By Andrew Warshaw
November 4 – Umberto Gandini, the AC Milan operations director and one of the most prominent voices in European football, has entered the debate over the rights and wrongs of clubs wanting to sell their television rights individually.
Ever since Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre opened a can of worms with his idea of changing the status quo among Premier League clubs in terms of overseas deals, the debate has been hotly discussed at virtually every major forum across Europe.
Gandini is one of the key speakers at next week’s International Football Arena (IFA) in Zurich and is not surprised the topic has gathered pace.
In Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona make far more money than the other clubs by adopting exactly this model.
Gandini has some sympathy with what other clubs like Liverpool ideally want to do in order to catch up, caught between their own needs and trying not to rock the boat.
“In Italy the debate is just as fierce,” says Gandini.
“Liverpool are experiencing within their own league and their own system the same struggles many top clubs are experiencing at domestic level, like some of us in Italy.
“But if you sign an agreement and have accepted certain regulations, you have to abide by them.
“You can voice your discontent but you will always be in a minority.
“The top three in Italy would also be a minority.
“We too have a collective selling system in place.
“We would love to be in a position to sell individual rights like they do in Spain.”
Gandini, who has a strong career background in broadcasting rights, has been around long enough to know that major changes in the game do not happen overnight.
He says television rights are intrinsically linked with the history and tradition of particular countries.
“In England, the sharing system is absolutely natural in terms of the mentality,” Gandini said.
One of the leading lights in the European Club Association (ECA), Gandini will use the IFA platform to present an update on the ongoing club versus country debate.
“It’s the most pressing topic for the day-by-day operation of football,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic game but it’s also a very important industry.”
IFA Zurich 2011 takes place on November 7 and 8 at the Dolder Grand Hotel, Zurich.
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