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The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives".
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Villarreal CF,who finished second to Real Madrid in La Liga, this week confirmed they’ve signed American Jozy Altidore for a record $10m, though he is yet to agree personal terms and undergo a medical. The 18-year-old, who scored 18 goals in 36 starts for the New York Red Bulls, is seen by many as the best player produced by MLS. Source: Sky Sports
Development of MLS Fan-Culture has Negatives
Along with the positive developments in supporter culture in MLS, concern has been expressed in some quarters relating to a growing number of fan incidents at recent games. During a match in Columbus, Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston was pelted with coins, beer cups and batteries while a fan invaded the field during the Galaxy/Toronto FC game in Toronto. Most recently, MLS was forced to release a statement condemning a racist comment aired at game at Crew Stadium. Source: Soccer365
Cooper Expects Investment to be Lined Up by Summer
Chairman of St Louis Soccer United, Jeff Cooper, indicated that St Louis hopes to secure the funding needed to become MLS’s 17th franchise sometime this summer. “We're very close. There are several individuals we've been in contact with about becoming investors and there is some real promise there.” Cooper said. Source: The Alton Telegraph
New American Owners Leave Their Mark
Liverpool Manager Rafael Benítez has been assured that his transfer budget will not be affected by the $66m losses incurred by Americans Tom Hicks' and George Gillett's takeover of the club. The first set of accounts released by Kop Holdings Limited, the company formed to facilitate the purchase of the club in February last year also revealed Gillett and Hicks reclaimed $2.4m in personal expenses and wrote off over $20m when they abandoned the original plans for the new club stadium in favour of their own design. Source: The Guardian
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EURO 2008 Generating Huge Revenues and TV Ratings
The European Championship will generate a record income of about $2b, which is about 50% higher than EURO 2004 generated. Most of the revenue will come from TV deals and sponsorships. According to Uefa, television viewing figures for the first 8 matches of the European Championship have been ‘absolutely extraordinary’, far higher than for EURO 2004. Viewership in countries involved in matches has sometimes exceeded 80% of the market share. Sources: Reuters &Yahoo! Sports
Uefa Eyes End to Free TV Monopoly
British fans may not get to watch EURO 2012 entirely on free-to-air TV. Uefa is challenging the British list of ‘crown jewel’ sporting events — on the grounds that not all 31 games are of national importance, particularly given the 2008 tournament has no British participants. Uefa would still allow future games featuring British home nations to be shown on terrestrial TV, as well as the final and opening games, but BBC and ITV, who have divided this year's match schedule between them, would face competition from pay TV broadcasters Sky and Setanta. Source: BBC
Ukraine Struggles Towards Euro 2012!
The delays in the redevelopment of Kiev’s 80,000 seat Olympic stadium may result in Ukraine losing the right to co-host the event. Taiwanese company Archaisa Design Group won the $300m contract for the work but “…appears incapable of finishing the project and building work in time because of a lack of appropriate materials and building resources” according to Boris Voskresensky, a deputy head of Ukraine's Soccer Federation. UEFA President Michel Platini will visit the country in early July to check on progress. Poland is the co-host. Source: The Guardian
Transfer Market Breaking Records?
Real Madrid are believed to have offered Cristiano Ronaldo a $19m a year salary, equating to nearly $400,000/week after tax, upping the Champions League winners reputed $300,000 a week offer to the Portuguese star. Meanwhile, though United have reported Real to Fifa over their attempts to lure Ronaldo, they themselves have signed 16 year old Davide Petrucci, star of AS Roma’s youth team, for about $400,000, with the player earning about $200,000 in wages. “It is a nightmare” said Il Romanista, a newspaper dedicated to Roma, “Manchester United have dealt us another low blow, stealing Petrucci from under our noses, probably the best product of our youth system. In 3 to 4 years, he will be worth 100 times as much.” Sources: The Daily Telegraph & The Daily Telegraph
EPL Chairman Alleges the League Is Undermining the National Team
EPL chairman Sir David Richards alleged that his own member clubs have damaged the England team by signing too many ‘foreign players’ and not giving 1st-team chances to the graduates from their own academies. He also argued that the EPL should be cut-back to 18 teams to reduce fixture congestion. Richards subsequently claimed that what he had said was not quite what he had meant and the EPL made it clear that his comments ‘do not represent the collective view of the Premier League.’ Source: The Guardian
Former Newcastle Boss Considers Spanish Bid
Former Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd may make an $80m bid to buy Spanish team Real Mallorca. The Spanish club president Vicenc Grande has put his 93% stake up for sale with an asking price of around $60m but has warned that a foreign buyer will have to pay more because he would prefer the club to remain under Spanish control. Source: The Daily Mirror
Italian Fines
Current Serie A champions Inter Milan, 7-times European champions AC Milan, Sampdoria, Genoa, Udinese and Reggina have all been fined for false accounting. The Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (Italian Federation) reported that the fines, ranging from $140,000 to $30,000, were payable by the clubs and some club directors, as a result of financial irregularities between 2003 and 2005. Source: Stuff.co.nz
Former Chelsea Employee Files Suit
Paul Smith, Chelsea FC's former group business affairs director, who was sacked in August after returning from Chelsea's lucrative pre-season US tour, has rejected the $120k offered by the club to settle his unfair dismissal claim. Instead, he is bringing an action to an employment tribunal for loss of pay and bonus under the Wages Act for an estimated $1m. He also plans to sue Chelsea FC in the High Court for breach of contract, perhaps for an additional $1m. The club maintains Smith was made redundant as a result of a management restructuring. It is speculated that Smith’s lawyers may call on Chelsea’s reclusive Russian owner as a witness. Source: The Daily Telegraph
Portuguese FA Suspends 26 Referees
The Portuguese FA have suspended 26 referees, for between 1 and 9 years, as part of the 'Golden Whistle' match-fixing scandal. Last season’s champions Porto were docked 6 points and barred from next season’s Champions League, while Boavista were relegated and handed a $280k fine, and already-relegated Uniao de Leiria were docked 3 points. Source: ESPNsoccernet
Everton’s Stadium Plan Moves Forward
Plans for a new 50,000-seat stadium for Everton, as well as an adjoining Tesco superstore, have been approved by Knowsley council, but the government office may still decide to send the proposal for a public enquiry. Opposition has been led by the Kirkby Residents Action Group, which claims the scheme is too big for the size of the town, and that the combination of the stadium and superstore would cause traffic chaos, especially on match days. Kirkby is about 6 miles north-east of the centre of Liverpool and has a population of about 40,000. Source: BBC
New Investors Sought!
Newly promoted West Bromwich Albion is seeking major new investment in order to compete in the EPL next season. “To be successful a club of our size needs significantly more financial backing” said chairman and majority shareholder Jeremy Peace. “We will listen to any substantive and sensible proposals, which are in the best long-term interests of the club.” Source: BBC
Blades Still Seek Compensation Over Tevez-gate
Sheffield United have taken West Ham to an arbitration hearing before the FA, and are seeking between $60 and $100m in compensation, on the grounds that the Hammers caused their relegation by playing Carlos Tevez, who they claim was ineligible. West Ham contend that they had provided all the relevant information about Tevez to the EPL, who then declared the striker eligible after the Hammers had paid an $11m fine for breaching rules on 3rd-party ownership of players. Source: The Independent
EPL Delays Decision on 39th-Game Proposal
EPL clubs have delayed a final decision on the controversial ‘39th game’ proposal after discussions at their summer meeting. Three clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester United, are fiercely opposed, but the proposal has not been ruled out. Officials are also exploring the possibility of holding pre-season tournaments abroad instead. In a related story, chief executive Richard Scudamore recently met with Mohamed bin Hammam, the influential president of the Asian Football Confederation, in the hope of improving the league's international relations in the wake of the row over the proposal. Sources: BBC & The Guardian
Strasbourg Unveil Ambitious Stadium Plans
Despite being relegated to Ligue 2, Racing Club Strasbourg has announced plans to spend $385m on a new 42,000 capacity stadium. The club have tentatively suggested that the new multi-sports facility could be ready for the start of the 2013-14 season. Source: Goal.com
EURO 2008 Sponsors Move Beyond Product Placement
Not only are sponsors paying up to $29m each for rights to Euro 2008 - about 40% more than 8 years ago - they will likely spend twice that on promotions via ancillary events and exposure. They have moved beyond the ‘one-dimensional’ product placements, putting increased emphasis on online games and promotions as well as providing live experiences at the games or offline promotions to fans across Europe. Source: Spiegel
Website Attracts Record Traffic
Manchester United’s climactic 2007-08 season was reflected in the fact that a record 5.4 million unique users accessed the club’s official website in May. Traffic on the site is currently trebling every 2 years, and this season’s figures were also boosted by the launch of Chinese, Japanese and Korean versions. Source: SportBusiness
* Rest of the World *
Construction Costs for 2010 World Cup Soar
South Africa’s World Cup organising committee chief executive officer Danny Jordaan told Reuters he expected the final cost for the construction and renovation of 10 venues to finish well above the current budget of $1.24b. “It will probably be over 10 billion rand ($1.25b). We are dealing with now with final costs of the stadiums, which are soaring as a result of the downturn in the world economy and rising fuel prices.” Source: ESPNsoccernet
More Countries Consider Hosting Competitions
Oil-rich Qatar, whose bid to host the 2016 Olympics was recently rejected, may now turn their attention to bidding to host the 2018 World Cup. “They are deadly serious about bringing a major event to Qatar and after the Olympics, the World Cup was always next on their list,” said an insider who is close to the Emir. Meanwhile, the possibility of Wales and Scotland submitting a joint bid to host the European Championships in 2016 moved a step closer after Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan confirmed he will discuss the possibility with his Scottish counterpart. Sources: The Guardian & The Daily Post
Ferdinand Makes African Pledge
After completing a 2-day tour of Lagos, Nigeria, Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand pledged to use his status to build an academy and help promote Nigerian soccer. “I want to help attract wealthy business people to put money in all these charities and schemes just to give these kids a chance. With what I have seen, I can help build an academy here that will see the best of Nigerian talent realise their dreams of being a professional footballer.” Source: BBC
Chelsea Schedule Earthquake Relief Match
Chelsea will play the Chengdu Blades from the devastated Sichuan province in a special game July 26th at the Macau national stadium to raise funds for Chinese earthquake relief. The Chengdu Blades are 90% owned by Championship side Sheffield United. Chelsea we also play matches in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical at the Olympic Stadium in Guangzhou as part of an Asian tour. Source: The Sheffield Telegraph
* Comment: The People's Game Should be Televised, for Free *
Uefa, and Fifa, for that matter, may be well within their legal rights to allow pay TV channels to bid for international competitions, but is doing so in the best interest of the game? Pay TV companies such as Sky and Setanta would certainly raise the bidding for the European Championships and the World Cup, with more revenue potentially boosting grassroots development, but exposure of the game could suffer if free to air broadcasters lose matches with the next Ronaldinho, Maradona or Gascoigne might be deprived of the inspirational greatest feasts soccer offers. And many would argue that any extra money will just end up fuelling player wage inflation. A balance must be struck between profits and viewer access.
