Covid-19 will unlock new ways for fan engagement: La Liga India head

I think it will be difficult to see big money transfers this year as teams' revenues coming from museums, match days, stadium tours have been affected, says Jose Antonio Cachaza

Spanish football league (La Liga) resumed operations on June 11 after a three-month break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, there has been a lot of talk about the possible changes in the way we consume football and other sports. Business Standard spoke to Jose Antonio Cachaza, La Liga’s India head, on the implications of the pandemic on La Liga, league’s partnership with Facebook and on the future plans for India. Edited excerpts:
 
Do you think broadcasting income will be impacted if fans aren't allowed inside stadiums next season?
 
No, broadcasting income will not be affected based on the number of fans who are there on the stands.  What we registered this month is that the viewership figures rose dramatically, so I don’t see an impact. During this Covid-19 period, we have finalised several tenders of rights, especially in northern Europe, with substantial increase in revenue for La Liga.
 
How will the pandemic fundamentally change the way fans experience football?
 
The digital side would see some changes. It will accelerate alternative ways of consuming sports. The way in which fans demand digital integration of products and engagement will increase. However, with respect to the match that they see in stadiums, there will be no normality until there is a cure or vaccine for the disease, because we won’t be allowed to have full stadia. Hopefully, when we are back on September 12, we will be back with partial attendance.
 
How do empty stadiums affect the mindset of players and clubs? Also, how do fans in stadia affect a game of football?
 
Players are being quite vocal; they like to play in front of fans. Fans are their lifeline. You cannot understand football without the fans — in terms of business or the game. The relationship between the fans and the game is so intense that when you’re a big fan and you go to a big match, you’re not only going to the stadium to witness the match, you’re going to the stadium to be part of the match to support the team. Fans are there in a healthy way, to intimidate opponents and support their team. The fan is an integral part of the game.

 
You mentioned earlier that 2020-21 season may see partial attendance. How La Liga is preparing to make this happen?
 
The decision to allow fans in stadiums is not in our hands. The Spanish sports authorities, in consultation with health authorities, have to take the decision. The Spanish sports council is saying that stadiums have to remain empty for now. They take this decision on the basis of figures provided by our ministry of health. La Liga is working closely with sports authorities, developing protocols that ensure the safety of those fans who attend matches. We’re trying to create clear protocols. This is a crazy situation for us. We need to be reactive, flexible, and capable of being able to adapt to a changing situation, and I think we have been able to do well so far.
 
How can Covid-19 affect the transfer window? Can we see any big money transfers this season?
 
I think it will be difficult to see big money transfers this year. The teams’ revenues coming from museums, match days, stadium tours have been affected. This especially affects the bigger clubs. If you take Spain, the broadcast revenue for Real Madrid and Barcelona is around 35%. Broadcast revenue of smaller teams, such as Leganes, Eibar is over 90 per cent. That itself tells you the story. Big clubs need to adjust their accounts to make up for their loss of revenues. On this, I know as much as you do. It’s simply using logic.
 
There have been lots of rumours that Lionel Messi might leave Barcelona. Do you think this could affect La Liga's global viewership?
 
Let’s hope that it does not affect viewership. He’s 34 right now, he has very few years ahead in the game. It’s the same as Cristiano Ronaldo, it will happen someday. Just like NBA, when Michael Jordan left. It was not good for their brand. Let’s just hope Messi keeps playing for us --  same as all other big players such as Ramos, Pique, and new ones such as Juan Felix. We have to look at new talent.
 
There has been a lot of talk about VAR and referees. Lots of allegations. What is your take?
 
La Liga has been supporting the development of VAR. There has always been a lot of noise in the media.
 
Despite VAR being used now, people are still questioning referee decisions. Has the technology helped?
 
I think it has helped many situations. Officiating will always be a source for news and complaints. If you look at cricket, when you look at the review there are very few things you are looking at. You have to look whether the ball touches the player or the wicket. That’s the only thing you need to see. In football it is not that simple. There is room for interpretation. That controversy therefore will always be there.
 
You have been in India since 2016. What do you think of the future of La Liga here?
 
Professionally it’s always a challenge, landing in a country you don’t really know and to try to promote a brand. The first thing I had to learn was to understand a little about Indian society. When we are promoting La Liga, we are not only selling a sport, we are selling emotions. When you want to sell emotions, you have to understand the emotional part of your market. India is a diverse nation. You don’t work the same way in Delhi like you do in Kerala. On the one hand they are similar, but they are also very different. Reactions of the fans are different. Kerala, for instance, is a football state, but UP is not a football state at all.
 
After realising the groups, things get a little easier. Other than football’s traditional strongholds such as Kerala, Goa, Bengal and North East, the recent phenomena of football in India is mostly urban, and we are talking about fans who are young, mostly educated with good income. It’s a group of fans that understand football weather. In India, when you go to ISL matches, you see a market of fans who want a similar experience like ours.
 
What is your strategy for pockets that are not inclined towards football?
 
India is such a big country that we have no means to focus on every part. We usually focus on metropolitan India. When we do something in Andhra Pradesh, where we help out an NGO — it’s something we must do and we love to do — the response is usually dismal. But when we do an event in Delhi, Mumbai, or Kolkata, we can amplify what we do. That’s something we need to look at.
 
If we do an event in Mumbai, we can reach Andhra Pradesh by amplification. But the same would not happen the other way around. The places where football is growing are the big metro areas such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, etc. We are not ready to reach rural India. We don’t have means for that. We do it indirectly through media, and through digital means.
 
Let me give you an example. We recently had a competition on our Facebook page for fans, where you could win a La Liga jersey. One of the winners was from such a tiny village that a courier couldn’t reach his home, and we had to pay money to a person to cycle his way to deliver the jersey to the fan’s house.
 
Are there any specific plans for the areas that you’re targeting?
 
Most of the things we were doing we can’t do it right now. We can’t organise events until the situation is better. The events are for the fans, and we can’t put them at risk right now. We are thinking of what to do next year and we are brainstorming new ideas to get closer to our fans.
 
We had Atletico Madrid tying up with ISL club ATK. Are any such tie-ups possible in the future?
 
I like these tie-ups because they’re good for both sides. It helps developing Indian professional football and it helps clubs to promote their brand. There’s a possibility of tie-ups, but nothing concrete going on.
 
Facebook has been scaling down its investment in live sports matches. Do you think it will hamper your operations?
 
Facebook is a huge organisation and they are increasing their bets on India. Our experience with Facebook couldn’t be better when it comes to promote LA Liga matches. It has given us a differential approach to our fans.
 
How has Facebook helped after you ended your partnership with Sony Sports Network? How has your experience with it been?
 
Facebook is a unique broadcaster and it’s an integral part of the digital future we are heading toward. Engagement with fans is integral to us while using Facebook. Interaction and engagement are the future of sports. We are moving beyond the passive fan. We’ve witnessed a 72 per cent increase in fans since June. We think we are going the right way with Facebook.