Latest news with #ReleventSports
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Serie A in talks to play Milan vs Como in Australia as first European league match abroad
Serie A, the top division of Italian football, is in talks to play a game between Milan and Como in Australia. In what would be the first European league fixture to be played abroad, plans are being discussed for the fixture to be staged in the Western Australian city of Perth on the weekend of February 7-8, 2026. Advertisement Milan and Como are currently scheduled to meet at Milan's San Siro stadium that weekend but the ground is unavailable to the club as it is being used to stage the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on February 6. San Siro is home to both Milan and their city rivals Inter, who traditionally play home league games on alternative matchdays. In 2025-26, both teams will play at home on the opening weekend of the season, to Cremonese and Torino respectively, in an attempt to ease fixture congestion around the city during the Winter Olympics and Paralympic ceremonies in February. Regular-season league matches were previously forbidden from being held abroad, but in April Relevent Sports settled a six-year long lawsuit with the U.S Soccer Federation to try, paving the way for European domestic games to be held abroad. In May 2024, FIFA approved a working group to look into potential changes to its rules after world football's governing body was dropped as a defendant by Relevent. That created an opening for a Serie A match to be hosted in Australia. Talks are now underway to host Milan's home game against Como at Perth's Optus Stadium in a landmark occasion, but no final decision has yet been reached. The Athletic reported in April that the general consensus across the football industry is that FIFA's policies will soon approve domestic league games to be played abroad, even though the working group has only had one formal meeting. At this time promoters were interested in taking Serie A games to Abu Dhabi and Australia, the league did not respond to a request for comment. The Italian league is not the first to show interest in bringing their domestic fixtures abroad, the idea has long been floated from Spain's La Liga and England's Premier League. La Liga had been the most vocal in trying to secure a match of this kind; earlier this season — notably before the settlement — they tried to take Barcelona's home game against Atletico Madrid to Miami's Hard Rock Stadium. Advertisement The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) was without a permanent president at this time – during the scandal around former president Luis Rubiales – and was unable to make it materialise. Indeed, La Liga has been attempting to play a league match in the U.S. since 2018, when the idea was first floated to stage Barcelona's league game against Girona in Miami. Jorge de la Vega, CEO of La Liga, told The Athletic in early March: 'We are definitely committed to do it, so we're gonna keep pushing for sure, we're really close.' The Premier League considered playing a round of games known as the '39th game' outside of the United Kingdom 17 years ago but faced huge backlash from supporters and opposition from FIFA. The Football Supporters Association (FSA), a representative body for fans in England and Wales, said if the idea was to be revived, it would be met 'with a full-blown, two feet off the ground, studs to the knee tackle'. Richard Masters, Premier League chief executive, said last summer that the league had 'no plans' to take games abroad and it had not been discussed formally.
New York Times
13-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
UEFA's talks with Relevent Sports explained: Games in the U.S? What would a deal be worth? Why them?
