Head of HLM on peripetia with Banská Bystrica, a wild card for Slovan and plans for the future – ŠPORT.sk

The Slavs did not even manage their third appearance in the competition and the first home team, they lost to Leksanda in Sweden 2: 4 and they have only theoretical chances to advance from the group in the competition of the Swiss Friborg and the Czech Třinec. After three rounds, together with Třinec, they have zero points, Friborg and Leksand have nine. Belasých still has a home duel with Friborg and then two matches with the Czech opponent.

We talked with the head of the Champions League Martin Baumann about the decision to award a wild card in the Slavic competition after the Belarusian Junosť Minsk had to resign from it and also about his experience with Slovak clubs or plans with the Champions League.

How do you like it in Bratislava so far?

“It’s an amazing city, I’ve known it since the World Cup. It is great that we are here and that we have Bratislava as the top European brand in the Champions League. It is one of the best arenas in Europe. It would be a nice place for the finals. There are no better places to play hockey, it impressed me here. ”

Is that one of the reasons why you decided to give the Slavs a wild card?

“Yes and no. When problems with the Belarusian team arose, we had to solve them very quickly. There were logistical and visa issues. We were looking for a top brand as a replacement and we found a club that celebrates its centenary. Slovan has a long tradition and Slovakia is a hockey country. It was easy for us to choose Slovan. ”

Have you contacted other Slovak clubs as well? For example, the master of Zvolen.

“Yes, but as you know, it has not been ideal in recent years, Slovak teams were not so interested in the Champions League and they also complained. We wanted to give a wild card to a team that really wanted to be part of the Champions League and trusted our brand and not to a team that was not happy with the competition in the past. ”

What is your experience with Slovak clubs? Banská Bystrica was not very enthusiastic about participating in the Champions League.

“Let’s not talk about the past. But yes, they complained about certain things, such as financial rewards and so on. This year, we increased our bonuses to 3.3 million euros. The winner will receive 500,000 euros, which is not a small amount. Yes, you can complain about some things, but not about the rewards, especially not after the last coronavirus year. ”

Is there a possibility that the club from Slovakia would have a guaranteed place in the next years?

“We have a league ranking that reflects the performance of teams. We want to have the best teams in the league. This time the Slovak club is part of the Champions League thanks to a wild card. We will see what it will be like next year. ”

What are your goals for the coming years?

“My vision is quite big. We must gradually continue to develop the entire product. I would also like more spectators at the matches. The performances of the teams are brilliant, there is not much better quality hockey that you can see, certainly not at the league level. We want to have sold out stadiums.

We also want to increase the rewards for clubs to make them even happier. It’s still about building a brand, we’re still a young product, but we’re going in the right direction. It’s more than just ice-fighting, relationships are being built between clubs.

For example, Slovan went to Sweden to Leksand and to Friborg, Switzerland. He gained new knowledge and experience there, learning from each other. That is also one of the goals. ”

Are negotiations with KHL clubs underway?

“We have offered them participation in the Champions League quite often, but we do not have any interviews with them at the moment. Only time will tell what the future holds, though anything may change. Personally, I would very much like to welcome the clubs from KHL.

But first we have to fulfill our tasks, work on the development of the brand, and if we succeed, maybe KHL will come and knock on our door. ”

How do you want to work on brand development?

“It is important that we have a signed contract with the main sponsor until 2028. It is a great benefit for us. With each new sponsor, we make more money and we can give it to more clubs.

If we have full arenas and the media write positively about us, sponsors will also believe our project and we will have more money. So it all starts here and now in this corner, where we do the interview.

I will repeat, the spectators have the opportunity to see really good hockey, many general managers have also told me that the performances they perform in August or September are really amazing. And that is our goal, to make hockey in Europe better and bigger. Playing in a league still against the same opponents is not so good for the development of hockey. ”

Don’t you plan to reduce the number of teams in the Champions League and make it so that only champions play in it?

“It is a controversial issue. Should we have more or fewer teams? You can simply limit the number of teams and invite only the champions, or make a mix as we have now.

We still have more teams from the big leagues and only champions from the smaller ones, with the exception of the wild card. But in the future, we will probably reduce the number of teams and have only the best ones. Not next season yet, but we will start next. We believe that less is more, if we have only the best clubs, then the quality and prestige of the competition will also increase. ”

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