SUM Unveils InterLiga

NEW YORK (Monday, December 8, 2003) – Soccer United Marketing (SUM) Chief Executive Officer and Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber today announced the multi-year acquisition of the marketing, promotional and broadcast rights in the United States for the InterLiga™, a new qualifying tournament that will determine the automatic berths for Mexican clubs to the Copa Libertadores, considered one of the top international club competitions in the world.

This year is the first in Libertadores history in which Mexican clubs are being granted two direct spots into one of the most prestigious international club tournaments in the world. Every match of the InterLiga™ will be broadcast by FOX Sports World and FOX Sports en Español in the United States with a national radio partner to be announced at a later date.

The logo’s shield, awarded to the InterLiga™ winner, contains a ball with spinning traces representing the movement of the teams, which are on the path from North America to South America’s Copa Libertadores. The colors, purple and yellow, embody the prestige of the tournament and the passion of the participating clubs and their fans. The mark was created by Daniel Bellon and Richard S. Levy of Soccer United Marketing’s Creative Department.

The eight-team InterLiga™ is scheduled to be played over seven doubleheaders between January 4 and January 14, during the Mexican offseason and preceding the kickoff of the following league campaign (weekend of January 17-18). Five sites will host the event in the states of California (Los Angeles, San Jose and Stockton) and Texas (Houston, Dallas). The official InterLiga logo and other related brand signatures including a web site will be revealed in the coming days.

“SUM is proud to host the InterLiga™ which will quickly become one of the most prestigious international club soccer tournament held in the United States,” Garber said. “The acquisition of this tournament with the Libertadores spots at stake is further proof that Soccer United Marketing is intent on consolidating its position as the leader of the sport at every level in America.”

The Copa Libertadores is one of the most prestigious international club competitions in the world with 36 teams participating in 2004 from South America and Mexico. Between 1998 and 2003 Mexican clubs participated in Libertadores qualifying tournaments first among themselves and then in a following round against Venezuelan clubs. Beginning in 2004, Mexican clubs now have two automatic berths to the Copa Libertadores up for grabs, which will be determined through the InterLiga™ tournament. The draw for the 45th edition of the Copa Libertadores is scheduled to be held on Dec. 17 in Asuncion, Paraguay.

The U.S. rights for the InterLiga™ were acquired from Mexican sports marketing firm Gama Sport, which will also be active in promoting and marketing the tournament in Mexico after originally acquiring the worldwide rights to the tournament from the Mexican Soccer Federation (Federación Mexicana de Futbol).

“Based on its success in promoting Mexican National Team matches in the United States, we strongly believe that SUM is the perfect partner to establish the identity and raise the profile of the InterLiga™ as the marquee international soccer tournament in the U.S.,” said Gustavo Cañedo White, Gama Sport President. “With two direct berths in the Copa Libertadores, this competition has all the qualities to become an instant favorite among the millions of Mexican soccer fans in America.”

The eight teams to qualify for the 2004 inaugural edition of the InterLiga™ were selected based on their combined record in the Apertura and Clausura seasons of the Mexican domestic league. The top eight squads were divided in two groups with No. 1, 3, 5 and 7 seeds forming Group A (1 – Toluca, 3 – Morelia, 5 – Chivas Guadalajara, 7 – Santos Laguna) and No. 2, 4, 6 and 8 completing Group B (2 - Club América, 4 - Atlante, 6 - Tigres, 8 - Atlas). The clubs will engage in a round-robin tournament with the top teams in each group playing in the first match of a Wednesday, January 14 doubleheader at The Home Depot Center for the right to claim the first allotted spot to a Mexican team in Copa Libertadores. The loser of that match will get a second opportunity at qualifying when it faces the winner of the contest between the two second-place group finishers, a match which will also be played on January 14. The play-in game to determine the second and final Mexican berth in the Copa Libertadores will be played at a later date.

The tournament will open on Sunday, January 4 with all eight teams in action. Storied clubs CD Guadalajara (known as Chivas) and Club América will both open group play at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California just outside downtown Los Angeles. The other four teams will play earlier on the same day at Stagg Memorial Stadium in Stockton, California on the campus of the University of the Pacific. Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California will host a doubleheader on the second matchday on Tuesday, January 6 before the tournament moves to Texas on Friday, January 9 with a Group A doubleheader in Houston’s Reliant Stadium featuring Chivas.