One of the most successful and lucrative commercial rights partnerships in football is ending. On Tuesday, it was announced that UEFA had entered into exclusive talks with Relevent Sports, the company owned by Stephen Ross, an American real-estate developer and principal owner of the NFL franchise Miami Dolphins and the Hard Rock Stadium in that Florida city. Advertisement This means UEFA's three-decades-long relationship with TEAM Marketing, the agency that played a pivotal role in the rebranding and growth of the Champions League, turning it into the global sporting behemoth it is today, is expected to end in 2027. The European Club Association (ECA), the independent body for the continent's football teams which has more than 700 professional sides as members, revealed the development yesterday. The Athletic breaks down what it means for the future of Europe's blue-riband club competition and more… UEFA is now in exclusive talks with Relevent Sports, the New York-based sports media company and sporting events promoter, which also has an office in Switzerland, for the 'global commercial rights for the UEFA men's club competitions from 2027 to 2033'. 'The decision follows an open tender process, launched last summer, which attracted bids from a number of global and regional agencies,' a statement released by the ECA added. 'UC3 (see below) anticipates concluding the process in the coming weeks and shall not be making any further comment in the meantime.' The expectation is that a deal will be reached between UEFA and Relevent Sports sooner rather than later. It is significant because it signals the end of UEFA's partnership with TEAM Marketing, the Swiss-based agency that has been responsible for selling the global rights to the Champions League for more than 30 years. Following the debacle of the failed attempt to launch a European Super League in 2021, UEFA and the ECA formed UC3, a joint venture between European football's governing body and its leading clubs to manage their global commercial rights. GO DEEPER Special report: The rise and rapid fall of the 'universally despised' Super League The previous rights cycle — covering 2024-27 — saw TEAM lose its mandate to sell the rights to UEFA's men's club competitions in North America to Relevent Sports, which was the first time it had not exclusively sold the rights worldwide. Off the back of this, Relevent Sports secured a record six-year $1.5billion (£1.2bn) deal ($250m annually) with Paramount Global, the owner of the CBS network, to broadcast UEFA club competitions on CBS and its Paramount+ streaming platform in the United States. GO DEEPER Champions League games in U.S. 'routinely talked about', CBS Sports president says Now UC3 has gone a step further with Relevent Sports, with the expected outcome of these talks ending with the American agency obtaining the global commercial rights and replacing TEAM completely. This is the obvious link to make, and that has arguably moved a step closer with this news. However, sources familiar with the process on both sides — speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect their positions, like all those cited in this piece — stressed that Tuesday's announcement does not serve as the catalyst for any official UEFA game to be played in the United States. Advertisement That said, Relevent Sport's lawsuit against FIFA, world football's governing body, and the U.S. Soccer Federation, which was filed in 2019, centred on it being able to stage a match from Spain's top-flight La Liga match after signing a 15-year deal to promote the Spanish league in North America in 2018. This was blocked by the U.S. Soccer Federation, which was supported by FIFA, and led to a legal battle over the right for domestic leagues to stage matches and competitions outside their home country. In April last year, Relevent Sports dropped FIFA as a defendant in an antitrust lawsuit against it and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and released a statement to The Athletic which included a line about FIFA now considering 'changes to its existing rules about whether games can be played outside of a league's home territory'. Speaking on the Men In Blazers football podcast in April 2023, Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA's president, admitted it is 'possible' a Champions League match will be staged in the U.S. from 2026. Talking to UK outlet Sky News last August, however, Ceferin said UEFA are 'not planning to host a Champions League out of Europe'. The agency is already working with UEFA from a North American market perspective, so taking on commercial rights for the rest of the world is the natural step for a company with its ambitions. Sources familiar with Relevent Sports note how this deal further establishes the agency at the heart of being tasked with taking European football's growth to the next level in the coming years. It's still a relatively young company, having only been founded in 2012, but already counts the Premier League, La Liga and Germany's Bundesliga as clients. By now taking on the responsibility of selling UEFA's global commercial rights for world football's elite men's club competition, the Champions League, Relevent Sports has taken its business to another level and further showcased its growth as a key player in the European football media-rights landscape. Advertisement Its first notable foray into football was the International Champions Cup, a pre-season tournament that began in the U.S. in 2013, before being held in Asia and Europe in later editions. Relevent Sports is still only some years into a 15-year deal with La Liga, where it is tasked with promoting Spanish football in North America. The agency's website also notes a 'multi-year' partnership with the Premier League 'to build their event platform and bring impactful, league-centric experiences to U.S. fans', adding that they 'operated the inaugural Premier League Summer Series in 2023'. A partnership with the English Football League (the three divisions below the Premier League, consisting of 72 total clubs) was announced in 2024, which saw them obtain exclusive rights to all EFL matches across North, Central and South America. 