September 11, Manama (BNA): The president of La Liga, the Spanish football league, stated that the Middle East is a major component of the league’s global strategy and that Bahrain is a crucial stop in fortifying relations with regional partners.
LaLiga President: Bahrain is a key stop in our Middle East strategy, and its fans are deeply valued
Javier Tebas told Bahrain News Agency (BNA) that La Liga’s dedication to growing its footprint, sharing knowledge, and investigating new prospects with regional and local stakeholders is reflected in his visit to Manama.
Tebas hailed the fervor of Bahraini and regional football supporters, characterizing them as an essential component of the La Liga family.
“We consider our Middle Eastern fans to be an integral part of the LaLiga family. We genuinely understand their love of Spanish football, and we’re determined to help them feel connected to the teams they support,” he stated. Tebas emphasized that the league is striving to make sure they have experiences that are equitable, secure, and full of material that help them become closer to their preferred teams.
Tebas outlined two priority when discussing La Liga’s prospects for the Middle East: the league’s battle against broadcast piracy and the sheer magnitude and fervor of the fan base, especially for Real Madrid and Barcelona. He clarified that even if a lot of people pay lawfully to watch games, piracy is still an unfair obstacle. La Liga has stepped up its efforts to defend TV rights as a result.
He added that leagues in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which are creating outstanding youth academies and grassroots initiatives, have inked cooperation agreements. He emphasized that LaLiga views the sharing of knowledge as a reciprocal process, with the goal of learning from successful regional experiences as well as sharing its own knowledge. The ultimate goal, he continued, is for LaLiga to have a lasting and significant presence in the Middle East.
Tebas also spoke about the continuing discussion over holding La Liga games outside of Spain. He allayed worries by stating that the goal is to host one game per season overseas rather than moving the league as a whole. He clarified that such a move would be a respect and homage to supporters who work hard to follow their teams and should have the opportunity to see them live at least once. There is no reason why supporters in the Middle East, Latin America, or the United States shouldn’t have the same opportunity, Tebas added, drawing comparisons to competitions like the Spanish and Italian Super Cups, which have already been held overseas.
Tebas emphasized the changes being made to refereeing, which is sometimes a divisive topic in Spanish football, under the new administration of the Spanish Football Federation. The use of artificial intelligence in referee selection, performance review, and incident analysis lies at the heart of these reforms. He pointed out that AI is becoming essential for maintaining consistency and fairness. Additionally, he mentioned an experimental program in the third division of Spain that permits coaches to request VAR reviews. If this proves effective, it will be expanded to higher divisions, where it has already decreased delays and criticism.
Tebas ended by saying he was confident that there would be more collaboration and closer ties with the area in the future.