* The Weekly Brief is published every Friday and delivered free via e-mail to registered users.
Weekly Brief - 2008-05-18
The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives".
*
FC Barcelona will tour the US later this year as part of a 5-year commercial agreement with MLS. No details of the tour were disclosed, but officials of MLS' marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, revealed that the contract also included the soccer league negotiating the club's sponsorship rights and handling the PR and marketing in the US. “If you want to be a global brand, you have to be in the United States” said a club marketing executive. “We want to have a permanent presence here, and maybe that permanent presence will mean a team here someday.” Source: the Toronto Star
Texas Southern
University Offers Help with Dynamo Stadium
Texas Southern
University athletic director Charles McClelland said the university is
interested in investing in the Houston Dynamo’s stadium in exchange for the
rights to use it as a home to Tigers Athletics. The Dynamo, who are still
negotiating with the city of Houston, were quick to point out that any such
stadium would not have a track around it or those football lines soccer fans
can't seem to stand. “We definitely understand the issue and I think we will be
sensitive to it if the deal is done” said Dynamo president Oliver Luck. “We
understand that football lines are something the soccer community isn't really
interested about.” Source: the Houston
Chronicle
AEG Buy Stake
in De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions
AEG, owners of
the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo among other properties, has become the
2nd-largest shareholder in Golden Boy Promotions - behind De La Hoya. Golden
Boy, which was founded by the former Olympic champion in 2001, will use the deal
to put boxing events in many of AEG's arenas, probably starting later this year.
Source: ESPN
ESPN and
Coldplay Strike EURO 2008 Deal
Coldplay and
ESPN have signed a marketing deal that will see Coldplay's music used in
promotions for ESPN's coverage of Euro 2008. ESPN, which has the broadcast
rights for the tournament in the US, Canada, Mexico, South America and India,
will also incorporate music from Coldplay's new release, ‘Viva La Vida,’ due out
12 June, into game and studio production. Source: ESPNsoccernet
*
Accounts released this week by Red Football Joint Venture Ltd show that Manchester United posted a nearly $115m loss in the financial year ending 30 June, 2007. While this figure represents a significant improvement on the $160m loss recorded in the previous year, figures suggest that the club is being adversely affected by the global credit crunch. The club still owes almost $300m to hedge funds, at an annual rate of interest of 14.25%, and it paid off only $80m of the $160m in interest due on their debts last year. The figures also revealed that the club had borrowings of nearly $1.3b, up from less than $1.2b in the previous year, which took the total owed to all creditors to just under $1.5b, including approximately $110m in transfer fee instalments. Source: the Daily Mail
Gunners
Chairman Reverses Stance on American Bidder
Chairman Peter
Hill-Wood softened his stance against American Stan Kroenke eventually
purchasing a controlling interest in Arsenal FC. “Contrary to what I said
before, I now believe he may well have a vital contribution to make to the
future of this football club.” Kroenke, who currently owns a 12% stake, might
soon be invited to join the board. Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has
amassed a 25% stake, but he is seen as a less palatable candidate. Source:
the Daily Telegraph
Hicks
Reportedly Approaches Hedge Funds to End Dispute
Liverpool
co-owner Tom Hicks is seeking help from hedge funds to end his acrimonious
relationship with partner George Gillett. Hicks has approached several hedge
funds about financing his buyout of Gillett, including some that helped finance
fellow American Malcolm Glazer’s purchase of Manchester United in 2005. But,
according to the Daily Telegraph, at least one of those funds has balked at
Hick’s request. “It was turned down because the investment case for Liverpool is
not the same as Manchester United.” Source: FINalternatives
Financial
Figures for Juve Show Improvement
Juventus, which
returned to Serie A this season, announced a net loss of approximately $1.25m in
its 3rd-quarter, significantly less than the $7m loss it reported a year
earlier. The rise is attributed to higher sales of TV rights, which rose to from
$40m to around $59m, and sponsorship sales, which grew from $11.5 to nearly
$16m. The club said that operating results in the three months to March saw
profit of just over $3.5m, down from around $4.2 the previous year, while sales
rose to $84m, up from $60m. Source: SportBusiness.com
EURO 2008
Predicted to Boost Austrian Economy
Austrian
economists estimate that the EURO 2008 will generate $490m, equal to about 0.15%
of annual GDP. In addition, net spending of more than $400m and the creation of
the equivalent of 6,000 jobs are predicted for the duration of the tournament,
which Austria is jointly hosting with Switzerland. Source: Reuters
The Fourth Most
Watched Soccer League
Only being
beaten by the EPL, Germany’s Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga, the English
Football League has announced that the Coca-Cola Championship is the fourth most
watched league in Europe, with an average of over 17,000 visiting games this
past season Source: The
Scotsman
Porto Escape
Severe Punishment in Corruption Scandal
FC Porto was
deducted 6 points Friday for trying to bribe referees in 2 games during the
2003-04 season, but the punishment will not affect its ability to collect a
3rd consecutive title this weekend. Other clubs involved in the
biggest scandal in Portuguese soccer history were not so fortunate. Cross-city
rivals Boavista dropped to the 2nd division and Leiria lost points.
All three clubs denied the charges, but 5 referees also were found guilty and
drew suspensions ranging from 2½ to 6 years. Source: ESPNsoccernet
Relegated Derby
Earn $56m Windfall
Despite the
fact that Derby County secured only 11 points in the worst ever EPL campaign,
they banked around $56m in prize money and TV revenue. All 20 clubs receive an
equal payment of about $26m from the domestic TV package, plus an extra $18m
from the overseas deal. They also receive extra money each time one of their
games is screened live or ‘near live’. This explains why Manchester United,
which had 25 such matches, earned just short of $100m. Source: the Daily
Mail
Wembley Could
Stage 2011 Champions League Final
Wembley Stadium
could stage the 2011 Champions League final after the British Treasury announced
that foreign players involved in the match would be exempt from a law
stipulating that even sportspeople based overseas are liable to pay tax on
earnings from bonuses and endorsements if they appear at UK events. Uefa had
indicated that Wembley would not be given the lucrative game unless the tax was
waived. Source: the Times
Cup Finalists
Turn Down Offer
The major
sponsors of Cardiff City, who play Portsmouth in tomorrow’s FA Cup Final, have
turned down an offer of $1m from an Asian gambling company to buy their
advertising rights for the game. The value of current sponsors CommsDirect’s
2-year deal is believed to be in the order of $0.5m per year – and expires after
the match. Source: SportBusiness.com
* Rest of the World *
UAE Seeks Club
World Championship
The United Arab
Emirates FA wants to stage the 2009 and 2010 Club World Championship, which has
been held in Japan up until now. UAE FA president Mohammed Khalfan al Rumaithi
expressed confidence: “We have sufficient experience of hosting events of this
kind. The most important was the Fifa World Youth Cup in 2003, which according
to the participants and observers was a great success in more than just
organisational terms.” Source: Goal.com
* Comment: ESPN's Coldplay *
The news that
ESPN has struck a partnership with Coldplay could signify an important step
(depending on your musical taste) for US soccer broadcasting. The last 2
European Championships were only available on pay-per-view via Setanta, which
meant that the event passed virtually unnoticed in the US, but ESPN is clearly
committed to promoting it more heavily. Not only did they sign Coldplay, but
they indicated that matches will be shown in HD on ESPN and ESPN2 too. It will
be interesting to see if the network promotes the event during other broadcasts
and whether SportsCenter will show more than goal highlights. Still, it’s
another step forward.
* The Weekly Brief is published every Friday and delivered free via e-mail to registered users.
Weekly Brief - 2008-05-09
The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives".
*
MLS Sees Big Future for Seattle
MLS commissioner Don Garber expressed excitement about the 14,700 season ticket deposits sold by the Seattle Sounders, even though their 1st match will not be until 2009, and suggested that they might emulate the success enjoyed by Toronto FC, who averaged 20,127 fans in its 20,522-seat stadium in 2007. “We're very excited about Seattle. (Part owner) Joe Roth is very passionate about the game, he's very engaged in the team. He's got great ideas and he's deeply involved in strategic areas of the league. I'm anxiously awaiting '09. I think we got lightning in a bottle in the Pacific Northwest. I'm looking forward to the cork coming out of that bottle and the magic coming out.” Source: the Seattle PI
Reports Link Canadian Corp with Sheffield Wednesday Purchase
The Canadian Press reports that Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), which owns most of the major sports franchises in Toronto, may be interested in adding Sheffield Wednesday to its stable. The Championship club announced it is looking for the investment needed to regain promotion to the EPL and last month executives from MLSE met club officials during a fact-finding mission to England. Source: the Canadian Press
Brazil Schedule Friendly in US
For the 2nd consecutive year Brazil will be playing in Foxboro (near Boston), this time against Venezuela as part of an 8 June doubleheader that will also include a match between the New England Revolution and FC Dallas. Last year, an area record 67,584 came to Gillette Stadium to see their team edge Mexico, 3-1. Source: O Journal
Vancouver Sets-up Youth Development Program
The USL’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC, in conjunction with the Delta School District, have set up 2 youth programs focused on education and soccer skill development. The Whitecaps Delta Prospects Academy is for boys in grades 11 and 12, and the Whitecaps Delta School Academy is for boys grades 8 to 10. Both programs will start September 2008, and the partnership will be extended to include a girls’ academy a year later. Source: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Comment: MLS Should Keep Future Stadium Options Open
The news that Seattle, which will not even begin to compete in MLS until next season, has already sold 14,700 season ticket deposits raises an interesting issue. Unlike most MLS franchises, which covet stadiums with capacities of around 20,000 seats, Seattle will play at Qwest Field, a state-of-the-art facility accommodating up to 72,000. Can Seattle do this capacity justice? While this is not necessarily a suitable approach for other franchises, at least for the foreseeable future, it might be wise to consider building stadiums that can be easily expanded. If the Sounders average more than 30,000 per match, MLS may have to reconsider some basic assumptions about its potential.
