all of North America, South America and the Caribbean.
 |
SILVA
|
 |
TAGLIABUE
|
Currently, the two confederations covering teams from these regions — CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, and CONMEBOL, which covers South America — each host their own separate competitions among club teams in their nations. Silva hopes they can unite the two, not only pushing the level of competition higher in the Western Hemisphere but also creating a large business opportunity.
“The possibility of having U.S. teams compete against some of the best teams in Brazil and Argentina could help to raise the overall quality of football at an elevated rate,” Silva said. “The Americas also have a combined population that is 30 percent higher than that of Europe, which shows the commercial potential of this idea.”
According to Silva, a tournament of this scale could be worth more than $500 million in television and marketing rights, a number vastly larger than what is earned for the rights to tournaments hosted by CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, roughly $100 million combined.
At its most basic, the idea calls for a 64-club tournament, divided into an initial group stage followed by a knockout round, akin to the Champions League. While teams would be chosen for the tournament based upon league finishes and cup victories, the format would ensure that 16 teams from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Brazil, participated.
To best avoid conflicts with other leagues or international games, the seven- to nine-month competition would likely start in February and would feature mid-week matches.
There would be a substantial prize pool, even at the tournament’s launch. Each team would earn a minimum of $5 million in prize money just for competing, with the payout scaling as teams advanced, with $30 million going to the winner. Silva estimates $440 million would be distributed to the clubs.
But while Silva says it’s “unbelievable that this has not existed yet,” he also understands the challenges of getting two confederations and multiple leagues and clubs all on the same page. Ongoing investigations into bribery and fraud also taint the actions of CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, which could provide another resistance to such an idea.
However, Silva is steadfast in his belief. “If teams want to play in a competition, and broadcasters want to broadcast it, I don’t see a reason for anyone to block it. Of course, everything must be in place, and everything must work for everyone, but if you look at the opportunities this could create for all parties involved, it makes too much sense.”
While there is no set timetable for the launch of such a tournament, Silva says work already has started. MP & Silva has consulted and met with many of the largest clubs in South America and has received pledges of support, including from Corinthians and Flamengo, as well as many of the other top-tier clubs in Brazil and Uruguay. The firm also has met with South American broadcasters about the idea.
They plan on pursuing North America next, planning outreach to U.S. Soccer, MLS and Liga MX.
To that end, they have brought on former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue as a senior adviser to the project.
“The concept of top North American soccer clubs competing against top South American clubs comes in the right moment for soccer’s continuing strong development in the U.S. market,” Tagliabue said. “The Americas’ international football traditions, legacies and extraordinary supporter base rank with the best in the world, but a solid league platform to globally showcase Americas’ great soccer hasn’t existed until now.”
MP & Silva has begun staffing up the project. Aside from Silva and partner Carlo Pozzali, there are a number of other key executives. Daniel Cohen, former senior vice president of Bloomberg Sports, will serve as senior vice president and managing partner of the Americas and oversee all sales, acquisition and development strategy. Andrew Nestor, owner and consigliere of Serie A club Bologna, will serve as vice president of business development. Alfonso Alanis-Cue, previously senior director of partnership marketing for MLS and SUM, will serve as vice president of business strategy and will be responsible for all strategic planning.
“When you look at the money that could be involved and what will be provided to clubs, we believe this can be a turning point for soccer across the two continents,” Silva said.
