Raul Gonzalez: "The fight against corruption in the sports world is essential"

Global Corruption in the Sports World, a conference organised by Transparency International and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in New York, brought leading figures from a range of companies together to discuss the matter of transparency in the sports industry. Raul Gonzalez, LaLiga's country manager in the United States, kicked off proceedings with an opening speech in which he highlighted the values of football and LaLiga's work to safeguard the integrity of its competitions. 

"There is the same concern everywhere you go: fans want high-quality sport and to be able to enjoy football knowing that it's clean. For that reason I want to thank Transparency International and PricewaterhouseCoopers for the opportunity to be here. The fight against corruption in the sports world is essential and their efforts in this fight should be welcomed," Raul stated. 

The executive went on to outline LaLiga's endeavours to protect the value and integrity of its competitions, from implementing financial controls to combating match-fixing and illegal betting. "I think that over in Spain we're striving to improve our competition. Here's hoping that the rest of the football world follows suit and we can change the image that many people have of those running our sport," he commented.

Raul also touched on one of the central themes of the event: the role of sponsors in professional sports and the importance they have in keeping competitions clean. "In my new directorial position, I'm gaining a deeper insight into this other side of the industry and I understand that we all have to work together. Without the best sponsors, we wouldn't be able to keep hold of the best players. Without the best players, we wouldn't have the best league in the world," the former forward noted. 

To wrap up his speech, the country manager remarked on the challenges facing LaLiga in the United States, both now and in the future, and on the organisation's commitment to development: "One of my objectives with LaLiga is to help to develop soccer in the USA, so that the level the sport is played at is constantly improving, and people view it and love it the way I do. Football is my life and I'm going to work hard every day to make it better. We will only achieve this by showing a great deal of respect for the values of this wonderful sport. Talent, effort and self-sacrifice: this is what the greatest spectacle in the world must be built on," Raul concluded.