*
According to accountants Deloitte, promotion to the EPL can be worth up to $120m to a club. The promoted Championship teams who win a place get $60m from TV rights, as well as $10m from extra sponsorship and merchandising deals each season. Even those who are relegated after 1 season receive $47m over the next 2 years. By comparison, participation in the Champions League can net clubs from England around $60m. Source: Sky News
European Parliament Rejects Blatter’s ‘6+5 Proposal’
The European Parliament this week called on governments and sports associations to block Fifa plans aimed at promoting the use of home-grown players because it would discriminate against players on the basis of their nationality. The EP's vote came just 1 day after Fifa president Sepp Blatter said he did not foresee a conflict with the European Union over his plans to force professional clubs to field at least 6 players from the club's nation and no more than 5 foreigners. Source: International Herald Tribune
Liverpool Gets Green Light for New Stadium, but Everton Face Problems
The city council has given Liverpool the go-ahead to build their redesigned $780m stadium in Stanley Park. The new ground will initially hold 60,000 fans but further applications to add seats may up the capacity to 76,000. Meanwhile, plans for Everton’s new stadium in Kirkby could be ‘killed off’ if the scheme is called in for a public inquiry, which could come on the heels of Sefton council’s planning committee’s formal objection to the plan. Any substantial delay might be fatal because the money assembled for this scheme, both by Everton and Tesco, will not be available indefinitely. Sources: the Daily Mail and icLiverpool
Scudamore Worried Europe Suffers from ‘EPL-Envy’
EPL chief executive Richard Scudamore claimed that the rest of Europe may take ill-advised steps to weaken the English league: “Another worry is European colleagues in other leagues getting jealous or envious. I'm sure the legislators and regulators in Europe would like to see us levelled down or dumbed down. We would never say to the French that we like their wine but can't make it as good. Would you mind making yours worse so ours can compete? It's the same the other way around.” Source: TeamTalk
Russia Waves Visa Requirement for Champions League Final
UEFA president Michel Platini successfully petitioned Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow all fans travelling to the Champions League final in Moscow on May 21 to use their match tickets as visas. The tickets will be valid as visas for a 72-hour period between May 19 and 23, and must be kept after the match to be shown on leaving the country. Meanwhile, Russia has alleged that Zenit St Petersburg supporters, hoping to travel to the Uefa Cup final at the City of Manchester stadium on 14 May, were being held up by the insistence that they undergo a biometric test and personal interviews. Source: CNN and the Independent
Spurs on Verge of New Stadium?
Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly close to confirming plans for a new 50,000-capacity stadium to be built next to White Hart Lane. According to Sportsmail, work will start before the end of the year and the $585m project bears ‘more than a passing resemblance to Arsenal's Emirates home.’ Source: Goal.com
More Funding for Football Foundation
The Football Foundation, a partnership among the EPL, the Football Association and British government, announced that it will invest $260m in grass roots sport over a 3-year period. Since it was launched in July of 2000, the Foundation has invested in over 5,000 projects worth $1.25b, with the goal being to rebuild the infrastructure of community sports facilities across the country. Source: the Premier League
Consortium to Bid for Southampton?
A source has told BBC Radio Solent that, after several months of discussions, a consortium led by barrister Jonathan Fulthorpe is close to tabling a full offer for Southampton's parent company. If the bid stalls, former Saints chairmen Michael Wilde and Rupert Lowe are poised to take control of the club ahead of a planned Extraordinary General Meeting on 16 May. Source: BBC
MP Pushes for Alcohol Ban
A ban on alcohol advertising at sporting events is being demanded by a Labour MP Dr. Howard Stoate in an attempt to tackle binge drinking among young people. “Watch any top-flight football match these days on television and you'll see dozens of references to alcohol products. You see drinks firms' logos on team shirts, drinks commercials at half-time and bottles of champagne for the 'man of the match'– the list is endless. We need a more radical measure that will prevent alcohol companies from associating themselves with the excitement and glamour of professional sport and using it to boost their sales among the young in particular.” Both Merseyside teams, Liverpool and Everton, currently have brewers as their main club sponsor. Source: the Independent
* Rest of the World *
Hyundai Extends Partnership in Australia
Football Federation Australia (FFA) and Hyundai Motor Company Australia announced that the naming rights partnership of the Hyundai A-League football competition will continue for an additional 4 years to the end of the 2011-2012 season. The S Korean conglomerate also sponsored the Hyundai Club Challenge last November that saw an Australian record crowd (for a match between club teams) of 80,295 watch Sydney FC face LA Galaxy at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Source: Hyundai official website
German Government Funds Liberia Tour
The German government will pay $75k to fund Liberia's 2-week training tour of the European country later this month, as part of the Lone Star’s preparation for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in June. “We feel a special commitment to football in Africa and this is part of our assistance to the continent's preparation for the 2010 World Cup,” explained German ambassador to Liberia, “moreover, many Germans like African football because players from the continent play with passion and fun.” Source: BBC
* The Weekly Brief is published every Friday and delivered free via e-mail to registered users.
Weekly Brief - 2008-04-25
The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives".
*
German Club Announces US Tour
In the wake of a marketing and cooperation agreement between the Bundesliga and MLS that was reached 13 months ago, Borussia Moenchengladbach, which leads Germany's 2nd division by 6 points with 5 games left, will play exhibition games at FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids in July during a 10-day preseason training camp in the United States. Source: Sports Illustrated
EC Clears US Company’s 30% Purchase Of PSG
The European Commission said it has cleared US-based private equity group Colony Capital's proposed acquisition of a 30% stake in Paris Saint-Germain's holding company Colfilm. The purchase was cleared under the EU's ‘simplified’ merger review procedure for cases the commission believes do not pose competition concerns. Source: Forbes
WPS Owner Tries To Work Around Media Apathy
Peter Wilt, the 1st president and general manager of the MLS’s Chicago Fire and currently the CEO of Chicago’s Women’s Professional Soccer’s franchise, which will begin play in 2009, argued that American teams should make extensive use of the internet and blogs to keep fans informed: “Soccer in general, and women’s soccer in particular, still doesn’t generate the amount of traditional media coverage that allows other major league teams to inform their fan base so easily. We will need to be proactive to keep our fans informed and engaged. That is the motivation behind my blog. I believe the transparency of our organization through my posts gives our fans, and potential fans, a clear window into our team, clarifies misunderstandings, explains important (and not so important) decisions. This helps connect fans emotionally and helps them care more about the team. Source: Soccer Science
US Soccer Development Academy Receives Assessment
The Associated Press’s David Mercer wrote a lengthy piece examining the strengths and weaknesses of the evolving American youth system, focusing on the US Soccer Development Academy programs set up over the past year by the USSF to train the 2,500 or so American players. John Hackworth, technical director of the national academies, wants to bridge the vast gap between the kind of training US players receive and the no-nonsense grooming players get elsewhere. He claimed American players lack technical expertise and tend to develop bad habits playing for club teams that often emphasize winning over developing skills and games over practice. However, former Liverpool player Steve Nicol, who now coaches the New England Revolution, warned against too much practice: “You can have all this organization. The one thing you have to make sure when the players come into it, whether it's 2 days a week or it's 7 days week, is that the players enjoy it." Source: the Charlotte News & Observer
*
Report: Wembley Suffers Large 1st Year Losses
According to the Guardian, next month Wembley National Stadium Limited is expected to declare losses of more than $40m for its 1st year of operation, with a pre-tax deficit closer to $80m. The board is also expected to receive an update on refinancing negotiations with a consortium of banks, led by WestLB and Barclays, which will see the interest on the stadium's outstanding loan of $685m reduce from 8% to 7%. Sources claim the loss is a result of increased start-up costs in the 1st year of operation, the rush to be open in time for the FA Cup final last year, as well as increased security, stewarding and staffing costs. Source: The Guardian
England FA Moves Forward With World Cup Bid
According to a 63-page report given to FA board members, England's bid for the 2018 World Cup will focus on producing “a legacy which enriches the opportunities for football to flourish in all parts of the world,” and cost an estimated $30m. The board will now start the hunt for a chairman and chief executive and will set up a bid company similar to the one that achieved success with the London 2012 Olympics. Source: ESPNsoccernet
May Day Beckons For Leeds
The arbitration hearing into Leeds United's 15-point penalty has confirmed will be decided by 1 May, before the final game of the season, in order to avoid the complication a delay could cause with the League One play-offs. The Football League docked Leeds 15 points for going into administration (bankruptcy), but the club maintains that the sanction was unlawful. Source: BBC
MPs To Investigate Power Struggle At Liverpool
The All Party Parliamentary Football Group is to launch a new inquiry into the governance of English soccer, and the ownership crisis at Liverpool is one of the areas it will target. Alan Keen MP, chairman of the group, said, “English club football is enjoying great success in Europe at the moment. Yet many questions remain about the standard of corporate governance and whether it is best equipped to deal, at every level, with the long-term challenges of the game's future. This is the focus of the group's new inquiry. The group will examine case studies on governance, including Liverpool FC where the role of the owners has raised significant public concerns and overshadowed achievements on the field.” Source: ESPNsoccernet
Berlusconi Supports Possible Roma Takeover
The recently re-elected Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi announced that he is stepping down as president of AC Milan, and also that he has cleared the way for George Soros to mount a takeover of Roma. "Roma fans want a winning team, so if someone comes in who can put in the resources to build a winning team who will be protagonists in Italy and Europe, they will be enthusiastic and I hope things develop as they want them to. I don't see how I could get in the way of something like this." Source: The Guardian
England-Scotland Discussions Revived
Scottish FA chief executive Gordon Smith said that discussions about reviving internationals between England and Scotland are at an advanced stage. “I've had discussions with Brian Barwick about resurrecting the Scotland v England games and it's definitely back on. It might be 2010 before we get a game. The idea would be to establish some sort of relationship for one-off games or even have them biannually.” Source: ESPNsoccernet
