The Super League that Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus of Turin want to promote have a new general manager on board. German Bernd Reichart, a sports and media executive and until recently CEO of the RTL Deutschland Group, has been appointed CEO of the competition by A22 Sports Management, a company set up to sponsor and assist in the creation of the European Super League. .
In its advisory task, A22 Sports Management focuses mainly on the general structure and the operational and financial aspects of this possible new competition.
The Super League takes a new step while waiting for the European justice to rule on whether UEFA has a monopoly or not. It will be the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) who must determine if there is an abuse of UEFA's dominant position and FIFA in accordance with community regulations. The CJEU will announce its conclusions on December 15, 2022.
"If the resolution of the European Union is favourable, we will be able to work without pressure to propose a competition format that everyone likes", declared Laporta in the last assembly of compromising partners that, in a joint communication strategy, pronounced along the same lines as president Florentino Pérez at the Real Madrid assembly and Andrea Agnelli's "we will go to the end", president of Juventus in his traditional annual letter to the shareholders of the Italian club.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are the only ones who continue to man the Super League ship after the resignation of Atlético de Madrid, the Italians Milan and Inter and the English Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham. “There was a riot. They suffered pressure”, said Laporta, referring to the rejection by UEFA, the federations, the English, Spanish and Italian leagues and also by the European Club Association (ECA) now led by Nasser Al Jelaifi, president of PSG.
The company A22 Sports Management is co-plaintiff in the proceedings. And he has appointed Reichart, 48, to focus on the overall structure and financial aspects of the possible new competition. Reichart will be in charge of negotiating with clubs, players, coaches, fans, the media and public officials.
Reichard's initial aim will be to start an active and extended dialogue with a wide range of football stakeholders, including clubs, players, coaches, fans, the media and policy makers. It will then be to facilitate the development of a sustainable sporting model for European club competitions that reflects the long-term and mutual interests of fans and the wider football community."
“The current situation in European club football is marked by several challenges, which will not resolve themselves. The presidents of Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona, and Juventus FC have recently expressed their views on the problems facing this sport", Reichart declared after announcing his incorporation.
The new CEO added that the three clubs "are asking the right questions and I personally would like to hear many different voices so that the European football community can find the right answers together. The sport we all love will benefit from honest dialogue and open, unrestricted, about a brighter future through profound reform," he stressed.
Reichart, with extensive experience in the sports industry, began his career in the world of sports rights with UFA Sports. In 2003, he worked as Marketing Manager at Sportfive sports rights agency. In 2004, he moved to the main Spanish media company, Antena 3 -today Atresmedia- as Head of Investor Relations. From 2007 to 2013, he oversaw a portfolio of broadcast television channels as Managing Director Multichannel.
In 2013, Bernd joined the RTL Group in Germany, taking on the role of Managing Director of the German television channel VOX, where he launched some of the most successful programs in the channel's history. In January 2019, he was appointed CEO of the RTL Deutschland Group, leading one of Europe's leading private broadcasting groups until the end of 2021. From January 2019 to June 2022, he was also a member of the Bertelsmann Group Management Committee, media, services and education company that operates in 50 countries around the world.
