LaLiga named ‘best league of the year’

LaLiga has been named the Best League of the Year at the prestigious Globe Soccer Awards, held today in Dubai as part of the Dubai International Sports Conference.

LaLiga was recognized with the award for being “the most dominant league in Europe since the turn of the millennium, winning 9 Champions League and 8 Europa League titles since the year 2000”. Before the presentation of the award by Fabio Capello a video was shown featuring LaLiga Santander players, clubs, fans and stadiums, highlighting at the same time the quality of LaLiga’s television broadcasts.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas thanked the organisers for the award, dedicating it to “all Spanish clubs, players and coaches.”

"We're a global, professional, modern and socially responsible organisation that is a leader in the leisure and entertainment sector, so winning this internationally renowned prize is a source of great pride for everyone connected with LaLiga and particularly the fans who follow our football matchday in, matchday out," he added later.

President Tebas gave a talk at the conference in Dubai yesterday outlining the keys to LaLiga's growth. These include the financial controls put in place, the restructuring of its member clubs' finances, the centralised sale of broadcasting rights, the commitment to offering the top televised sporting product on the planet, the new talent that has joined the institution and the introduction of kick-off times geared towards overseas markets.

Another badge of pride for LaLiga is its social work, which is carried out through its foundation. Besides various international charity projects, a highlight in this area is LaLiga Genuine, a pioneering platform for inclusion that consists of a league made up of teams of players with intellectual disabilities.

Other high-profile speakers at this year's conference have included FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Real Madrid coach Zinédine Zidane, Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, former FC Barcelona player Carles Puyol, Jiangsu Suning FC coach Fabio Capello, ex-AS Roma star Francesco Totti, Egyptian national-team coach Hector Cuper, Manchester City FC CEO Ferran Soriano, Chinese national-team coach Marcello Lippi and Pierluigi Collina, the chairman of FIFA's Referees Committee.