La Liga is regarded as one of the best leagues in the world and the managing director of the league in Africa, Marcos Pelegrin has revealed the secret behind the success of the Spanish league.
He spoke to Independent Media while attending the launch of the World Football Summit at the Moses Mabhida Stadium yesterday. The summit will take place at the Durban International Convention Centre on March 17 and 18.
The who’s who of football will grace the global event. Speakers such as Bafana Bafana legends Benni McCarthy and Sibusiso Zuma will be guest speakers during the conference. Explaining why the Spanish league is among the best in the world, Pelegrin said that La Liga never stops looking at modern ways of improving the game.
“The solid foundation that we’ve laid on and off the field is what makes La Liga a success. It is all about hard work, learning new trends of modern football and always striving to improve the best possible way we can,” Pelegrin explained.
Teams from La Liga have dominated continental competitions in Europe for the past decade. They have also entrenched their dominance in the awards for the best men’s player in the world. La Liga also attracts star players from all corners of the planet. Among the recent big names include Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved from Real Madrid to Juventus in 2018 after spending nine years in Spain, Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard. That’s how big the league has grown over the past decade.
“Our recipe to our success is based on hard work. We also invest a lot in our youth structures. Without youth, there’s no future. In order for us to sustain our success, we need to invest in youth structures,” Pelegrin added.
The launch of the World Football Summit was attended by KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalalala and Durban mayor Mxolisi Kaunda.
The summit itself will also be graced by football administrators such as Safa president Danny Jordaan, general secretary of Fifa Fatma Samoura, La Liga president Javier Tebas and Sierra Leone Football Association president Isha Johansen
The largest event in the global football industry will be held in Africa for the first time and it will gather the most relevant stakeholders in the global and regional industry. Speaking at the launch, Zikalalala said he was excited about hosting such a prestigious event.
“We are excited and very proud as the province of KwaZulu-Natal to play host to a global event that brings all those involved in the business of sports together,” said Zikalalala, who is the main partner of the two-day networking event that is set to mark a turning-point for the African football industry.