A22 Sports Management, a European commercial sports development company, has appointed Bernd Reichart, 48, as Chief Executive Officer. Reichart is an experienced media and sports executive who to date serves as Group CEO of RTL Deutschland, one of Europe’s leading media companies.
The initial focus was to initiate an active and expanded dialogue with a comprehensive group of football stakeholders including clubs, players, coaches, fans, media and political stakeholders. The aim is to facilitate the development of a sustainable sporting model for European club competition that reflects the long-term and mutually beneficial interests of fans and the wider football community.
Mr Reichart said: “The current situation at European football clubs is characterized by a number of challenges that will not resolve on their own. The presidents of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona and the chairman of Juventus FC recently outlined their views on the problems facing the sport. I believe they are asking the right questions and personally want to hear many different voices so that the European Football community can come together to find the right answers. The game we all love will benefit from an honest and open dialogue, free of obstacles, about a brighter future through serious reforms.”
Ongoing CJEU competition case
The stakeholder dialogue initiative is being carried out against the backdrop of ongoing legal proceedings in the EU Court of Justice regarding the legality, under competition law, of UEFA’s current monopoly on European club competitions. A CJEU ruling is expected in 2023. A22 is a co-claimant for the process.
About Bernd Reichart
Bernd Reichart started his career in the sports rights industry with UFA Sports and since 2003, he has worked as Marketing Manager for sports rights agency Sportfive. In 2004, he moved to a leading Spanish media company, Antenna 3 (now Atresmedia) as Head of Investor Relations. From 2007 to 2013, he oversaw a portfolio of free TV channels as Managing Director of Multichannel. In 2013, he moved to the RTL Group in Germany, taking on the role of Managing Director of the German TV channel VOX where he launched some of the most successful programs in the channel’s history. In January 2019 he was appointed CEO of the RTL Deutschland Group, managing one of Europe’s leading private broadcasting groups until the end of 2021. From January 2019 to June 2022, he was also a member of the Management Committee of the Bertelsmann Group, a media, services and education company operating in about 50 countries around the world.
About A22 Sports Management
A22 Sports Management is a company formed to sponsor and assist the formation of the European Super League. See the article : The business of flu: why age and burnout are common. In its advisory capacity, A22 focuses on the overall structural, operational and financial aspects of a potential new competition.
