Riccardo Silva

Riccardo Silva
Silva in September 2016
Silva in September 2016
Born 1970 (age 47–48)
Education Bocconi University, Tulane University
Occupation Owner of Silva International Investments
President and co-owner of Miami FC
Known for The Riccardo Silva Stadium, MP & Silva, Miami FC, Americas Champions League and MP Management modelling agencies

Riccardo Silva is an Italian businessman and investor. He is owner of Silva International Investments, which has investments in a range of companies across media, sports, entertainment, art and real estate. He is also the President and co-owner of Miami FC, owner of the Silva Family art collection and previously served as CEO of the Milan Channel.

Early life and education

Riccardo Silva was born in 1970 in Milan, the grandson of the founder of Italsilva – Gruppo Desa, one of Italy’s largest chemical groups. His maternal family, Fabbri, is known for its publishing company, Fabbri Editori, which is now part of the RCS Media Group. Silva completed his studies at Bocconi University and Tulane University.[1]

Early career

In 1998 Riccardo Silva launched MP Web, an internet start-up of the Milan-based Media Partners Group (now Infront Media), managing sports rights and content for mobile and Internet platforms, which first came to prominence in the 1990s.[1] In 2001 Riccardo Silva became CEO of Milan Channel, the official TV channel of AC Milan football club, and guided the international development of the channel.[2]

MP & Silva

From 2004 until 2016 Riccardo Silva owned and managed MP & Silva, a global international media rights company based in London. Under Riccardo’s leadership, MP & Silva became the world’s leading distributor of TV rights. In May 2016 Riccardo Silva and his partners sold MP & Silva to the Chinese groups Everbright Securities and Beijing Baofeng Technology, relinquishing management and operational control.

Silva International Investments

In 2016, Silva established Silva International Investments, a portfolio company which invests and manages assets in media, sport, fashion, technology and real estate.[3]

In May 2015, Riccardo Silva co-established Miami FC, a side in the North American Soccer League (NASL).[4] Silva made a $3.76 million donation to cover renovations of the team's home field, FIU Stadium at the Florida International University. In 2017, it was announced that the stadium would be renamed Riccardo Silva Stadium for five years in recognition of his involvement.[5]

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, Riccardo Silva and Alessandro Nesta.
Riccardo Silva (center) with Ronaldo and Alessandro Nesta

Riccardo Silva is also well-known for leading the project to establish the Americas Champions League (ACL)[6] tournament involving teams from North America, South America and the Caribbean. The intention is for a 64-team competition to mirror the UEFA Champions League's format, which could generate an estimated $500 million in television and marketing rights—quintupling the current annual take-ins for the CONCACAF Champions League and CONMEBOL's Copa Libertadores combined.[6] It is set to become the all-Americas version of Europe’s popular UEFA Champions League,[7] and has been described as ‘a vehicle to help place the country at the forefront of game’.[8]

In 2016 Riccardo Silva's company, Silva International Investments, commissioned a report by Deloitte,[9][10] on promotion and relegation in United States professional soccer.[11][12] The report, published in November 2016, found that promotion and relegation could assist US club soccer[13] in capitalising on the undoubted interest in, and potential for, the sport in USA.[14][15] The Telegraph reported that Riccardo Silva wants NASL to be more attractive to fans.[16][17]

The 2017 season has proven to be hugely successful for Miami FC. In June 2017, Miami FC played their first competitive fixture against an MLS club, beating Orlando City SC 3-1 in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with Stefano Pinho scoring a hat-trick.[18] The Telegraph reported Riccardo Silva saying: “It was the biggest game in our short history so to win so convincingly against a fantastic club like Orlando City was a great result for us,".[19] In July, Miami FC captured the 2017 spring NASL title with a 7-0 win over the San Francisco Deltas.[20] In October 2017, the club completed an historic double, becoming the first team in NASL history to win both the Spring and Autumn titles in the same season. In an interview with El Nuevo Herald Riccardo Silva stated that "The fact that we won the Spring and Autumn tournaments does not mean there are not more things that we have to fight for".[21]

In August 2017, with a shared belief in that the benefits of soccer should be shared by the many, and not the few, Miami FC joined forces with the National Premier Soccer League's Kingston Stockade FC in filing a request for arbitration at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).[22][23][24][25][26]

In February 2017, Silva International Investments invested more than $1 million into Mast Capital, a Miami based real estate and development company.[3]

The company also owns MP Management, Europe’s second largest modelling and talent network with agencies in Milan, Miami, Paris, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles. The network acquired its Paris agency from Major Model Management in August 2015,[27] and in April 2017 announced the acquisition of Elite Stockholm and a strategic partnership with Modellink.[28] In February 2018, MP Management added to their network of agencies with the acquisition of Factor Chosen Model Management.[29]

In August 2017 Silva International Investments acquired SportBusiness Group, who provide insight into businesses working in the sports industry throughout the world.[30] The acquisition was followed in February 2018 by SportBusiness Group expanding its coverage into the Americas, with the announcement of the establishment of an office in Miami, Florida, its first outside the UK.[31]

In December 2017, Silva International Investments announced the acquisition of the majority stake in Globe Soccer Awards.[32]

Other business interests

Riccardo Silva has other business interests in technology, fashion and arts, including investments in technology company, Muzik. From December 2017 a gallery at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach was re-named the Riccardo and Tatyana Silva Gallery in recognition of the support they have given to the museum and to arts in general.[33] The Bass Museum focusses on exhibitions of international contemporary art, it presents mid-career and established artists reflecting the spirit and international character of Miami Beach. Tatyana sits on the board of directors of the museum.

