RIAD (SAUDI ARABIA) (ITALPRESS) – “We are looking to the future, this is an area that has shown it wants us badly and believes in our soccer. We are recognized for our ability to have a contestable and extremely competitive league in all positions of the standings.” Thus Lega Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo at the press conference held at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh on the eve of the Italian Super Cup final. “Regarding the public, here they enter the stadium close to the match, in the first semifinal,” he said referring to Inter-Atalanta, “there were still 16,000 people, but they entered after the first quarter of an hour. From this point of view by involving a number of influencers from the area we can do better. Over the past 5 editions you have seen how the event has grown in all aspects, and after each edition we have a meeting to figure out what to do better. In this edition especially you have seen and will see how the participation is genuine and sincere. We have not talked about a renewal because it is a contract that still provides for two editions of the Super Cup to be played in Saudi Arabia in the next four years. I understand that there is an interest from Saudi Arabia to intensify this kind of activity. There is a mutual willingness to meet with respect to a model.” “I believe,” De Siervo added, “that the four-team model is the best because it allows for a kind of ‘Italian Week’ that enables the creation of relationships and relations at the commercial level, confirming us as Italy’s ‘soft power.’ Also at the sports level it is an element of overall growth of the Italian soccer movement. It can always be improved and we will do it from an overall point of view. The relationship with Saudi Arabia is very good, we played the first final in 2019, when it was not such a popular choice. We were the first to sense the possibilities, not so much economically, but in terms of perspective with respect to a country that has more than half the population that is under 25 years old. We seized before others an opportunity of a world that is opening up. We plan to use the Super Cup as a bridge between us and many other cultures.” That said, De Siervo does not rule out a return to playing “the Supercoppa in Italy. It is not an issue of money, the issue is the opening of a market, the building of a relationship that must be constant over time, it is not enough to play a game. Around an organization a series of relationships are born, such as academy themes. Our fans in Italy are our strength and the reference point for 419 matches, but playing three games to try to be stronger abroad is just good management of the intellectual property of Serie A. “In Italy, with the Roma shirt, Saudi footballer Saud Abdulhamid. “I congratulate Saud on his experience in Italy,” De Siervo stressed.He is the first of a generation of Saudi boys who will play abroad and possibly in Italy as well. Our soccer is extremely formative, as it was for Salah, for example. Saud is a beautiful example of the link between Saudi soccer and Italian soccer.” In addition, the ad of Lega Serie A emphasizes, “The commercial contracts linked to the Super Cup continue to have an effect, given the extraordinary results of the last two semifinals. The economic result for the participating teams is linked to both television rights and sponsorships. With respect to the packages for Italian fans to come and watch the Super Cup here in Riyadh, a lot has been done, we have built commercial packages at low prices, with two price ranges. These packages have not met as much attention as we would have hoped. We had also thought of being more proactive, bringing one plane per club of organized fans here, so that there would be contamination of the fans in singing choruses, but the situation was complicated by the events that happened to the fans of Inter and Milan. The packages were attractive and all teams had chances for promotion. The fans are part of a tribe that makes them close across distances and colors, so we would like to bring them in the future. There are significant costs, a charter has to be organized, overnight stay, but it is a theme of improvement that we want to carry out. “Not only Supercoppa, the idea of exporting an Italian league match abroad remains on the table. “We have been working on it for years, we would like to imitate the NBA and Nfl who do it. We would like to, we have tried to go down this road and I am convinced that with the support of Fifa, of the Federation this will one day be possible. Today it is not, there was also a dispute between La Liga and Fifa over a competition in Miami, but there have been significant steps forward. I don’t think you can play more than one match a year and I don’t think it can be a match as important as a derby. I think in the next few years it can get there, but I don’t know where. It won’t be the best match, also out of respect for our fans.” Returning to the Super Cup, the choice of the host city in Saudi Arabia “depends on the Saudis putting our week in the place that is most functional to their needs. We are very happy to be in Riyadh, but we would be very happy to play one of the two remaining finals in Jeddah, which has already hosted us in 2019, which was a great final, not only because of the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo, but because it was the first public event where women could attend the stadium and this was a great event for the country.” Finally, “in the contract there is an option to have a match between the winner of the Italian Super Cup with the Saudi one. Given the difficulties of the calendar it has not yet been possible to play it. From a technical point of view we have already thought of creating this kind of match, which could be played as much in Italy as in Saudi Arabia.”- Photo Ipa Agency -(ITALPRESS).
