On October 24th, 2020, LaLiga successfully held an ElClásico watch party in Shanghai, China being the fifth of its type since 2016 and the first large-scale watching party of LaLiga in China since the outbreak of the epidemic. Close to one thousand fans gathered at the heart of the City of Shanghai to experience together the ever-exciting high-profile ElClásico match where the enthusiasm and the cheering of the fans filled the space and did not leave any one indifferent with the 1:3 result. The fantastic goal of Luka Modric pushed the atmosphere to the climax.

Photo: Fans and attendees watching the live broadcast of ElClásico

Sergi Torrents, Managing Director of LaLiga China welcomed all guests and introduced a key fan-focused project as part of LaLiga’s long-term commitment to its Chinese fans. The event was also attended by Carmen Fontes, Consul General of Spain in Shanghai; Wu Youwen, CEO of Real Madrid APAC; Pilar Jimenez, President of SFCM (Spanish Football Commercial & Marketing Company). At the same time, the event was supported by the sponsors and partners of LaLiga with iQiyi Sports, PUMA, EA Sports, Budweiser, Rexona  and Marques de Atrio setting up fan experience activities and gifts for the fans at the event.

Photo: Sergi Torrents, General Manager of LaLiga, Greater China; Carmen Fontes, Consul General of Spain in Shanghai; Wu Youwen, Real Madrid APAC CEO; Pilar Jimenez, President of SFCM; Steve Lau, Activation Group CEO and representatives of Super Sports Media, iQiyi Sports, EA Sports, PUMA and Marques de Atrio

ElClásico Watching Party in Shanghai was also an avenue for both clubs to communicate with their fans, while FC Barcelona prepared a video with their Chinese fans cheering up for their team, Emilio Butragueño, the Institutional Relations Director of Real Madrid sent warm greetings to their Chinese fans . In addition, FC Barcelona launched a social media campaign exclusively for the culers at the event giving them the opportunity to win special prizes while the Real Madrid Foundation presented its solidarity auction and encouraged its Chinese fans to bid for donated objects from stars as David Beckham and Iker Casillas. All the funds raised will be used to support the social welfare projects launched by the Real Madrid Foundation.

The 2020/21 season is the 90^th season of LaLiga, and undoubtedly, the ElClásico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona represents the highest honour, value, competitive level and popularity in Spanish football. Under the influence of the global epidemic, sports events play a significant role in rebuilding cohesion and raising morale for the society. In this sense, the ElClásico viewing event today turned out to be more meaningful.

"It is our great pleasure to be here today with all our fans, media, partners and guests. Although there is the impact of the epidemic, life in China is going back, step by step, to its normal path, and LaLiga has come back successfully through our continuous effort in establishing and implementing a safety protocol for our league allowing all our fans to enjoy this fabulous ElClásico match. LaLiga is the first overseas football league to hold such a large-scale viewing party in China in the midst of the pandemic, and we are happy to be sharing this moment with our Chinese fans. This event also has another particular significance as it is the first one organized under our joint venture with Mediapro and Super Sports Media. Under our joint venture company, SFCM, we will keep exploring the Chinese market and bring unique and innovative experiences to our Chinese fans.” said Sergi Torrents, Managing Director of LaLiga China.

Photo: Sergi Torrents, Managing Director of LaLiga China

“Tonight’s ElClásico event offers a unique experience for FC Barcelona and Real Madrid’s fans in China, the energy and passion that filled this space while following the match was outstanding and it is only positively complimented by the programme of exclusive content crafted by LaLiga entirely  for the fans of the event. Close to a thousand people enjoyed 90 minutes of the best football together and also experienced a series of fan engagement activities during the whole evening that made this night unforgettable.” Pilar Jimenez added, President of SFCM.

Before the kick-off, LaLiga with its global partner EA also announced a groundbreaking initiative: the eLaLiga Santander Fan Cup and the internationalization of eLaLiga, the eSports competition of the Spanish league. This is an international amateur FIFA e-sports tournament which will search for and crown the best FIFA amateur player in the world. China will have a vital role as LaLiga is in the process of selecting the Chinese city to host the Asian regional final, whose winners will represent the region in the grand final.

Another highlight of this event was shed on the exhibition match of FIFA Online 4 presented by EA Sports. Well-known football streamer and FIFA esports professionals played against each other with the FC Barcelona and Real Madrid sides anticipating and warming up the ambiance before the match of ElClásico.

Photo: FIFA Online 4 exhibition match on the stage

In recent years, LaLiga has delivered progressive innovations in broadcasting, tapping into e-sports landscape and rolling out an ambitious digital media strategy. It keeps narrowing the gap between the fans and the league, as well as provides the rich entertaining experience of LaLiga to the fans. With pioneering initiatives in many fields, LaLiga is catching up with the younger generation as a global sports and entertainment brand.

About LaLiga 

LaLiga is a global, innovative and socially responsible organisation which is a leader in the leisure and entertainment sector. It is a private sports association composed of the 20 public limited sports companies (SADs) and clubs of LaLiga Santander and the 22 of LaLiga SmartBank, and is responsible for organising professional football competitions in Spain. In the 2018/19 season, LaLiga reached more than 2.7 billion people globally. With its headquarters in Madrid (Spain), it is present in 55 countries through eleven offices and 46 delegates. In China, LaLiga was established in 2014, with its main office based in Shanghai, and, since 2020 LaLiga has partnered with Mediapro and Super Sports Media to create SFCM, a joint venture dedicated to the commercialization of sponsorships and licenses. In addition, the organisation carries out its social work through its foundation and was the world's first professional football league to establish a league for intellectually challenged footballers: LaLiga Genuine Santander.

About MEDIAPRO

MEDIAPRO Group operates a fleet of over 80 High Definition and 4K Outside Broadcast units, and produces live coverage of more than 12,000 events around the world each year. The Group is currently involved in the production of 16 national soccer competitions around the world, including top-tier leagues in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Kenya, Angola, Slovenia, Serbia, Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico and Canada. MEDIAPRO Group crews produce events for the UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, FIFA Confederations Cup, the Africa Cup of Nations, FIBA events, the Euroleague and Formula 1. MEDIAPRO was also the host broadcaster of the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru. MEDIAPRO manages the global media rights to Spain’s LaLiga Santander and last year was awarded a wide package of rights for the four seasons from 2020-21 to France’s Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, where it is set to launch a 24/7 channel to carry live coverage of league matches. Early in 2019, the Group sealed a long-term partnership with Canadian Soccer Business for the worldwide media rights to the Canadian Premier League, the country’s new first division soccer league. MEDIAPRO produces more than 15 TV channels worldwide, including several specialty sports channels.