The Club

SEVILLA FC CONCLUDE WORLD FOOTBALL SUMMIT IN STYLE

21/09/2023
José María del Nido Carrasco explains the club's 21st century transformation and Ivan Rakitic gives his view on how new technologies are changing football.

The World Football Summit brought its 2023 edition to a stylish conclusion on Thursday evening. At one of the most influential gatherings in the football world, Sevilla FC capped the final day of the event by demonstrating their sustained prominence in the industry. For the second consecutive day, two club ambassadors made an appearance. While Wednesday saw Victor Orta and Elías Zamora, the club's respective Sporting Director and Chief Data Officer, take part in discussions, on Thursday it was the turn of José María del Nido Carrasco, Vice President of Sevilla FC, and Club Captain Ivan Rakitic. 

Del Nido Carrasco gave a highly anticipated presentation on the success of Sevilla FC on the main stage. His talk was entitled "The Transformation of Sevilla FC: Past, Present and Future," and our 'Seventh Europa League' could be seen lit up in the entrance to the venue. In the words of the Vice President, "the case of Sevilla FC is one of rebuilding and rebirth. During the first half of the 20th century, we achieved the sporting triumphs of a league title, three Spanish Cups, 18 Andalusian Cups and 4 Spanish Super Cups. However, after the turn of the centry, we endured a period of relative mediocrity that resulted in complete crisis at the end of the nineties, with the team in the second division and the club technically bankrupt."

Del Nido Carrasco spoke on the success of Sevilla FC in the 21st century

The Vice President's presentation highlighted how the club brought about its renaissance: "Our business model was built on economic sustainability and selling in order to grow, a philosophy inspired by our motto, never surrender, which carries a lot of weight. At the start of this century, we revolutionised the concept of scouting to do what had never been done before, to gain an advantage on our opponents, the majority of whom have more financial resources. We aim to identify emerging talent, help them perform for the team, increase their value and then be shrewd and smart enough to sell them at the right moment, however unpopular it might be. Lastly, we reinvest the money to continue improving the squad. This strategy has helped us win 11 trophies, play in 22 finals and qualify for European competition 19 times in less than 23 years," explained the Vice President, who also discussed the club's economic growth, providing relevant examples throughout. In addition, he pointed to the globalisation of the Sevilla FC brand, evidenced by the club's near 16 million followers on social media, the fourth most in Spain. 

As well as looking back, further ambitious plans for the club brand were outlined: “We have mapped out a road based on the values integral to all we do: innovation, ambition, passion, and never giving up, derived from our 130 years as an institution run by our fans, competing with other clubs that are owned by millionaires or even states. Our plan has several facets currently in action. In terms of infrastructure, for example, there is a plan for a renovation of the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán by 2028, as well as converting the training ground into a sporting and business campus. We will also expand the budget to continue our internationally renowned digital transformation process.

Ivan Rakitic concluded proceedings. 

The final talk, which rounded off an incredible two days for the WFS audience, came from club captain Ivan Rakitic, who has played a key role in our success throughout the 21st century. The Croatian star had an on-stage chat with Georgina Leger, a digital content expert, where they discussed technology’s developing role in the world of football. He described how “football has changed so much since I started out, for example in terms of communication, but above all with regards to technology – we use it to analyse our own performance, those of opponents, etc. It is a game where everyone must be professional in every sense, so we have to prepare as much as possible to be at our best.”

Arguably the biggest technological evolution in football in recent years is the introduction of VAR. Rakitic expressed his thoughts on its use: “It has to be applied in the same way across all competition, in all countries, and that means improving communication and reducing the amount and length of breaks in play, because games are lasting far longer than 90 minutes at the moment. It’s harder to maintain any rhythm so it diminishes the spectacle. So I still think it can be improved.” Lastly, the midfielder made his feelings clear about the direction he hopes the game he loves will take: “Football has improved so much with VAR and technology, but we must not lose the excitement that matches can offer. I don’t know if we should add more components, maybe just focusing on improving on what we have.”