Bernd Reichart appointed CEO of A22 Sports Management

A22 Sports Management, a European commercial sports development company, has appointed Bernd Reichart, 48, as its Chief Executive Officer. Reichart is an experienced media and sports executive who until recently served as Group CEO of RTL Deutschland, one of Europe’s leading media companies.

His initial focus will be to initiate an active and extended dialogue with a comprehensive group of football stakeholders including clubs, players, coaches, fans, media and political stakeholders. The aim is to facilitate the development of a sustainable sporting model for European club competitions that reflects the long-term and mutual best interests of fans and the broader football community.

Mr. Reichart said: “The current situation in European club football is characterised by a number of challenges which will not resolve themselves on their own. The Presidents of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona and the Chairman of Juventus FC have recently outlined their views on the issues facing the sport. I believe they are asking the right questions and am personally keen to listen to many diverse voices so that the European Football community can jointly find the right answers. The game we all love will benefit from honest and open dialogue, free of constraints, about a brighter future through serious reform.”

Ongoing CJEU competition case

The stakeholder dialogue initiative is being undertaken against the backdrop of the continuing legal process in the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the legality, under competition law, of the current UEFA monopoly on European club competitions. The CJEU judgement is expected in 2023. A22 is a co-claimant to the proceedings.

About Bernd Reichart

Bernd Reichart began his career in the sports rights industry with UFA Sports and from 2003, he worked as Marketing Manager for sport rights agency Sportfive. In 2004, he moved to the leading Spanish media company, Antena 3 (today Atresmedia) as Head of Investor Relations. From 2007 to 2013, he oversaw a portfolio of free-TV channels as Managing Director Multichannel. In 2013, he moved to the RTL Group in Germany, assuming the duties of Managing Director of the German TV channel VOX where he launched some of the most successful programmes in the channel’s history. In January 2019 he was named Group CEO of RTL Deutschland, managing one of Europe’s leading private broadcasting groups until end of 2021. From January 2019 until June 2022, he was also a member of the Group Management Committee of Bertelsmann, a media, services and education company that operates in approximately 50 countries around the world.

About A22 Sports Management

A22 Sports Management is a company that was formed to sponsor and assist in the creation of the European Super League. In its advisory capacity, A22 focuses on the overall structure, operating and financial aspects of the potential new competition.