Preliminary point: in what will be the first truly post-pandemic season since the beginning, football contributes 0.3% to the national GDP with 550 million euros, pays a total of 192 million in taxes and creates 3,729 direct jobs. “In addition to these data, we are also the sixth best league in Europe. How many activities can say the same? explains Pedro Proença, president of the League, in one more piece of information that he usually presents in the meetings he holds with the most varied sectors of society, including the government parties. “It is an activity that, even for what is to come in the future at the level of centralization of audiovisual rights, needs to be spread to the four corners of the world. We do not have support from IAPMEI in that sense, for example, our biggest brand is called Cristiano Ronaldo”, he shoots.

Before the start of another edition of the Bwin League, the body provided an overview of the situation in professional football and also the path to where it hopes to be in 2027/28, the last year in which the current model will be maintained. the level of game sales, on a date that can still be brought forward. In fact, at the macro level, this is one of the three key dates of the process: 1) in 2024/25 there will be a new UEFA model that increases the number of weeks of European competitions and will always lead to at least some reflection on competitive frameworks in this context (and there are five matching proposals); 2) in 2025/26 the model of centralization of audiovisual rights will be presented; 3) from 2028, a new model that allows not only to collect more income but also to minimize the distribution of dividends.

However, and up to this level, there is both a necessary and an obligatory condition to reach the Desired “Product”: improve what is today the competition at a professional level. And it was in this sense that the League revealed some of the strengths it has in mind, already thinking about the edition that starts on Friday.

More people with cheaper tickets at better hours and playing time

In sporting terms, the big bet for 2022/23 is focused on longer game time, which is at this stage at 60 minutes. What? Carry out awareness actions among all agents, including players, coaches, managers and referees; “provoking” this objective also through his way of communicating; and awarding prizes to the teams that make that point prevail. “Even so, all this also has something cultural, a change of mentality,” admits Proença, who gives as an example what happens in other European leagues and the difference in rhythm that is seen between teams in international matches.

Other important points for this return of the fans to the stadiums, with the aim of increasing by 5% compared to the 2018/19 season prior to the pandemic (reaching a value of 4,460,000 spectators), it means limiting the maximum ceiling on the value of tickets -which can reach 75 euros plus VAT at through the typologies in question – but whose objective is to reduce that amount by half – and due to the issue of scheduling matches based on days and hours. “There is a management that has to be done between a triangle that has at its vertices the part of sports management, the operators that paid for these rights and the public in the stadiums,” explained the president of the League, who reinforced the desire to put the maximum possible number of weekend games and not close the door on the possibility of tomorrow’s games as there are in the Second League.

Faster and tougher justice to increase credibility

One of the points in question is related to the speed of sports justice and, later, with what exists until there is res judicata. Thus, the League announced that the investigation commission, which in figurative terms turns out to be a Public Ministry that mounts the case for the consideration of those who decide (the Disciplinary Council of the Federation), will be professionalized, dedicating itself solely to the investigation processes and with time monitored to reduce deadlines. At the same time, we also want to highlight the need for a Sports Court that can put an end to the successive resources and the forms of postponement of the processes, something that is related to “the existing architecture itself”.

At the same time, the League wants to prioritize a general review of the Disciplinary and Competition Regulations to increase the level of sanctions and speed up the corresponding procedures, always with the view that “greater speed will also contribute to an increase in credibility.

Centralization, the cake of 275/350 million and the difference from one to three in the future

The centralization of audiovisual rights is the strong point that will guide the coming years, in a kind of flag for the revolution of professional football in the country. At this stage, there is already a company within the Liga universe with this area, Liga Centralização, and a study commissioned from EY with a final report in August 2021 points to a total income pie of between 275 and 350 million euros. The possibility of having an early implementation before 2028 is not completely ruled out, but it will always be somewhat complex taking into account the current contracts, not only with television operators but also with financial operators. Still, the focus is on moving forward with a measure that will narrow the gap from one in 15 currently to one in three between the top and bottom earners in professional leagues.

At the same time that the foundations are being laid for that moment, there are two other issues that will be analyzed in a similar way to what was done in the other leagues: the fight against piracy, which represents more than half of those who watch matches, and the way to promote competition in international markets. At the national level, centralization will come with the creation of an Audiovisual Rights Regulation and with a review of the Economic Control Regime, to adapt the requirements to the income generated.