AEGthe live event organization company with the highest turnover worldwide, assured through its vice president of football and business and commercial development, Tom Brownthat the mark of Barça y Real Madrid he is stronger than the players they may present eventually. In an interview for Asasked if the loss in recent years of soccer players of the level of Leo Messi o Cristiano Ronaldo diminishes the media potential of a Classic, Brown highlighted the brand value of the big clubs over their punctual cracks. “The players are key, but nothing is bigger than the club. Our fan community knows this and they will come in droves, they want to see the game between two of the best teams on the planet. It doesn’t matter if Messi or Cristiano are on the pitch.” , he claimed.
Logically, that does not mean that the impact of the stars does not count. “Of course, the players are important”, but he insisted that “the club, the brand of the club, is what matters most when some teams play against each other”. The statement is of special value for Barça, who are coming off a titleless season against a Real Madrid team that has just closed the season with the Champions League-Liga double.
Designating Las Vegas as the venue for the second Clásico in history to be played in the United States after 2017, which ended with a 3-2 victory over Barça, was a “simple choice”. “Las Vegas is Las Vegas and that’s reason enough. But our company has a relationship with the city and with the Allegiant Stadium, so it was an easy choice for us. Las Vegas was our first choice for this game. And it all worked out,” he explained.
For the senior executive “it is a great idea to pair some of the European teams that arouse the most interest with those that have the greatest reach in the places where the matches will be played. It is easy to say that El Clásico will be a success. It raised great interest in Miami in 2017. If I remember correctly, it will be the fourth time that El Clasico has been played outside of Spain and on top of that they play in an iconic city like Las Vegas”, he recalled.
Brown hinted that the Classic on July 23 could have a SuperBowl-style show. “We’re working on it, we don’t have anything to announce right now, but it’s something we plan and we might announce closer to the event,” he slipped.
What he is sure of is that, beyond what they earn in each match of the Barça and Madrid tour, “it will improve the brand image” of both clubs.”
Finally, he did not rule out that the Soccer Champions Tour have continuity in the future. “Hopefully it will become an annual event, where European clubs play every year and they play in all parts of the world,” he said.
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