Real Madrid turns to Super League chief for commercial push

Real Madrid have reportedly appointed Bernd Reichart to lead their business operations, giving the executive who fronted the European Super League project responsibility for developing key commercial activities at the Spanish club.His remit will include the Santiago Bernabéu, sponsorship and merchandising, with Reichart reporting directly to general manager José Ángel Sánchez in a position that had remained vacant.The appointment would bring an executive with experience across broadcasting, sports rights and commercial strategy into a role connecting the club’s stadium business with its wider sponsorship and consumer operations.Reichart became chief executive of A22 Sports Management in October 2022 and emerged as the principal public advocate for a redesigned European competition backed by Real Madrid.His responsibilities included explaining revised tournament proposals and promoting the project during its legal and political dispute with UEFA over the organisation of European club football.The reported move follows the preliminary agreement reached in February between Real Madrid, UEFA and European Football Clubs over the future of the European game.Reichart’s switch could indicate a changing role for one of the project’s central figures as those discussions continue, although the appointment does not establish that a definitive settlement has been reached.His proposed responsibilities at Madrid would shift his focus from developing a new competition structure to growing revenue within an established club business.The Bernabéu brief places the stadium alongside sponsorship and merchandising within his remit, connecting a major physical asset with the commercial relationships and products sold around the Real Madrid brand.That combination creates scope to coordinate partner activity, stadium experiences and retail opportunities, although the reports do not outline specific initiatives or performance targets attached to the role.Reichart’s career began in sports rights with UFA Sports in Hamburg before he became marketing director at Sportfive in 2003.He moved to Spain in 2004 as investor relations director at Antena 3, now part of Atresmedia, before taking responsibility for several of the broadcaster’s digital terrestrial television channels.The experience gave him exposure to the Spanish media market before he returned to Germany in 2013 to lead RTL Group’s VOX television channel.Between 2019 and 2021, Reichart served as chief executive of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland while also sitting on Bertelsmann’s group management committee.That background combines experience of media distribution and audience development with the investor and commercial relationships involved in running a major broadcasting business.His subsequent leadership of A22 placed him at the centre of negotiations over how European football competitions should be organised and commercialised, building relationships across clubs, governing bodies and the wider sports industry.At Madrid, the reported reporting line to Sánchez would place Reichart within the club’s existing executive structure, with responsibility spanning three significant areas of its commercial operations.