The final standings of both groups will be decided on the same day on Sunday, January 11 in Texas as Houston’s Reliant Stadium and Dallas’ Cotton Bowl host the final round of group matches. Group A will be decided in Dallas while Houston hosts its second doubleheader in three days with the last two matches in Group B. The competition comes to a close on Wednesday, January 14 at The Home Depot Center with the final InterLiga™ doubleheader featuring the top teams in Groups A and B facing off for one Libertadores berth after both second-place teams meet for the right to take on the loser in a Libertadores play-in game to be held at a future date.

Monterrey, the champion of Mexico’s last Clausura tournament will not form part of the eight-team InterLiga™ field due to its mandatory participation in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, which will also be staged in early 2004, concurrent with the Copa Libertadores. Monterrey will be joined in the CONCACAF tournament by the champion of the Apertura season, which will play its playoff semifinal stage this week. If Toluca, Atlante or Tigres, which have all advanced to the semifinals, capture the Apertura title (champion to be determined by Dec. 21, 2003), they will be replaced by UNAM Pumas in the InterLiga™ due to the champion’s commitment to play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, a tournament in which MLS clubs also participate.

GROUPS
(teams with top records during recent Apertura & Clausura seasons)

Group A
1. Toluca**
3. Morelia
5. Chivas Guadalajara
7. Santos Laguna

Group B
2. Club América
4. Atlante**
6. Tigres**
8. Atlas

** = if team captures 2003 Apertura title to be decided by Dec. 21, it will be replaced by UNAM Pumas in the competition

GAME SCHEDULE
(seven doubleheaders to be played at five sites in two states)

Sunday, January 4, 2004
Group B: Tigres vs. Atlas – Stagg Memorial Stadium (Stockton, California) – 12:00PM PT (3:00PM ET)
Group A: Toluca vs. Morelia – Stagg Memorial Stadium (Stockton, California) – 2:30PM PT (5:30PM ET)

Group A: Chivas Guadalajara vs. Santos Laguna – The Home Depot Center (Carson, California) – 5:00PM PT (8:00PM ET)
Group B: Club América vs. Atlante – The Home Depot Center (Carson, California) – 7:30PM PT (10:30PM ET)

Tuesday, January 6, 2004
Group B: Club América vs. Atlas – Spartan Stadium (San Jose, California) – 7:00PM PT (10:00PM ET)
Group B: Atlante vs. Tigres – Spartan Stadium (San Jose, California) – 9:30PM PT (12:30PM ET)

Friday, January 9, 2004
Group A: Morelia vs. Santos Laguna – Reliant Stadium (Houston Texas) – 7:00PM CT (8:00PM ET)
Group A: Chivas Guadalajara vs. Toluca – Reliant Stadium (Houston, Texas) – 9:30PM CT (10:30PM ET)

Sunday, January 11, 2004
Group B: Atlante vs. Atlas – Reliant Stadium (Houston, Texas) – 1:00PM CT (2:00PM ET)
Group B: Club América vs. Tigres – Reliant Stadium (Houston, Texas) – 3:30PM CT (4:30PM ET)

Group A: Chivas Guadalajara vs. Morelia – Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas) – 5:30PM CT (6:30PM ET)
Group A: Toluca vs. Santos Laguna – Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas) – 8:00PM CT (9:00PM ET)

Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Group A runners-up vs. Group B runners-up – The Home Depot Center (Carson, California) – 6:00PM PT (9:00PM ET)
(for right to qualify through play-in match to be staged at a future date)
Group A winner vs. Group B winner – The Home Depot Center (Carson, California) – 8:15PM PT (11:15PM ET)
(for direct qualification to Copa Libertadores)

Founded in 2002, Soccer United Marketing is the preeminent soccer marketing company in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, SUM represents all commercial rights for MLS as well as the English-language broadcast rights for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup and the English-language broadcast, local sponsorship, and host broadcaster rights for the 2003 Women’s World Cup. Additionally, SUM is the largest promoter of international soccer matches in the United States including the exclusive U.S. promoter and marketing representative for the Mexican National Team.

SOCCER UNITED MARKETING TELECONFERENCE CALL –
December 8, 2003

In a teleconference call held Monday, December 8, 2003, Soccer United Marketing announced the multi-year acquisition of the marketing, promotional and broadcast rights in the United States for the InterLiga™, a new qualifying tournament that will determine the automatic berths for Mexican clubs to the Copa Libertadores, considered the top international club competition in the world.

