The Football Studio

Sebastian Alvarado

Hosted by Sebastian Alvarado, the show features insightful conversations with influential and diverse profiles who’ve made their mark in the world of football. read less
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#8 Charlie Stillitano, Founder & Chairman of Relevent Sports: The Most Interesting Man in Football, on '94 World Cup, Connections, Friendships & Dealings w. Sir Alex, Florentino, Ancelotti and others
26-02-2021
#8 Charlie Stillitano, Founder & Chairman of Relevent Sports: The Most Interesting Man in Football, on '94 World Cup, Connections, Friendships & Dealings w. Sir Alex, Florentino, Ancelotti and others
Charlie Stillitano is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Relevent Sports, hosts of the International Champions Cup (ICC). Stillitano began his career in football as a Venue Director for the 1994 World Cup. Following the World Cup, he was named V. P. and GM of the NY/NJ MetroStars. In 2003, he founded Champions World where he helped create the ChampionsWorld Series, a pre-season tournament and match series for the world's top clubs. Stillitano then became a senior executive at CAA Sports where he ran the company's soccer business. Stillitano currently co-hosts the daily "The Football Show" on Sirius/XM. In 2017, ESPN FC named Stillitano one of football's 50 most influential people. We talk about his upbringing in an Irish neighborhood in New Jersey, growing up with people of different cultures, becoming the Executive Venue Director for New York/New Jersey during the '94 World Cup, and how that put him on the map to become one of the most connected and influential people in football.  We also talk about how to gain trust with the big names in football, working with Stephen Ross, the billionaire real estate developer and Miami Dolphins owner who is a majority owner in Relevent Sports, introducing him to Argentina's then President Macri, how he introduced Sir Alex and Ancelotti to each other, "enemies" who became friends, what makes Florentino Perez unique, and much more.
#7 Ahmet Schaefer, Founder & CEO of Core Sports Capital: on Owning & Managing Three Clubs, Operating as an Airline Alliance, Cultural Understanding When Buying Clubs, and Working for Sepp Blatter
02-02-2021
#7 Ahmet Schaefer, Founder & CEO of Core Sports Capital: on Owning & Managing Three Clubs, Operating as an Airline Alliance, Cultural Understanding When Buying Clubs, and Working for Sepp Blatter
Ahmet Schaefer is the Founder & CEO of Core Sports Capital (CSC) - a Switzerland based company that owns and manages theres clubs including: Clermont Foot 63 (League 2, France), Vendsyssel FF (Division 1, Denmark), and Lisa Lustenav (1 Liga, Austria). Ahmet, of Swiss and Turkish descent, is a young, yet seasoned veteran of the football industry with a career journey has has taken him from selling hospitality packages for the 2006 World Cup to FIFA, to working as Sepp Blatter’s assistant, to MP & Silva, where acted as the VP of Acquisitions & Strategic Partnerships, managing their global TV rights portfolio, to Founding Member-Managing Partner of the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation. We talk about CSC and its club alliance, how the company serves its clubs in a similar way in which airline alliances serve their members, with synergies across business units. We touch on how he uses his industry experience in the day-today management of three clubs at the same time, the importance of cultural understanding when buying a club, how the company acts as a consultant and finance broker to other clubs in similar situations, and how they  created an IT platform that provides data analytics for scouting, training, coaching, and medical purposes. We also talk about his role as Sepp Blatter’s assistant, the day-to-day work, the main learnings and insights from working with him, his whereabouts and thoughts on when Swiss authorities and the FBI came cracking down at FIFA headquarters, and more.
#6 Juan Carlos Rodriguez
15-12-2020
#6 Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Juan Carlos Rodriguez — President of Sports at Univision, the leading Hispanic media company in the US. He’s regarded as one of the most powerful and influential sports executives in the industry. We talk about his journey, being shaped by growing up in Mexico City, how childhood insecurities led to his creativity and unique leadership style, and how football informs his approach for business, including hiring decisions. He’s one of the rare breed of sports media executives and a disruptive force in a typically traditional industry. Under Rodriguez’ guidance, Univision Deportes Network has become the No. 1 Spanish-language sports network in the country, just five years since its debut, and is consistently among the top five sports networks in the country, regardless of language. Rodriguez was also responsible of delivering the most successful FIFA World Cup broadcast in the United States to date. Among many other things, he’s lead the acquisition of exclusive Spanish-language media rights of most major tournaments and leagues, including the World Cup and the Champions League.  Rodriguez has been named one of the “31 Most Powerful People in U.S. Soccer” by FourFourTwo, he has also been named for two years in a row to Sports Business Journal’s annual list of sports business mavens, “50 Most Influential” and appeared in Sports Illustrated’s “30 Most Influential Hispanics in Sports”. Under his direction, Univision Deportes has garnered five Sports Emmy Awards for excellence in sports coverage.