Bolivian league tender set to continue despite concrete offer from Bolivar president

The Bolivian Football Association’s (FBF) general director Freddy Téllez has said that the invitation to tender for the nation’s top tier of domestic football will continue, despite a concrete offer having been tabled by the president of one of the clubs.

The 14 clubs that make up the Primera Divisíon have been considering a 10-year offer from Bolivar president Marcelo Claure worth a possible $100m (€88.7m), but failed to reach a consensus that would have ended the current tender.

As a result, Téllez has said that any offer Claure wished to present would have to be submitted through the official channels and be tested against any competing offers.

Claure’s offer would cover a 10-season period running between 2021 and 2030 which is more than double the four-year length that the FBF is currently advertising.

There are at least nine other competing businesses for the rights, according to Bolivian newspaper Página Siete, and Téllez said that these companies have indicated they will be submitting offers once the nation’s Covid-19 pandemic lockdown is lifted.

The Primera Divisíon rights are currently held by the Sport TV Rights agency in a deal worth $4.1m and which expires at the end of this season.

Claure’s offer far outstrips that of the current deal and is broadly in line with the $10m-per-season the FBF was seeking.

The offer would be worth $9.6m per season with $400,000 also going to support amateur Bolivian football.

It is not clear at this time whether the funds will be distributed evenly between the sides or if it will be based on each team’s final league position. No details on which platform the matches would be broadcast have been provided as yet.

The FBF has reclaimed control over the División Profesional rights from 2021 onwards. The rights reclamation stripped the league’s 14 clubs of negotiating their own broadcast rights in favour of placing the collective negotiating power with the FBF.

It was reported earlier this year that Sport TV Rights had registered its interest in the rights going forward, as had US-based broadcasts groups ESPN and Turner. Telecoms operators Comteco, Entel and Fecotel were also reported to have registered, along with commercial broadcaster Unitel, pay-television broadcasters GolTV and Tigo Sport, and Nexus Sports.