Rotherham Takeover Candidate Withdraws Bid
A billionaire Russian businessman has withdrawn his offer to buy League 2 Rotherham due to failure to agree a deal to lease Millmoor. The bid was 1 of the 2 shortlisted, out of 5 received, for preferred bidder status by administrator Jeremy Bleazard. Source: BBC
Portsmouth To Submit Plans For New Training Ground
Portsmouth are to submit plans for a new 35-acre training ground in Gosport, which will cost $16m and be ready for the 2009/10 season. It will include 10 full-size pitches, with 2 set aside for use by the community, an indoor pitch available to local schools and a dedicated goalkeeping area. Source: BBC
Rovers Deny Takeover Rumours
Reports have surfaced that Chris Ronnie, the chief executive of JJB Sports, has put together a team of foreign and domestic investors, to negotiate with Blackburn Rovers about a possible $50m buy-out. But, while a well-placed Rovers source confirmed the trustees' advisers, Rothschild, ARE still in active talks with a number of parties in regard to a possible takeover, those discussions have not involved Ronnie. Source: The Citizen
Unnamed Club Sought Genetic Testing
According to Aberdeen University's Dr Henning Wackerhage, for the 1st known time an unnamed football club have approached a leading sports scientist in an effort to apply genetic research to their players. The club wanted to discern through a genetic test whether players had been born with the ACTN3 gene that is common to all top-class sprinters. Wackerhage refused to carry out the test, which is commercially available in Australia, and informed them that the World Anti-Doping Agency’s ethical stance against such testing should be binding. "My advice was that there are questions of legality, with an employer doing genetic tests on its employees," said Wackerhage, who also expressed concerns about maintaining confidentiality. Separately, after a series of tragedies in which players suffered heart failure during matches, Uefa has ordered every international player taking part in the European Championship in June to undergo cardiac screening and now hopes to extend the policy to club level. Sources: The Guardian and Fox Sports
* Comment: Blatter's Determination *
Given that genetic testing is already commercially available, it is a matter of time before clubs make extensive use of it. Some may have done so already. However unethical, the focus will likely be on testing children rather than adults. Clubs may be inclined to spend their resources developing top-class sprinters at the expense of those who lack that yard of pace. This may not be good for the evolution of soccer. There is an increasing emphasis on speed, work-rate, physical challenges and organization, all of which tend towards defensive caution. The powers that be should ask whether this in the best interest of the sport—aesthetically or commercially. Do we want to make it more or less impossible for a player like the Argentine Juan Roman Riquelme—consummately skilled and adroit but slow—to prosper?
* The Weekly Brief is published every Friday and delivered free via e-mail to registered users.
Weekly Brief - 2008-04-18
The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives".
*
Impasse between Dynamo and Houston Goes Public
Houston mayor Bill White complained that one of the Houston Dynamo’s owners recently showed him a letter from MLS commissioner Don Garber hinting at the possibility of moving the team if a stadium deal is not reached with the city soon. During a subsequent news conference, team officials said the price tag on a new stadium had climbed to $105m, up from the $80 to $90m previously estimated, which could make it even harder for both sides to come to an agreement. In a related story, Colorado-based ICON Venue Group began interviewing 5 architectural firms that submitted bids to design the stadium. Sources: the Houston Chronicle; the Houston Business Journal
San Jose Reach Tentative Agreement for New Stadium
Terms of the deal must still be formally approved by the city council next month, but the city of San Jose and the Earthquakes have agreed to a $132m deal that sets the stage for a stadium near the airport as early as 2010. Owner Leo Wolff and his partners would pay $132m for 66 acres of the former FMC manufacturing plant. Of that, about 18 acres will be set aside for the 18,000-seat stadium. Source: the San Jose Mercury News
MLS Increasingly Connected to Argentina
18 Argentines are now playing in MLS and more are in the pipeline as part of a Latin infusion into the league. Part of the reason is that Argentines speak Spanish, which allows them to assimilate more easily than Brazilians, but MLS’s connection with a player agent named Alejandro Taraciuk, who worked with the league before returning to his home in Buenos Aires, has also been a factor. Source: the Sun-Sentinel
Huge Crowd Attends friendly In Seattle
The 4th-largest crowd in Seattle soccer history, 56,416, ‘showed up ready for fun’ on Wednesday at Qwest Field to watch Mexico beat China 1-0. The only bigger soccer crowds turned out for Real Madrid v D.C. United in 2006, Manchester United v Celtic in 2003, and the Seattle Sounders v New York Cosmos NASL match in the Kingdome in 1976. Source: the Olympian
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Blatter will Press for Foreign Player Quota Plan
Fifa president Sepp Blatter is pressing on with plans to implement a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ to limit the number of foreign players in the starting XI at clubs to 5, despite Uefa and the European Union’s insistence that the plan violates laws on free movement of labour and could lead to widespread legal action. Blatter would need 75% of the 208 member associations to vote in favour of his proposal at a congress in Sydney in May. Source: the BBC
Leeds Go to Court to Overturn Penalty
Leeds United started their court challenge against the 15-point penalty imposed on the club for entering ‘administration’ (UK chapter 11 equivalent) on the grounds that the Coca-Cola League One acted outside its jurisdiction by docking the points at the start of this season. If the sanction is overturned, Leeds would be thrust into the 2nd automatic promotion place at the expense of Carlisle United with 3 matches left this season. Source: The Times
EPL Goes to Court Over Foreign Satellite Feeds
The EPL filed suit in the high court in order to stop companies supplying equipment that enables British viewers to receive games via a foreign broadcaster rather than BSkyB. QC Leisure and AV Station, which stand accused of supplying domestic decoding cards from Greece and North Africa, claim European law allows the free movement of goods throughout the community and if the cards are available on the market then they can be sold anywhere within the EU. Source: The Guardian
Four Nations Tournament will Begin in 2011
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland- but not England - are set to play in a Four Nations Tournament beginning 2011. The annual tournament will be hosted by a single country and rotate among the nations, with 2 matches being played on each match-day. Source: The Times
Poland Struggling to Prepare for EURO 2012
Ukraine’s preparation to host EURO 2012 is proceeding well, but Poland’s effort has been beset with problems. The entire governing board of the Polish Football Federation have announced that they will resign because of a corruption and match-fixing scandal; Poland and Uefa have not even settled on which 4 venues will be used; construction of the 65,000 seat stadium in Warsaw has not begun; and the government has agreed to pay 1/3 of the costs towards the stadia in Wroclaw, Gdansk and Poznan (assuming they will be the venues), but the sources for the remaining funding are unclear. Source: The Guardian
Bournemouth’s Takeover Bid Collapses
AFC Bournemouth's administrator Gerald Krasner has revealed that preferred bidders EU UK Ltd have withdrawn their bid to buy the League One club. Krasner told BBC Radio Solent: “The bidder was due to lodge the money by 1700 BST today (Monday) which they haven't. Over the weekend they asked for an extension - I said if they lodged the money even if it was to their order, and released me enough to do some funding, they could have the extension until 22 April. They seemed to be upset at this and have withdrawn their offer.” Source: the BBC
Benitez Still Committed to Liverpool
As the ownership saga at Liverpool rumbles on, manager Rafael Benitez cast doubts about his long-term future after a row over exactly who attended meetings before Christmas with prospective replacement Jurgen Klinsmann, yet Benitez said “At this moment I have 2 years of my contract still to go, I am really pleased and really happy here. And I want to stay. And I want to stay for a long time.” Source: ESPNsoccernet
FA Schedules Meeting with Foreign Owners
FA chairman Lord Triesman will meet with overseas owners of EPL clubs, and their managers, to encourage them to invest more in youth development and also guarantee that players are released for England duty. Source: The Telegraph
FA Back Cardiff for Uefa Cup
Under current Football Association rules, Cardiff City would not qualify for the Uefa Cup even if they beat Portsmouth in the FA Cup Final next month, as Welsh clubs can only qualify through their own competitions. But the FA's professional game board voted to approve their entry at a meeting, with their recommendation expected to be approved by the FA's executive board and subsequently Uefa. (The 3 largest Welsh clubs –Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham - all play in the English League system) Source: The Independent
English Players Lead Man City to FA Youth Cup Triumph
Manchester City secured their 1st FA Youth Cup since 1986 completing 4-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea this week. Only 9 of the 22 players who started are eligible to play for England, and 8 of those 9 lined-up for City. It was also revealed that City’s Youth Academy had cost £20m to run since 1998, but had made the club over $65m from the sale of players. Source: The Telegraph
EPL Clubs to Adopt Rovers’ Business Training Program
Blackburn Rovers' football business training scheme, which teaches 13 and 14-year-olds about business planning and finance of a football club, has proved so successful that it will be extended across the country and adopted by all EPL clubs. Source: Lancashire Evening Telegraph
Big Guns head East
For the 1st time since Roman Abramovich’s purchase, Chelsea will travel to Russia to compete against Lokomotiv Moscow, AC Milan and Sevilla in a cup knockout tournament in August. Chelsea will also play pre-season matches in Guangzhou, China and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July. Manchester City and Juventus announced that they will travel to Hong Kong to face 2 teams from South China in the summer also. Sources: CNN and the Press Association
Irish Property Developer Buys 50% of Livingston
Irish property developer Anthony McMullen, who was recently linked with financially troubled SPL side Gretna, has purchased a 50% stake in Scottish First Division club Livingston. The McMullen Group will invest about $4m over the next 3 years, adding to an investment from West Lothian businessman Ged Nixon. Source: the BBC
* Comment: Blatter's Determination *
Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s determination to push for foreign player quotas is almost certain to lead to a protracted political and legal battle. He may be able to garner the necessary 75% of the 208 votes at the Fifa congress in May, but he will struggle to gain the support of the major clubs, the major domestic leagues, and he has already lost the support of Uefa president Michel Platini, normally a staunch ally. Platini has shared Blatter’s belief that soccer needs to ‘return to its roots’, but seems to have conceded that EU regulations are insurmountable and that a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ is unworkable.* The Weekly Brief is published every Friday and delivered free via e-mail to registered users.
