José Francisco Neves, executive member of the Allianz Cup, prefers not to address hypothetical scenarios about the future of the League Cup, which could take place abroad. In an exclusive interview with A BOLA, he highlights the benefits of the partnership which, in terms of naming sponsor, is now in its sixth consecutive year, and reaffirms that the connection to football has been very important for the brand. New connection to the FPF, through women’s football, or protocol for naming Portuguese stadiums are not out of the question
For six years, Allianz has been the main sponsor of League Cup. How did this partnership with Liga Portugal come about?
– We already belonged to this world of the League Cup from the beginning, but never as a naming sponsor. Being a naming sponsor was very important for us, since we were putting our name in such an important competition and which was being restructured. That’s what happened, we had a conversation with the League and decided to move forward with this partnership. One of our main objectives is to be where the Portuguese are, the Portuguese are with football and being the naming sponsor of a competition like this was great and it was a very quick decision.
This interest that was at the genesis of this partnership was also enhanced with the development of League Cup. Do you feel like it was a growing process?
– This is also part of our ‘win/win’ relationship with the League. I want to believe that we also help the competition get better. The Allianz brand is an international brand, very credible and I am also involved in football in other geographic locations and all of this brings credibility to the competition. And then also the connection with the fans, something that is clearly different compared to other competitions. This Fan Zone, this ‘final four’ week where we really talk about football is a ‘win/win’ relationship. I am very convinced that the growth of the competition has a lot to do with this desire that the League brought to change the competition and the fact that we are a tremendously well-known brand. It was an extremely important combination of factors.
The person responsible highlights the joint growth of Allianz and Liga Portugal through the League Cup. (Photo: MIGUEL NUNES/ASF)
This is the sixth edition of League Cup called the Allianz Cup. What balance does it make?
– I remember the first year very well. It was a competition that had some problems in the past and we always thought that the first way to make it profitable was to have a naming sponsor for many years. That’s what we managed to do, not only with our merit, but also with the merit of the League and also of Olivesdesportos, which has always been an intermediary between these two institutions. I would say that this competition has been growing. We had fantastic finals, we will certainly have another fantastic final tomorrow [hoje], but it has been a test that has been growing and not just because of the football that has been played. I’m not just talking about the competing clubs, the games played or the television audiences that we probably wouldn’t have in any other competition. In fact, the ‘final four’ of the League Cup was practically the only competition that took place in the world during the pandemic. These six years were so impactful that, perhaps, anyone who tries to remember the editions prior to these six years will not remember. It’s been a fantastic journey.
What strength has this competition brought to Allianz in other areas, both in Portugal and abroad?
– This competition makes our colleagues, internally, feel so proud too. Commercially, we invest heavily in notoriety. The Allianz brand has not been in Portugal for so many years, we deal in the market with very important brands in the Portuguese reality, and this proximity that we want the brand to have to Portugal is very important because it then obviously has repercussions at a commercial level.
Troféu was, literally, at the center of José Francisco Neves’ interview with A BOLA. (Photo: MIGUEL NUNES/ASF)
It is projected that Leiria will not be the chosen location for the ‘final four’ again. The possibility of, in the future, the League Cup be played abroad. If this is confirmed, and regardless of the country or even the continent where the competition may go, will Allianz continue to be a partner in this competition?
– For us, football is the main means we use to increase the awareness of our brand. We want the Portuguese to know us, identify with our values and choose us when purchasing their insurance. It is important that we are increasingly recognized as a global brand, but at the same time as an insurance company that operates in Portugal, with Portuguese employees and for Portuguese clients. In this way, we are investing in 2024 in communication with the specific objective of connecting with Portuguese consumers. The Allianz Cup helped us on this path towards Portugueseness and that is why it was so important to be in Braga and Leiria. The League Cup abroad will always be an important moment for the promotion of Portuguese football, but a challenge for Allianz Portugal.
Would you consider launching a challenge to the FPF for a partnership for a possible Federation Cup?
– It’s a question I don’t know how to answer. In the same way that brands are here to support, but those who are successful are the artists who are within the four lines, I also have a very clear boundary. We work and discuss ideas with football people, but we know about insurance. Football people, who know about football, come to us and make their proposals if they find it interesting. We don’t do this thing where we go to the League or the FPF and say we have an idea. We support ideas and discuss them. As it happens, there it is, with this Allianz Cup. Responsible for it is Liga Portugal.
A member of the Allianz executive committee says the brand is always open to discussing football projects. (Photo: MIGUEL NUNES/ASF)
Allianz had, in the past, a connection to the Portuguese women’s championship. What is the reason this partnership did not continue?
– The connection we made with women’s football is one of the partnerships that I am most proud of being able to participate in. To me, as responsible, but also to Allianz. We were the first brand that, together with the FPF, relaunched women’s football. Long before the BPI League there was the Allianz League. We didn’t continue, it’s the dynamic, it’s part of it. But I don’t exclude the possibility of us once again having a partnership in the field of women’s football. We feel enormous pride in this path. There was no litigation and we left the connection with the FPF in the same way we entered, that is, very well. The door remains open.
Is there a possibility that, in the future, the brand will consider a connection with a Portuguese club?
– We are present in many stadiums around the world. There is a strategy by the Allianz group to be present in stadiums with our brand name. In Portugal I won’t have any news to give you, but the chances of Allianz being able to connect to stadiums exist in the Allianz world. In Portugal I have nothing new to tell you, I repeat.