FCBARCELONA.CAT

16.10.2008 18:22

Huge media interest in Barça’s MLS bid

Txemi Terés

FC Barcelona’s announcement that they would like to participate in a new franchise in the Major League Soccer (MLS) from 2010 has drawn reaction from several sections of the media in the United States.

The Blaugrana have stated that they are keen on becoming the first European club to directly be involved with an MLS side in order to reach a new audience in the United States.

The Miami Herald

The interest from Barça was featured on the front page of the Miami Herald newspaper, the biggest daily paper in the state of Florida. The city of Miami failed to host one of the main teams in the MLS a few years ago, but is now prepared for another attempt, according to the Herald, with “one of football’s grand powerhouses: FC Barcelona”.

The New York Times

The New York Times also covered the story with the angle about the club’s presentation along with Bolivian businessman Marcelo Claure being taken by the publication. The paper’s chief football write, Jack Bello, wrote a story that ran with some exclusive quotes from Barça president Joan Laporta where he said that the project “formed part of a strategic programme over the past four years to promote and increase the club’s presence in the United States”.

Hispanic excitement

The Hispanic community in Florida are said to be very excited about the prospect of FC Barcelona becoming involved in a team there, given the standing that the name of the club has among them. That view was evident in the Latin-American and Hispanic media stories that featured the news of the Blaugrana’s links with becoming involved in the MLS in the next few years.

The Univisión group, a popular hub for Hispanic journalism and news in the United States, ran the story across all their outlets, emphasising the fact that Barça could become the first European club to attach themselves to a team in the States.