'The four-year deal, through the 2027-28 season, enables Relevent to sell all Sky Bet EFL matches, all play-off matches, all Carabao Cup matches, and three Bristol Street Motors Trophy (the EFL Trophy) matches in addition to having all betting rights throughout the U.S. market,' Relevent Sports' website notes. There is also a 17-year deal with the Bundesliga. That is certainly the plan, and it is undoubtedly how this partnership is going to be judged. With UEFA's men's club competitions being expanded to include more competing clubs this season, more matches should, in theory, lead to increased revenues — and that is what UEFA and the ECA will be hoping for. Last March, UEFA wrote to its member associations to outline its revenue distribution for the 2024-27 club competition cycle and estimated that €4.4billion (£3.7bn; $4.6bn) will be generated in 2024-25, with €3.3bn being distributed to the teams competing in the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and European Super Cup (a one-off game each summer between the winners of the previous season's Champions League and Europa League). Advertisement Relevent Sports, from 2027, will be tasked with improving on this figure, with European clubs hopeful its expertise, particularly in the North American market, will pay off and add to their bottom line. There is an argument UEFA and TEAM Marketing had become too close and comfortable in each other's company, although the relationship's track record in growing the Champions League and its revenues speaks for itself. However, this switch to Relevent Sports should bring different ideas to the table and, ultimately, moves the power of UEFA's commercial brand to the United States at a time when the country is staging the new-look, much-expanded Club World Cup this summer and co-hosting (alongside Canada and Mexico) the men's World Cup next year, with the bulk of the matches being played there. GO DEEPER Club World Cup 2025: Group tables, how teams qualified and the full fixture list Sources close to the ECA believe, as does every other European league and club, that the U.S. is the biggest sports market in the world but has room for so much growth as football becomes more popular in the country. By cementing its relationship with Relevent Sports, an agency firmly established in the States, there is a hope that it turbocharges UEFA's commercial growth in that market. The move to Relevent Sports and away from TEAM Marketing has been driven by UC3, and the clubs saying now is the time to really go for growth and take advantage of a new set of ideas. In a statement released via its website on Tuesday, TEAM Marketing said it was 'disappointed' to learn about UC3 entering exclusive talks with Relevent Sports but that its staff 'remain incredibly proud' of their work with UEFA over the past three decades. 'Together, we have built a world-class commercial programme that has delivered over €50billion in revenue for European club football, growing the value of the UMCCs (UEFA men's club competitions) with each successive cycle,' the statement added. Advertisement 'Even in the most challenging market conditions, we have always driven growth and consistently outperformed the market — including a more than 20 per cent increase in the current rights cycle. 'While this marks the end of an era, it is not the end of our ambition. Our deep knowledge of European club football, our track record of success, and our unwavering commitment to excellence remain.'
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UEFA prepared to move Champions League final to United States
The Champions League is undoubtedly one of the biggest sports competitions in the world, and UEFA appear keen to make it grow further by tapping into the American market, which sees football as a less popular sport behind the likes of American football, basketball and baseball. UEFA also see this as an opportunity to generate more revenue, and according to The Independent, talks are already underway to move to the Champions League final from Europe to the United States from the 2027-28 season onwards. As per the report, UEFA and the European Club Association have entered into an exclusive negotiation period with Relevent Sports for global commercial rights to the Champions League from 2027. If a deal were to be completed, it would end the European football governing body's relations with TEAM Marketing, with whom they have been partners with for over 30 years. The idea of moving European football matches is not a new one, as La Liga were working on the possibility of taking Barcelona's home fixture against Atletico Madrid over to the United States, although a deal could not be agreed in the end. Meanwhile, the newly-revamped Club World Cup, which will feature Real Madrid and Atleti, is being played in the country next summer. According to the report, Relevent Sports 'are on the brink' of striking a deal with UEFA, and this would make it a bigger reality that the Champions League final would be moved from Europe to the United States. Understandably, this would likely be a decision that is met with a lot of criticism and pushback, especially from supporters. It remains to be seen how this situation develops in the coming weeks and months. There is no doubt that it is a controversial measure, and one that fans across Europe are unlikely to welcome.
Washington Post
11-02-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Champions League global rights deal set to be struck by U.S. agency Relevent with UEFA, clubs
GENEVA — UEFA and top European soccer clubs are set to drop the Swiss agency that has sold Champions League rights since 1992 and replace it with the U.S. firm of Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. New York-based Relevent Sports has been given exclusive negotiating rights 'over the global commercial rights to the UEFA men's club competitions for the period 2027-2033,' UEFA said Tuesday, announcing the decision of its commercial joint venture with the European Club Association.