Weekly Brief - 2008-04-11
The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives".
*
Players Pay Figures Released
Figures released by the MLS Players Union revealed that, while the league does feature 5 players who earn more than $1m, the vast majority of players earn minimal salaries. More than 40 senior roster players earn the $33k minimum, while about 70 players earn less than $20k per season as ‘developmental players’. Commissioner Don Garber indicated that paying players more money is a priority, especially since so many Americans are moving abroad, but cautioned: “The league is doing better, but don't forget that there has been massive amounts of money invested in this league to get to this point. One good year does not a future make. We've got to ensure that we've got a good year this year and ensure that some of the teams we have that have struggled at the gate are able to pick it up.” Source: PE.com
Seattle Fans Sound Off!
After drawing 82% of fans votes, Seattle's fledgling MLS franchise announced that its team name would be Seattle Sounders FC, rather than one of the other ‘finalists’; Seattle Alliance, Seattle Republic and Seattle FC. In 1973, fans also voted to name the original NASL team the Sounders. Source: Seattle PI
Becks Tops Players Earnings List
According to France Football magazine, David Beckham is once again soccer's highest-paid player, with earnings from salary and endorsements totalling $49m. That figure, which represents an 82% increase over what he earned the previous year, lifted him above Barcelona's Ronaldinho, whose income was unchanged at $38m. Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo rose to third and fourth, with incomes of $36m and $31m respectively. Jose Mourinho was the top-paid coach ($46m), followed by Fabio Capello ($22m) and Alex Ferguson ($12m). Source: The Independent
Garber Applauds Travelling Supporters
MLS commissioner Don Garber expressed his delight about the fact that over 2,000 Toronto FC fans travelled to the club’s recent season opener in Columbus, Ohio. “It is absolutely incredible up there. We knew it would happen eventually, but we never expected a situation like Toronto. That is not something we thought would happen in this (league). There is a new energy in some of these new franchises and hopefully that can take some of these teams who have been struggling for a while and show them new ways of doing things. It is not just because the market is a soccer market. They are doing things differently, and it is something we are really looking into.” Source: Yahoo! Sports
USL-1 Kicks Off!
The USL-1 season starts this weekend with several notable changes in the teams lining-up. The California Victory folded after just one season when Spanish parent club Deportivo Alaves withdrew its support. The Seattle Sounders will play their last season in the league after MLS awarded the city a franchise. And although the Rochester Rhinos averaged between 10,000 and11,000 fans during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the club was threatened with insolvency until new owner Rob Clark emerged. Source: ESPNsoccernet
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English FA Seeks Crackdown on Dangerous Tackles
The English FA may propose banning players who launch into dangerous challenges by up to 6 matches and also plans to approach Fifa to remove a restriction that prevents the sanctioning of players who escape red cards for violent conduct. The two clean-up measures will be discussed at a summer review of the FA's penal procedures, along with a move to clear players who incur wrongful yellow cards. The Guardian reports that this is a part of ‘a new resolve within the English game to challenge Fifa president Sepp Blatter's edict that ‘a game cannot be refereed twice’’. Source: The Guardian
Soros Stalks AS Roma?
Despite losing this week to Manchester United in the Uefa Champions League, there is mounting speculation that billionaire financier George Soros is considering a takeover of the Italian giants AS Roma. The controlling Sensi family have denied that they are looking to sell the club but the parent company is known to have accumulated debt approaching $600m so may be forced into a sale. Source: Reuters
Birmingham Execs Arrested in Corruption Probe
Trading in shares of Birmingham City’s was temporarily suspended on Thursday morning after managing director Karren Brady and co-owner David Sullivan were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting. “We answered every single question they put to us,” Sullivan said. “We have absolutely nothing to hide. We have done nothing wrong, and we think in due course this will be proven.” The club also released an official statement: “The City of London Police investigation is focusing on payments to a football agent and two players dating back to 2002/2003.There is absolutely no allegation that any director of the company or the club itself has benefited financially from any of this activity.” Source: ESPNsoccernet
Gillett Defends Parry Against Hicks
Liverpool co-owner George Gillett publicly backed chief executive Rick Parry after partner Tom Hicks sent Parry a letter demanding he ends his tenure at the club. “Rick Parry retains our full support. Any decision to remove him would need the approval of the full Liverpool board which, it should be remembered, consists of 6 people – myself, Foster, David Moores, Rick himself, Tom Hicks and Tom junior. Parry was appointed Liverpool chief executive at Liverpool in July 1998, having held a similar position at the EPL since 1992. Source: the Liverpool Echo
Derby go Dutch
Though bottom of the EPL, Derby County today announced a link-up with Dutch Eredivisie team FC Utrecht. The club’s pre-seaosn tour will now be to Holland as opposed to the U.S, where the club’s owners are based. Source: Derby Evening Telegraph
German and Spanish Leagues Support39th Game Plan
The EPL’s controversial 39th game concept was backed by leading officials from the Spanish and German leagues this week. Speaking at Soccerex, Francisco Roca Perez, CEO of the Spanish league, said: “I was really surprised by the reaction and many of the criticisms were misunderstandings of what the objectives are. I think this first step has reached a mass opposition but eventually it will become normal as this league and these teams are so well liked all over the world.” Tom Bender, director of marketing for the Bundesliga, added, “I think it was very good example of how a good idea can be ruined in 3 seconds. It was not sold very well. I think it's a great idea, commercially fantastic, but the repercussion was tremendous and they (the EPL) did not fight back.” Source: the International Herald Tribune
Setanta Calls Off Possible Sale
After potential buyers balked at the prospective $2b asking price Setanta Sports, which broadcasts EPL and Scottish PL matches, has abandoned plans to sell itself. Existing shareholders, which include Balderton Capital, Doughty Hanson and Goldman Sachs may be asked for more funds to secure additional sports rights, and some analysts estimate that the company may need another $300m to break-even. Source: The Times
Ajax Extends Sponsorship
Ajax and adidas have agreed to extend their technical supplier deal until July 2019. This contract earns Ajax $110m over 10 years which can be increased by a performance-related bonus. Source: footballshirts.co.uk
Stan Kroenke Buys Arsenal Broadband Stake
American tycoon Stan Kroenke, who already owns 9.9% of Arsenal, has agreed to buy broadcaster ITV's 50% share in Arsenal Broadband, the operator of the side's website, in a deal worth $45m. ITV has now received a total of $130m for its interests in Arsenal. ITV will pay the north London club $2m for certain rights, while the broadcaster will cease to be the commercial agent for Arsenal and will no longer represent the licensing activities at Arsenal. Source: The Daily Telegraph
Milan Star Seeks ‘Investments for His Country’
AC Milan star Kakha Kaladze and 2 former members of the Georgian government, including a former Prime Minister, announced plans to raise $1.5b to invest in projects ranging from property development to hydropower in their country. Situated in eastern Europe, Georgia has seen economic growth averaging 9.3% a year since 2004. Source: Bloomberg
New Owners for Bournemouth
Marc Jackson’s consortium was declared victorious in the race to buy financially troubled AFC Bournemouth and he has until Monday to deposit the money. Jackson originally appeared to have lost out to the rival bid fronted by Cherries chairman Jeff Mostyn, but reports claim that administrators Begbies Traynor let his bid lapse because further financial clarification was needed. Source: the Dorset Daily Echo
Spurs Still Mulling Over Expansion Options
Tottenham Hotspur are exploring the possibility of building a new 55,000 seat stadium on the Wingate estate adjacent to White Hart Lane, but the global credit crunch has made fundraising for major capital projects difficult. The club's other option is to expand White Hart Lane, which presently holdd 36,310 fans, but expansion plans are complicated because the ground is boxed-in on all sides. An announcement is expected by the club this summer. Source: the Guardian
Millwall Board Refuse Meeting Call
League 1 club Millwall's board have rejected a call for an Extraordinary General Meeting by their largest single shareholder. Graham Ferguson Lacey, who owns a 28.9% stake in the club, wants shareholders to have a greater say in the board's plans to regenerate their New Den stadium. “We are involved in a range of discussions with regeneration plans for the area and when we look to form different views and decide on our approach these resolutions seem to suggest that we would have to go and consult shareholders,” said Lions chief executive Heather Rabbatts. “The reason we have a board is to enable the board to carry out the strategy on behalf of all the shareholders and in the best interests of the company.” Source: BBC
* The Rest of the World *
Fifa Evaluate Win in India PlanA delegation from India, headed by the President of the All India Football Federation, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, met with FIFA president Sepp Blatter and other officials to discuss FIFA's Win in India with India initiative, one year after its launch on 14 April 2007. It was decided that the program ‘would concentrate on developing Indian football at elite level, namely the top 2 divisions in India. The initiative will most notably focus on helping to develop infrastructure for clubs and on providing support in management and club licensing. The initiative will also support the development of national teams, particularly with regard to infrastructure. Training coaches, referees and technical directors will be another cornerstone of the initiative.’. Source: Noticias Info
Argentina Still Top!
