14 FIFA/CIES Executive Programme students and alumni from countries including Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil have been appointed as FC Diez Media Venue Management Consultants for two CONMEBOL competitions in 2019.
This is a great success for the students and alumni of the FIFA/CIES Executive Programme organised in South America. Thanks to the initiative of Sebastián Rubio, CIES Coordinator in Peru, and Michael Boys, CIES Coordinator in Chile, FC Diez Media and CIES joined forces to recruit some of the Venue Management Consultants for two prestigious competitions, namely CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudaméricana. After examining many applications, 14 candidates were eventually selected and are now active in South American stadiums. The Venue Management Consultants began offering their service to CONMEBOL after participating at the Match Officials workshop in January 2019 in Asuncion, Paraguay. This was hosted by Frederico Nantes, CONMEBOL Club Competitions Director.
FC Diez is a full service sports media, sponsorship and digital agency. It was created in the framework of an exclusive partnership with CONMEBOL, with the objective of “delivering South American football to the world through bespoke, innovative and exciting solutions”.
FC Diez Media COO Jay Neuhaus welcomed the cooperation with CIES and said, “We have already organised 154 matches, with success. We are very pleased with the quality of the services provided by our 54 Venue Managers Consultants, in particular the students and alumni of the FIFA/CIES Executive Programme. In fact, they have brought additional expertise to our project. “
The Venue Manager Consultants are equally happy. Mauricio Palomino Machado, who has already worked at two matches, describes his role with great enthusiasm. “This is a fascinating experience. I learned a lot about relationships with sponsors, broadcasters and rights holders. In addition, you need to have imagination and common sense. We work at a different stadium each time, with its own specific infrastructure, so we are constantly seeking new solutions”, he said.
Mauricio, who completed the FIFA/CIES Executive Programme at Universidad San Martín de Porres (USMP) in Lima, also enjoys the international dimension of his new duties. “I had the opportunity to participate in events outside Peru and to meet CONMEBOL officials, along with managers and staff of major clubs. Not to mention my friends, the other consultants from the 10 South American football countries. Not only did the USMP/FIFA/CIES Executive Programme allow me to discover aspects of sport management I was previously unaware of, but it also opened up a broad network, which is useful to my career. It has given me the opportunity to be active in football, my dream sport”.
CIES is delighted with the cooperation and hopes to renew it in 2020.