Featured Speakers:
Don Garber, Soccer United Marketing CEO, Major League Soccer Commissioner
Nelson Rodriguez, Head of InterLiga™ Organizing Committee, MLS VP
Alberto de la Torre, President of the Federación Mexicana de Futbol (FMF)
Victor Garces, President of the First Division, Federacion Mexicana de Futbol (FMF)
David Sternberg, General Manager, Fox Sports World/ Fox Sports en Español
Cesar Ureña, Producer, Televisa

Don Garber, Soccer United Marketing CEO, Major League Soccer Commissioner Opening Statements:
“We are very happy to announce today, that Soccer United Marketing has acquired the marketing, the broadcast and the promotional rights for the tournament that we are calling InterLiga™: the new Libertadores qualifying tournament that will determine the two automatic berths for Mexican teams into the Copa Libertadores.

This is the first year that Mexican clubs will have two direct spots into the tournament.  We believe that this fact will give this tournament a much higher profile and added significance than it’s ever had in its history.

Soccer United Marketing, to remind those who are not familiar, is a company that was formed by all Major League Soccer investors including: Robert Kraft, Lamar Hunt, Phil Anschutz and Stan Kroenke.  Soccer United Marketing represents the Mexican National Team for its games in the United States and owns the rights to the English language broadcast rights for the 2002, 2003 Women’s and the 2006 Men’s World Cups. 

The InterLiga™ competition will be managed at Soccer United Marketing by our Vice President, Nelson Rodriguez.  Nelson will be available for comments later in this call, both in English and in Spanish. 

InterLiga™ will be staged in five markets in the United States including, Los Angeles and its neighboring city, the City of Carson; San Jose, California; Stockton, California; Houston, Texas and Dallas, Texas. It will take place between Sunday, January 4 and Wednesday, January 14. 

The tournament will involve the top eight Mexican Club teams with the best records over the last Clausura and Apertura tournaments.  The eight teams will be split into two groups with the opening day on Sunday, January 4 featuring Chivas and America playing in separate games in a doubleheader at The Home Depot Center, in Carson, California. 

We look forward to a great start to this new tournament and working with our partners, Gama Sport, down in Mexico, Alberto de la Torre, the president of the Mexican Soccer Federation, Televisa, Fox Sports World and its general manager, David Sternberg, as well as its sister company, Fox Sports en Español, to help make the InterLiga™ a first class event for fans in this country. 

I also want to say how excited we are to be working with Victor Garces, who is also on the call, the FMF League President.  Victor will be available for some comments later on this call. 

I want to reiterate how very excited we are to be expanding our relationship with Señor de la Torre and the FMF.  In addition to our role, working closely with them and the Mexican National Team, this program will bring us much closer to our cousins south of the border and to all the Hispanic soccer fans here, in the United States.” 

Alberto de la Torre, President of the Federación Mexicana de Futbol Opening Statement:
“I would like to thank everyone and also say how excited we are to associate ourselves with these important people who also know soccer and be able to take soccer from Mexico, abroad and beyond.” 

Victor Garces, President of the First Division, Federacion Mexicana de Futbol Opening Statement:
“Hello to all the fans who love soccer in the United States. This is a historic occasion, a historic moment, given how the confederation is allowing a private association in another country to participate in a tournament such as this one. The eight teams who are currently in the InterLiga™ are great representatives of Mexican soccer, given how far they have reached in the playoffs.” 

David Sternberg, General Manager, Fox Sports World/ Fox Sports en Espanol Opening Statements:
“We are happy to announce that Fox Sports World has purchased the rights for the next three years of InterLiga™.  Given how Fox Sports World is the official broadcaster of Copa Libertadores, in all of America, it is important for Fox Sports en Español, given it is the Spanish station that reaches 6 million homes of Spanish speakers in the country.” 

Cesar Ureña, Producer, Televisa Opening Statements:
“We are also very, very honored to be a part of this in the U.S., given how Televisa will broadcast simultaneously via Televisa and TV Azteca in Mexico.  Sometimes games will be given to Televisa exclusively, sometimes they will be given to TV Azteca exclusively, if not simultaneously. 

De la Torre on which referees will be used during InterLiga™:
“We’ll continue with the same agreement. All games in the United States will be officiated by U.S. Soccer Federation referees.”

De la Torre on the compact schedule during 2004:
“It is going to be part of the preseason, obviously, with much better, higher quality teams, with 48 to 72 hours between games. But that will also be the case throughout the 2004 calendar, a very tight calendar overall given international and national dates.”