Argentina retained their narrow lead over Brazil in the most recent Fifa world rankings. A 2-0 friendly win over Egypt last month helped Argentina hold the top spot for the 7th consecutive month, though Brazil narrowed the gap with a 1-0 victory against higher-ranked Sweden. There was no movement among the top 7, but Greece climbed above Portugal into 8th after beating Luiz Felipe Scolari's men 2-1. England remains 11th and the U.S rose to 21st. Source: The Guardian
* The Weekly Brief is published every Friday and delivered free via e-mail to registered users.
Weekly Brief - 2008-04-04
4The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives".
*
Real Salt Lake Secure Stadium Sponsorships
Real Salt Lake has agreed long-term ‘founding partner’ sponsorship deals with 5 companies for its soon-to-be opened stadium in Sandy, Utah. The deals are estimated to be worth more than $3m per year over the next 5 years. The companies (America First Credit Union, Anheuser-Busch, FIJI Water, Pepsi-Cola and Sony Electronics) will receive prominent display of their logos and advertising throughout the stadium, as well as use of their products. Source: the Deseret Morning News
West Ham to Play MLS All-Star Team
EPL side West Ham United will face the MLS All-Stars in the 2008 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game at Toronto FC’s BMO Field on July 24. The MLS All-Star team has won all 4 previous All-Star Games against international opponents. Source: ussoccerplayers.com
MLS Match Draws Droves of Visiting Supporters
In what is believed to be a record, last weekend some 2,300 Toronto fans, wearing the team ‘colours’ filled an entire stand behind one of the goals at Crew Stadium. The vocal support of the travelling fans also led the home supporters to, as one report put it, ‘crank up the volume.’ The Crew won the match 2-0. Source: ESPNsoccernet
Blanco Signs with Best Buy
Best Buy announced an exclusive agreement with Cuauhtémoc Blanco, making the Chicago Fire Soccer and Mexico star the first ever brand ambassador for North America’s largest consumer electronics retailer. He will work with Best Buy in the U.S as the brand ambassador for the company’s new Hispanic shopping experience and work closely with Best Buy’s 45 Chicagoland stores to encourage learning through technology among young people. Source: Hispanic Tips
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FA to Investigate Match-Fixing Allegation
The English FA will investigate a newspaper report that a player with a serious gambling debt accepted a $100k bribe to fix a match played in Britain within the last 2 years by getting himself sent-off and persuading 3 teammates to get booked. Source: The Times
Porto Accused ff Match-Fixing
FC Porto face possible demotion to the 2nd division and a heavy fine after they were formally accused by the Portuguese league (LPFP) of match-fixing 2 games during the 2003-4 season. A source said the allegations ‘referred to possible corruption of referees’ but there was no mention of in the report of Jose Mourinho, who guided the club to triumphs in both the domestic league and Champions League that season. Source: The Daily Telegraph
AFC Bournemouth on the Verge of Extinction
Administrator Gerald Krasner confirmed that Bournemouth, who are $8m in debt, are facing possible extinction after the collapse of a $2m deal by a consortium led by chairman Jeff Mostyn to buy the Cherries. “If people in the area do not wish to support the football club by making a bid, one of the options is to close the club down” said Krasner. Source: BBC
Becks Helps Cause Real Madrid Cash Crisis
According to Spanish newspaper reports, Real Madrid has been forced to take out a loan of $49m to cover day-to-day costs, in part because of David Beckham's departure. Beckham's transfer to the LA Galaxy is estimated to have cost Real between $57m and $75m in annual revenue. Officials would not confirm any part of this story, but reports also claim that club directors have been asked to raise more money because the amount provided by La Caixa bank might not be sufficient. Source: The Independent
English FA Plans Crackdown On Religious Abuse By Fans
English football clubs could be docked points from their league campaigns as part of a new zero-tolerance policy against fans who engage in anti-Semitic or Islamophobic abuse. The FA is also thinking about forcing them to play behind closed doors in extreme cases. Lucy Faulkner, equality manager at the FA, said: “We now have a 5-point action plan that will look at how stewards manage incidents, the way grounds are policed, how the FA monitors incidents, strengthening reporting mechanisms and the role of referees.” Source: The Guardian
French League Launches Investigation into Racial Incident
The French football league (LFP) has launched an inquiry after Paris St Germain supporters unfolded a racist banner during the French League Cup final against Lens at the Stade de France last Saturday. “A great party about football, fraternity and solidarity in the fight against racism was partly spoiled by a handful of idiots full of hatred” said LFP president Frederic Thiriez. Source: The Guardian
Chelsea Offer Fans Free Away Tickets
Chelsea are giving 2,900 free tickets to their fans and also plan to pay for train or bus tickets, for this month's away match at Everton because the match has been moved back 2 days to accommodate TV broadcast. “We've continued to make very strong representations for the date of the Everton away game to be changed” the club said in a statement. “This now seems unlikely. Under these circumstances, Chelsea believes it would be inappropriate to profit from the television fee for this match as per normal.” Source: ESPNsocernet
Ronaldo…the 8th Best Paid Player
According to new figures published in a blog called Iain Dale's Diary, Christiano Ronaldo is currently only the 8th highest paid player, making $245k per week, or $12.7m per year. AC Milan's Kaka tops the list at $285k per week, or just under $15m a year. Source: The Daily Telegraph
President Labels English Clubs ‘Pirates’
Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini attacked English clubs calling them ‘pirates’ due to their practice of poaching Italy’s best youngsters. “They are like pirates taking treasure. It’s a shame that they opt for the youngsters when they have the means to buy them when they are fully developed.” Chelsea recently snapped up Reggina’s 15-year-old prospect Vincenzo Camilleri and Atalanta’s Fabio Zamblera, while a few years back Parma-duo Giuseppe Rossi and Arturo Lupoli were signed by Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. Source: Goal.com
Rotherham Takeover Talks Progressing, Slowly
Although several different parties have expressed an interest taking over League Two side Rotherham United, some of the 8 candidates have already been discounted for failing to meet the criteria set down by the Administrator Jeremy Bleazard. Discussions with the remaining candidates are at an ‘early, informal stage’. Source: BBC
Reports Claim Southampton Will Settle for Early Walcott Payment
Championship strugglers Southampton refused to confirm reports claiming that, in order to ease immediate financial problems, they have accepted an early payment from Arsenal for Theo Walcott. Walcott moved to Arsenal in January 2006 for an initial $10m fee, which could rise to $24m based upon his progress, but the Saints have allegedly accepted a total payment of $18m for the England striker. The club has reduced its financial losses but still face an uncertain future, according to their latest half-year report. In the 6 months ending 31 December 2007, Saints' loss after tax was $1.4m, with a drop in revenue of more than $10m. Source: The Independent
* The Rest of the World *
Concerns over South Africa 2010 Grow
FIFA has been forced to build an $800m contingency fund in case the 2010 World Cup collapses, and insurers are holding-off on a decision to provide coverage for the event in South Africa amid fears about security, transport infrastructure, the local political climate, and most glaringly the lack of progress in stadium construction. While FIFA is prepared to cover its commercial obligations for the 2010 tournament, future bids must provide evidence of adequate insurance support. Source: The Guardian
Spurs Consider Playing Friendly in India
Tottenham Hotspur could become the first English team to play a friendly match in India after holding discussions about a game against Kingfisher East Bengal in Kolkata on May 18, but their financial demands of about $1.3m could be a stumbling block. East Bengal director Amit Sen said that United Breweries, the club sponsor, is interested but needs to be persuaded of its worth, adding that a club such as Tottenham would ordinarily be paid about half that sum to play an exhibition match in South-East Asia. Meanwhile, Subhankar Mondal reports in Goal.com that ‘soccermania’ is sweeping through India. Few hard facts are provided, but Mondal uses a series of anecdotes to argue that Indians, especially younger ones, regularly watch European matches and play soccer instead of cricket. Source: The Times & Goal.com
* The Weekly Brief is published every Friday and delivered free via e-mail to registered users.
Weekly Brief - 2008-03-30
The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives".
