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International
FIFA/CIES International University Network
21.10.2014

Madrid: seminar for the heads of the FIFA/CIES Programme communication module

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) and the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) welcomed the heads of the communication module taught in the framework of the FIFA/CIES Programme in sport management on 15 and 16 October at Ciudad del Fútbol located in Las Rozas near Madrid.

Under the auspices of RFEF President Angel Maria Villar Llona, URJC Vice-Chancellor Juan José Nájera and CIES President Bertrand Reeb, the seminar allowed representatives from the 16 partner universities of the FIFA/CIES Network to assess the current status of teaching of the communication module, one of the six modules making up the FIFA/CIES Programme in sport management. It also gave them the opportunity to share experiences and best practice as well as to define a number of objectives intended to lend new dynamics to interuniversity exchanges and adapt the content of classes to the rapidly evolving contemporary communication context.

The participants also attended conferences by Miquel de Moragas Spà, former director of the Olympic Studies Centre and Professor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UBA), who discussed the influence of the Internet on communication since the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992, and by José Sámano, head of the sports column at the national daily El País, on “the past, present and future of the sports press”. Both speakers fascinated the audience with their in-depth knowledge of the complex links between sport and the media, as well as with many anecdotes illustrating the upheavals and in some cases the excesses of sport communication over the last years.

Andreas Herren, CEO of Externus Communication GmbH and FIFA/CIES Network speaker, presented some of the communication-related aspects and challenges involved in a candidacy for the World Cup. He has hands-on knowledge of this topic given that he was one of the advisors to the Russian bid committee in 2009 and 2010.

All our thanks to URJC and RFEF for their warm welcome as well as to the participants for their hard work, comments, suggestions and recommendations, in addition to the positive attitude they contributed to the discussions: Bélen, Andreas, Saïdou, Rodrigo, Debby, Bianca, Miquel, Francisco, Nour, Isabel, José, Diego, Wadih, Antonio, Hassan, Marco, Susana, Charisse, France-Marie, Federico Francisco and Michal.