Club president says Sevilla FC is open to the world ahead of Al-Ittihad match
Dubai: La Liga club Sevilla face Saudi Professional League side Al Ittihad in the annual Antonio Puerta Trophy on Friday night, a match that also forms part of both teams’ pre-season preparations.
Arab News interviewed Sevilla President Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco about the match against Al Ittihad and the state of football in Saudi Arabia.
Here are some of his comments:
About the idea of the Antonio Puerta Trophy…
Antonio Puerta is one of our club's biggest legends. He was a key player in our first Europa League title in 2006 and the titles that followed in the months that followed. His death was a huge blow to the club and the fans, which is why we honor him with this game every year. We always try to invite top teams to pay him the best possible tribute.
About the match against Al Ittihad in the 2024 tournament…
We are in the middle of the pre-season, preparing the team. I believe that by that day, the 26th, we will have completed 20 days of training since the start on July 6th. We want to continue training while implementing the game model of the new manager. I hope that Sevilla fans will enjoy good games, be competitive, and that all of us who love football will start to see what Sevilla will be like in the coming season.
About the Saudi Professional League Project…
The growth of the Saudi professional league is very interesting. For a club like Sevilla FC, where part of our business model is based on selling players to generate revenue and then using that to fund new investments, it is important that there are emerging markets that are willing to invest. What is important now is that they maintain that level of investment, build a solid structure in the club, professionalize all areas, and invest in formations for the youth team to also enable technical improvement of the local players.
Regarding Sevilla’s attendance at the World Football Summit held in Jeddah last December…
Our experience at this summit has been very positive. Several members of our club have been able to see first-hand how football is developing in Saudi Arabia, and we can continue to expand our network of contacts in the region to create partnerships and synergies.
On the relationship between Seville and Saudi Arabia…
We have traveled to Saudi Arabia several times. Our AI Director, Elias Zamora, has visited to show us the tools we have and can offer to the football market in general and Saudi Arabia in particular. Also, through our sports management, we can share our extensive knowledge, transfer policy, and scouting policy that has been recognized and improved with AI in recent years. We aim to create a bond where we can learn from them and they can learn from Seville Football Club.
Exporting Seville’s famous scouting methodology…
At the beginning of the 21st century, we started a scouting policy that allowed us to find unknown players on the market. These players came to the Sevilla Football Club, we maximized their performance, achieved sporting success in the form of European qualification and national and European titles, and then sold them, generating significant profits, which we reinvested in new signings. When this practice became more common in football, we introduced a new element: artificial intelligence. This sports know-how can be provided to the Arab market, giving each club the ability to have an effective player acquisition and sales policy through artificial intelligence and scouting.
On building global relationships in Seville…
Sevilla Football Club is a club open to the world. Our internationalization plan aims to expand our fan base worldwide and to do so it is important to continue to build relationships with clubs in other regions. We are also open to playing away games with other clubs if an attractive opportunity arises.