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MLS Commissioner Sees More Expansion, with St. Louis Probably Next
MLS Commissioner Don Garber implied that the 17th MLS’s team will be St. Louis. "The 18th team will either be a second team in New York, it could be Montreal, it could be Vancouver, it could be Atlanta, it could be Las Vegas," Garber said, adding that there are other possibilities as well. He also commented to suggestions that the league could expand to 24 in the foreseeable future. "It certainly will be more than 18. The question is when and how do we insure that player quality continues to remain strong and we're able to manage it." Source: the LA Times
MLS Defends Trend Toward Signing Foreigners
MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis attempted to allay fears that the league-wide trend toward signing foreign players, especially South Americans. is going to hamper the development of American players. He pointed out that the league has invested heavily in youth academies, and added, "If we feel that (the league) is not developing U.S. players the way that we want … we would look at that. I don't think we see that yet. There are more jobs for U.S. players than ever before and more opportunities for them to compete." As of Monday, U.S.-born players still account for more than 64% of MLS players, not counting those who were born elsewhere but have lived in the U.S. since high school, and the number is more than 75% if Canada, Central America and the Caribbean are added. South America accounts for more than 11%, far more than the 6% from Europe. The league has almost as many players born in Argentina (19) as it has players born in Europe (21). Source: USA Today
Philly Season Ticket Sales Booming
Philadelphia's has taken deposits for 3,400 season tickets in just 1 month, even though the MLS expansion team is still 2 years away from playing its 1st game and has not spent a dime on advertising. CEO and co-owner Nick Sakiewicz predicted the expansion club would become the 2nd club to sell out its home games. Last-placed Toronto FC accomplished that feat last season and expects to do this season as well. Source: the Philadelphia Inquirer
MLS Urges DC United to Consider Leaving DC
MLS commissioner Don Garber used the occasion of DC United’s kickoff luncheon to express dissatisfaction about the lack of progress in negotiations between the club and the city regarding a new soccer stadium. “We either resolve it here, or we’re going to push this ownership group to move out of the District. I say that with a heavy heart because this is a community that has really supported this team.” Garber also said he has toured two potential stadium sites in Prince George’s County, Maryland, calling them “great” and “accessible.” On a more positive note, the club announced that its non-profit arm, United for D.C. will partner with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to expand United Soccer Club over the next three years to 7, 10 and 12 sites successively, in the hope of promoting youth soccer in economically disadvantaged urban communities. Source: the Washington Examiner
Dick’s Sporting Goods Strengthens Ties With MLS
Dick's Sporting Goods signed new 5-year deal with Soccer United Marketing, making it the official sporting goods retailer of MLS as well as of 10 of the league's 14 teams, and the deal will cover all MLS teams by 2011. The American retailer will also serve in that role for U.S. Soccer, including the men's and women's national teams. Dick's already sponsors televised soccer coverage and has its name on the complex where the Colorado Rapids play. Source: the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Fans Will Choose Name for New MLS Franchise
MLS’s expansion franchise in Seattle is allowing fans to vote online to name the team. The winning name will be revealed at an April 7 news conference, and the club's logo may also be unveiled at that time. The listed choices are Seattle FC, Seattle Alliance and Seattle Republic, but there will also be a write-in option, opening up the possibility that the fans will choose Seattle Sounders, which is what the USL franchise is named. Source: Seattle PI
Red Bulls Secure Sponsorship with eMazzanti Technologies
eMazzanti Technologies, which specializes in developing computer technology to drive business growth, announced that it will sponsor MLS’s New York Red Bulls for the 2008 MLS season. As part of the agreement, eMazzanti will utilize Red Bull matches for customer events, eMazzanti company information will be included in the GameDay Magazine alongside a prominent Red Bull player, and an on-field presentation of a signed Red Bull player jersey will be presented to an eMazzanti at a customer event. Source: eMediaWire
Gillett Acknowledges Rift with Hicks
Co-owner George Gillett claimed that he would not sell his share of Liverpool to partner Tom Hicks, and added that, "This partnership has been unworkable for some time. We were very fair. We gave our partner a long period of time to try to make arrangements to buy us out. We didn't put pressure on him but he ultimately did not get to the finish line. In the meantime, because of the things he said, the fans' reaction has been so negative towards him - and towards us if we sold to him - that has now made that an untenable alternative for us. When your public persona is more important than the facts, it's tough to have a rational relationship." Source: BBC
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Gretna Releases Players And is on Verge Of Extinction
Gretna moved a step closer to extinction after the club's administrators issued redundancy notices to 9 1st-team players, 13 youth players, 1 scout and the 6-strong community coaching team. The administrators took the dramatic course of action to keep the Scottish Premier League club alive but the players only have until Monday to find new clubs or face unemployment until the summer. Administrators announced last week that finance had been secured from the SPL club to fulfil their remaining fixtures, but this announcement leaves the club with a skeleton staff as they prepare for a match against St Mirren that could confirm relegation. Source: the Herald
PFA Chief Claims Players and Managers Must Clean-Up Behaviour
In the wake of last week’s incidents involving Chelsea defender Ashley Cole's and Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor believes referees have to become a `no-go area' in order for the game to clean up its act. “As a general rule we should treat referees as no-go areas and learn from other sports. It is time managers and players did accept a responsibility because what happens at the top level happens lower down. It is the bad points that get highlighted and the game has to be very much aware and do all it can to eradicate it.” Source: ESPNsoccernet
ITV Renew Champions League Rights Contract
British broadcaster ITV has retained the rights to show Uefa Champions League matches for 2009-2012 seasons. They will broadcast the 1st pick of Wednesday night games, including the final and Uefa Super Cup Final, and BSkyB will cover live matches and highlights on a Tuesday, plus matches other than the 1st choice on Wednesdays. Contrary to previous reports, the BBC announced that they did not bid for live Champions League rights. Source: BBC
QPR Sign Huge Kit Deal
Mid-table Championship team Queen Park Rangers' announcement that Lotto Sport Italia would become their kit supplier in a deal worth $40m. The west London side attracted attention in November when it was taken over by Flavio Briatore, owner of the Renault F1 team, and Bernie Ecclestone, Formula 1 Management's chief executive. After clearing a $26m debt, they attracted investment from Lakshmi Mittal, the billionaire steel magnate, and have now persuaded one of Italy's biggest sports clothing retailers to sign on. Source: the Financial Times
West Ham To Play Host To American Prospects
The 12 players selected from the USL’s American Super Y-League Olympic Development Project National Camps, held earlier this year, embarked on a 9-day visit to West Ham Youth Academy today. The 10 field players and 2 goalkeepers will watch an EPL match, train at West Ham’s youth academy, be formally evaluated, and they will join the West Ham Academy as they travel to Leicester, England to face Leicester City and face the Under-14 and Under-15 from Ipswich Town 2 days later. Source: USLsoccer.com
Norwegian Club Director Convicted Of Forging Mikel Contract
Morgan Andersen, former director of the Norwegian club Lyn, has been convicted of forging a contract with Jon Obi Mikel, the player who became embroiled in a transfer row between Manchester United and Chelsea. The court case has attracted a lot of attention in Norway because it shines a light on the often mysterious ways in which young African players end up in Europe, but very little in England despite the fact that it included testimony by Rune Hauge, the well-known Norwegian agent, who claimed Chelsea were behind the placing of four young Nigerians, including Mikel, in Norway waiting for them to turn 18. Source: BBC
* Comment: Simple Solutions to Address Player Conduct *
The unseemly incidents that occurred last week involving Chelsea’s Ashley Cole and Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano could easily be avoided in the future. Rules could be instituted that prohibit any player who is not directly involved in an incident, besides the captain, from even speaking to an official. Or the referee could be given the right to force a team to substitute a player, as already happens in non-competitive matches. Giving the referee an option between tolerating intolerable dissent or severely damaging the match by forcing a team play shorthanded could easily be explored.* The Weekly Brief is published every Friday and delivered free via e-mail to registered users.
Weekly Brief - 2008-02-01
The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
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Weekly Brief - 2008-01-25
The Weely Brief, highlighting recent soccer industry stories from around the World is provided to San Francisco Seals Fans courtesy of FMMInternational See below for more information regarding FMMInternational.
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Weekly Brief - 2008-01-18
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Weekly Brief - 2008-01-11
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and received a 10-point deduction on November 22nd. "I cannot wait for us to get the go-ahead, I'm very hopeful," Owen told BBC Three Counties Radio. But club administrator Brendan Guilfoyle says ‘more than one’ bid has been received and that they hope for exclusive talks with the winning bidder within a week. The crisis has led manager Kevin Blackwell and key coaching staff to resign, as the administrator agreed to sell key players without consulting the coaching team. Source: BBC
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Weekly Brief - 2007-12-22
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives - 2007".
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Weekly Brief - 2007-12-15
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives - 2007".
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Weekly Brief - 2007-12-07
Current and past issues of the Weekly Brief can be found in our News/Information section under the "Weekly Brief Archives - 2007".
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Weekly Brief - 2007-11-16
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MLS announced that
CONCACAF Appoints New Deputy General Secretary
CONCACAF announced that Italo Zanzi will replace Jason Hughes as Deputy General Secretary. Hughes will return to his native
Becks Signs Deal With Armani
David Beckham has signed a 3-year endorsement deal with Giorgio Armani, worth an estimated $41m, to promote the fashion designer's new Emporio SS08 line of underwear. The advertisements will begin running on billboards and in fashion magazines in January. Source:
MLS Receives Mixed Diversity Grade
Major League Soccer ranks among the most racially diverse leagues in American professional sports but lags behind its peers in gender diversity, according to a report authored by Richard Lapchick, director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the
Boca Announces Stadium Expansion
Boca Junior's board has approved redevelopment work at its stadium that will take the capacity of the Estadio Alberto J. Armando, better known as La Bombonera, beyond 60,000 from its current 57,395. Plans call for 5,000 new seats, with 2,800 of those in private boxes and the remainder in the stands, the extension the bathroom and restaurant facilities, and the construction a new section to exhibit the club's trophies. Source: SoccerEx
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FA Denies Rumours Of Revising Home Internationals
The English Football Association denied that there have been discussions with other British countries about resuming the Home International tournament for the 1st time since 1984. The statement, which did not dismiss the possibility of future talks, came in response to rumours that there would be interest because of the likelihood that no British country would qualify for EURO 2008. Source: Irish Examiner
Although president Sepp Blatter has stated that FIFA prefer that the World Cup be hosted by one nation, the
Platini Addresses Controversial Issues
UEFA president Michel Platini spoke out on a number of issues this week. Although he was unable to convince
Spurs Win Approval For New Facility
Tottenham Hotspur has overcome vigorous opposition and won approval to build a $62M training ground on
Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra this week revealed plans to make the club a global power, starting with academies in Thailand and China and link-ups with a host of clubs around the world - China's Shanghai Shenhua, Thailand's Chonburi FC, Australian A-league outfit Perth Glory, Grasshoppers Club Zurich of Switzerland, Thanda Royal Zulu FC of Durban and Russian side FC Moscow. The clubs will exchange coaches, hold youth tournaments, strengthen commercial ties, and seek out joint marketing opportunities and initiatives. City, which already has
Website Takes Over Club
MyFootballClub, a 20,000-member website-based consortium, has agreed to take over Blue Square Premier (formerly the Conference) club Ebbsfleet United ionthe fifth tier of English football. The first of its kind purchase was made possible by $72 contributions by each member, who now own equals share of the club, entitling them to vote on transfers and other issues. Source: Tech.co.uk
Record Financial Figures For
Watford FC announced a record turnover of $61m for the year ending June 30 2007. This increase, $44m on the previous year, was driven primarily by increased TV income from being in the EPL together with higher income generated from ticket sales and corporate hospitality. The profit on ordinary activities before taxation was $16.4m compared to an $11.5m the previous year. Source:
Prominent English Figures Express Concern About Foreign Influx
Although British Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe stopped short of backing the quota system proposed by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, he called for an independent inquiry into whether the number of foreign players in the EPL is having a detrimental effect on the
Hicks Claims No Interest In Roma
AS Roma's controlling shareholder Italpetroli released a statement on the team’s official website saying the company had "been informed by a third party of the possible interest of an American businessman wanting to invest in AS Roma's capital," but Roy Winnick, a spokesman for Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks, denied he has any interest in acquiring the Serie A giant. "There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in the rumor that Mr. Hicks is even considering investing in Roma football club" Source: Yahoo! Sport
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Problems With Stadium Construction In
Although World Cup organizers insist there is no threat to
In the hope of developing cultural, business and sporting links between
Weekly Brief - 2007-11-30
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Weekly Brief - 2007-11-09
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Weekly Brief - 2007-10-05
Although MLS will only concede that it plans to award 2 more franchises by the 1st quarter of 2008, the Herald News of New Jersey and Sports Illustrated both reported that the Seattle Sounders, who will leave the USL as champions, will be one of them. The team, which will be the first located in the Northwest, will reportedly join the league for the 2009 season and play at Qwest Field. Philadelphia, St. Louis, and, to a lesser extent, Portland are reported to be in the running for the final allocation. Sources: the Herald News of New Jersey; Sports Illustrated
Lalas Assesses Hispanic Fans
GolTV Hires Prominent Consultant
Makita Sponsors Cup Competition
Dynamo Form Elite Youth Academy
New Sponsor Deals
More Fallout At Corinthians
Usmanov To Ditch Dein?