De la Torre on how what amount the FMF gets and how much to MLS:
“The Federation will get the full amount. The other two organizations will share costs and profits, and will be taken care of as they come in.”

Nelson Rodriguez on the selection of the sites:
“It’s for economic success but it’s also to give different Mexican fans an opportunity to witness games, their players and a great soccer level.”

De la Torre on whether red cards will carry over to Olympic qualifiers:
“No.”

De la Torre on whether $800,000-$1 million is what SUM is playing the FMF/teams?
“That’s the price FMF places on its team and their participation in tournaments. The money will be split among the different teams.”

De la Torre on negotiations with CONMEBOL for entry in Copa Libertadores:
“It is a deal for three years, plus an option, but it is open to a ten-year expansion. Also, the negotiations with CONCACAF are also very similar.”

De la Torre on how the economics were worked out between FMF, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL:
“The winnings in Copa Libertadores are divided 40 percent for the Mexican Federation and 60 percent for CONMEBOL. The Mexican Federation did not have to make any direct payments to be able to participate for the two direct spots in Copa Libertadores.”

Garber on the amount paid to FMF:
“We are making a seven-figure payment in acquisition for these rights, and our partner, Gama Sport, made a payment to acquire those rights from the Mexican Federation.”

De la Torre on the reasons behind the tournament and whether awarding a berth to the championship was considered:
“To begin with, we deal with a private entity for the negotiations that have the right to look to make the negotiations. So the Mexican Federation is not actually involved in the negotiations. CONMEBOL has given the Mexican federation these two direct spots after their good results, with Cruz Azul for example getting all the way to the final to play against Boca Juniors. So, CONMEBOL has given the Mexican Federation two direct spots in 2004 and three direct spots in 2005, and in doing so CONMEBOL is recognizing the globalization of the sport.”

Garces on CONCACAF’s role:
“It’s important to note the great support from CONCACF, Mr. Jack Warner, Mr. Chuck Blazer, for allowing this event to happen.”

Garber on MLS teams participating in Copa Libertadores:
“At this point they are not. But, it would be great, from our perspective, to get MLS teams as part of InterLiga™ and, ultimately, as part of Copa Libertadores at some point in the future.”

Garber on why MLS teams are not playing now for Copa Libertadores:
“At this point, this is the beginning of our relationship working closely with the FMF and working with CONCACAF. We're appreciative of their support. So, we'll wait and see how things develop in the years to come. But, you’ve got to walk before you can run.”

De la Torre on the possibility of Mexican clubs going back to play with the Venezuelan Federation for more possible berths to the Copa Libertadores:
“No, the berths (of the past) were (the result of) a contract between a private entity and Venezuela. Neither FMF nor CONCACAF gave the green light to do it that way again. What CONCACAF wanted was a direct path and that is what we now have. Also, it would cost more money to do it that way.”

Garces on past experiences in PreLibertadores, attendances and starting rosters:
“I guarantee that the teams have taken great interest in this InterLiga™; all teams are definitely interested; it will double as preparation not only for InterLiga™ and Copa Libertadores but for the Mexican regular season.”

De la Torre on how MLS could possibly be able to play in Libertadores:
“Hopefully soon. For now, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL need to negotiate. As of know, Mexico has been the only one that has been able to reach an agreement.”

Sternberg on whether the games in U.S. will be of benefit rather than in Mexico:
“Fox Sports bought transmission rights in the U.S. and the rest of Latin America but Televisa will be airing the games live. For our audience the most important thing is to see their Mexican teams play for a spot to the Libertadores, no matter where the game is being played at.”

Rodriguez on ticket sales and a radio partner:
“Each site will be responsible for its own ticket sales: The Home Depot Center, Spartan Stadium, the Cotton Bowl, Reliant Stadium and Staggs Stadium. In regards to radio broadcasts, we are continuing conversations with different radio broadcasters.”

Garber on whether Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego was a site for InterLiga™:
“If that was the case, we’re unaware of that. That was likely before we were in discussions with anyone about taking over the tournament.”

De la Torre on the scheduling InterLiga right before the kickoff of the season as well as how partners Gama and SUM play into picture:
“We agreed to our serious partners, who assured us a particular sum that we could share among our teams. It was a great work on behalf of the Primera Division (the Mexican First Division), which worked through months of negotiations. The only thing missing now is a great turnout at the event.”

De la Torre on ticket sales:
“We do not know prices, but knowing the professionalism of SUM and their case studies, ticket prices will be placed at a price that is accessible for the fans.”