Personal life

Riccardo Silva is married to Tatyana Silva[34] and they have two sons.

References

  1. 1 2 "Charging Bull - Sportcal". MP & Silva. Archived from the original on 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  2. ↑ "Riccardo Silva mixes business with pleasure at Miami FC". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  3. 1 2 "Mast Capital gets new $1M-plus investor in Silva International". The Real Deal Miami. 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-21.
  4. ↑ "Miami twice? David Beckham certainly hopes so". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-04-22.
  5. ↑ "FIU Stadium gets facelift, new name after Miami FC owner gives record $3.76 million donation". Miami Herald. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  6. 1 2 "CONMEBOL, CONCACAF Champions League in the works - Riccardo Silva". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  7. ↑ "Exclusive: MP & Silva boss Riccardo Silva has grand plan for Americas Champions League". The Fields of Green. Retrieved 2016-02-25.
  8. ↑ "ONE World Sports :: Can Americas Champs League have success?". www.oneworldsports.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
  9. ↑ "Building the soccer pyramid: Deloitte report makes case for promotion and relegation in USA". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  10. ↑ "Breaking: Deloitte Report Suggests Promotion & Relegation Would Be Positive For US Soccer". Midfield Press. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  11. ↑ "Marcotti: Riccardo Silva on pro/rel in the U.S." ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  12. ↑ "Miami, Riccardo Silva leader diritti tv parla di Totti, Nesta e "anche in America promozioni e retrocessioni"" (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  13. ↑ "Promotion-relegation a good idea in the U.S down the road - study". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  14. ↑ "Professional club soccer in the USA | Deloitte UK". Deloitte United Kingdom. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
  15. ↑ "Pirlo: "Ciao calcio, sono vecchio. Ma non è scattata la scintilla per la panchina"". La Gazzetta dello Sport - Tutto il rosa della vita (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-10-10.
  16. ↑ "NASL needs to focus on fans not politics, says Miami FC owner Riccardo Silva". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  17. ↑ "El presidente del Miami FC quiere que su equipo compita contra el de Beckham". Eurosport Espana. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  18. ↑ sport, Guardian (2017-06-29). "Schweinsteiger falls and Nesta shines on night of shocks in US Open Cup". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-30.
  19. ↑ "Miami FC revel in greatest win in club's history after handing Orlando City knockout blow". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  20. ↑ "Miami FC captures NASL Spring title with 7-0 rout of San Francisco". miamiherald. Retrieved 2017-07-30.
  21. ↑ "El dueño del Miami FC afirma que el club aún debe luchar por más cosas". elnuevoherald. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  22. ↑ "NASL vs MLS. Silva: "Così non va, voglio le promozioni" | SoccerItalia.it". www.socceritalia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  23. ↑ "Stati Uniti: New York Cosmos e il Miami di Nesta a rischio chiusura". La Gazzetta dello Sport - Tutto il rosa della vita (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  24. ↑ "Miami, Kingston Stockade Take U.S. Soccer to Arbitration". Empire of Soccer. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
  25. ↑ "Miami FC taking U.S. pro/rel fight to court". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
  26. ↑ "MLS stands alone as a closed shop in the world of football. Meet the two men trying to change that". The Independent. 2018-03-02. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  27. ↑ "MP Network acquires Mega Model Management, Miami's leading talent agency". Brickell Tribune. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  28. ↑ "MP Management invests in Modellink partnership and acquires Elite Stockholm modelling agency". www.efe.com. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  29. ↑ Lockwood, Lisa (2018-02-02). "MP Management Acquires Factor Chosen Model Management". WWD. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  30. ↑ "SportBusiness Group acquisition closed by Silva International Investments". SportBusiness Group. 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  31. ↑ "SportBusiness Group establishes US operations". SportBusiness Group. 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  32. ↑ LaPresse. "Silva International Investments Acquires Stake in Globe Soccer". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  33. ↑ Greenberger, Alex (2017-12-21). "Riccardo and Tatyana Silva Donate $500,000 to the Bass in Miami". ARTnews. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  34. ↑ "Riccardo & Tatyana Silva Celebrate Bass Museum of Art's New Building Renovation - World Red Eye". World Red Eye. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
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