Chelsea Tie Up With NFL
Luton Town Continuing Losses
Weekly Brief - 2007-09-14
Group closer to MLS Franchise
CFL Franchise Explores Move to MLS Stadium
Beckham Injury Forces Postponement of Exhibition Match
MLS Franchise For Philly gets high level endorsement
EPL Team Set Up Academy With US Club
Chivas USA Name New CEO
EPL Star Arrested In Corruption Probe
Mixed Views On Platini Plans
Coventry Deny Threat
G-14 Announces Proposals
Bates Claims Leeds Not For Sale
UEFA Convenes Meeting To Discuss Safety
Weekly Brief - 2007-08-14
Beckham attracting more stars?
FC Dallas this week announced the signing of 29 year old Brazilian World Cup winner Denilson, who joins from Al-Nasr of Saudi Arabia. Denison was famously sold by São Paulo to Spain’s Real Betis for $40 million in 1998.
With the New England Revolution’s Foxborough home stadium unavailable on September 4th the MLS team will host USL’s Carolina RailHawks in the Open Cup semi-final at the 8,500 capacity Veteran's Memorial Stadium in the city of New Britain, Connecticut - some 100 miles away.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has asked its 18 candidate cities to prove to FIFA that they are suitable venues to host the competition. Despite being the only country bidding to host the 2014 competition, dilapidated stadiums and a strained public transport system, allied to social and economic issues have put the bid under scrutiny in Brazil.
The Deseret News reported this week that The Sandy City Council has signed-off the $35 million in bonds for Real Salt Lake's new stadium project, putting in place the final city approvals to build the $110 million, 20,000-seat stadium.
USL announced that Juan Carlos Hernandez has acquired the Premier Development League (PDL) franchise rights for the greater Houston area with Houston Leones, slated to start playing at the 17-acre facility Soccer World Center, Richmond, TX in the 2008 season. The PDL focuses on developing young players with rules dictating a maximum of 8 players in each team's 26-man roster can be over 23 years old, while at least 3 players must be 18 or younger.
Italian soccer channel launched
SerieA.tv, a dedicated Serie A broadband internet channel is to be launched this week. The channel, run by Infront Advanced Media Solutions, will offer live and delayed matches along with magazine content to fans in Asia and the Americas.
Newcastle United have denied the club is about to change hands for the second time this year. Growing speculation had linked the club, which was taken over by English sportswear magnate Mike Ashley less than 2 months ago, with a bid from Icelandic businessmen Jon Asgeir Johannesson and Palmi Haroldsson.
West London based Championship team Queens Park Rangers has confirmed it is talking to various parties about a takeover. Italian Flavio Briatore, principal of Renault’s Formula 1 racing team, has confirmed he is interested in the team but has denied making a bid.
Portuguese businessman Joe Berardo is finding it difficult to acquire shares for his takeover of Benfica. Having launched a bid for an 85% holding in the club last month, the Lisbon Stock Exchange announced this week that he’d only acquired 1% of the club's stock. Berardo remains bullish and is expected to maintain his interest in a takeover.
Current Scottish Premier League champions Celtic FC announced record profits of $30m for the last 12 months, due largely to reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League - which was thought to have produced up to $24m. Revenue for the period stood at $150 million.
EPL team Blackburn Rovers has seen their ticket price-cutting strategy reap rewards with a 15% increase in season ticket sales. Rovers cut the cost of the average ticket by 25% passing on to fans some of the benefits of the record EPL TV deal. The club now has around 14,500 season ticket holders.
Heart of Midlothian, the Scottish Premier League team based in the Scottish capital announced plans for a $100m development of their Tynecastle stadium. The plans centre on the building of a new 10,000 capacity stand that will incorporate a hotel and leisure facilities and will raise the capacity to 23,000.
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Following on from Bayern Munich’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with The Cong Viettel in Vietnam, Spanish giants Barcelona confirmed that they are looking at a possible link with rival V-League club Dong Thap.
Weekly Brief - 2007-08-11
International matches announced
Mexico will play China at the LA Coliseum on October 17 in the final match of its 5-game 2007 tour. They will also play Brazil at Foxborough, Mass. on September 12 as well as Colombia on August 22 in Denver.
DC United sold out nearly 47,000 (triple its season average) for Thursday's game with the Galaxy which saw Beckham make his MLS debut. New York Red Bulls have sold more than 50,000 seats at Giants Stadium for their August 18 match - at double their usual prices.
With Toronto FC having made a positive impression on the MLS this season, other Canadian cities are looking at the MLS and receiving encouraging signs from the League, with both Montréal and Vancouver – home to successful USL-1 teams - being touted as future expansion cities.
The Deseret Morning News reports that negotiations between Real Salt Lake and the city of Sandy on the new soccer specific stadium are nearing conclusion. Sandy officials have received copies of the agreement outlining the conditions under which RSL will receive $35m from the state for its stadium. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Star reports that the Wizards will propose an 18-22,000 capacity stadium on the Bannister Mall, to include between 12 to 18 soccer fields and more than a million square feet of mixed-use space as well as a further million square feet of retail.
Rio-based Flamengo has become the first non-European club to sign-up to the World Superleague Formula (WSF), which sees team branded F1-type cars compete in a racing series. They join European giants AC Milan, FC Porto, PSV Eindhoven, Olympiacos, Borussia Dortmund and Anderlecht to commit to the project. For more information on WSF please contact FMMI.
With two dates already proposed, a letter to Red Bulls season-ticket holders this week from MD Marc de Grandpre said, "… we now anticipate that the opening of RBP will take place in (April) 2009 due to a lengthier cleanup phase..." Meanwhile, the Red Bulls will build their new training facility in Hanover NJ. The facility will consist of 6 soccer fields, a 50,000 sqft office building/training center and a field house. Completion is expected in December 2008.
Jack Warner said he will battle to stop England hosting the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Speaking to the BBC World Service, Warner said "Nobody in Europe likes England. England invented the sport but has never made any impact on world football. It will be Italy, Spain, or even France who will get the World Cup if it goes to Europe”. All 3 countries have hosted the tournament since England hosted it in 1966.
Boss says he will not tolerate interference
Steve Bruce, manger of EPL side Birmingham City has warned that he will quit his post if Carson Yeung (the club’s biggest shareholder with 29.9%) meddles in team affairs. Yeung was known for exerting influence over team selection when he owned Hong Kong Rangers.
Property magnate Steve Morgan this week completed his $20 takeover of Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Former owner Sir Jack Haywood agreed to sell to Morgan for the token sum on the condition the new owner pumped $60m into the club to revive it.
Leeds United, relegated to the third tier of English professional soccer for their first time in their history, will start the season with a 15 point deficit after Football League members voted not to overturn the penalty. Leeds described the decision to uphold the punishment for breaching insolvency rules as ‘perverse’.
Argentinean giants Boca Juniors will display the UNICEF logo on their shirts as a result of a deal between the team, UNICEF and Nike. Nike will donate a portion of revenues generated from Boca shirt sales and the club will collaborate with UNICEF on Argentina-based initiatives. Barcelona last year signed a similar arrangement with UNICEF.
Serie A club Juventus announced its net loses were down in the 4th quarter of the financial year - $16.m from $50.m the previous year. The improvement was due to a 10.5% increase in revenue coupled with a 27.1% fall in operating expenditure.
Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon disclosed that the club had a debt of $370m when he took over last year. Calderon maintains the club is in good financial shape; Real generated $400m in 2005/06.
The EPL is expected to pass new regulations on third party ownership of players at a board meeting next week. The new guidelines will also cover loans and ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ on the availability of loaned or transferred players. ‘Tevezgate’ and the revelation that Manchester United made gentlemen’s agreements over the availability of 2 of their loaned keepers have driven the changes.
Following government pressure, the gambling industry has agreed to restrictions that include the removal of betting companies logos from children's replica football shirts. EPL teams Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Sunderland have main-partner agreements with gaming/gambling companies. Tottenham though are resisting attempts to remove their sponsor Mansion from their replica shirts, arguing that children want exact replicas of the shirts the team are wearing.
Weekly Brief - 2007-08-04
Another trans-Atlantic partnership announced
West Ham United of the EPL have announced a ‘development partnership’ with USL, covering areas such as ‘player identification, player exchange, coaching and club development initiatives’. One component will see West Ham identifying up to 20 youth players from the USL Super Y-League and Super-20 League to attend the club’s Youth Academy for training and evaluation.
A potential rival to the Keston Family has emerged in the quest to bring MLS to the Seattle area. Atletico Seattle Management Co. LLC - a consortium of Los Angeles-based Investors led by Nevin Sanli and including real estate developer Larry Kosmont and former player Frank Leboeuf, are proposing a 25,000-seat soccer stadium in the Puget Sound region. Separately, a group in Portland led by Timbers’ owner Merritt Paulson is trying to win an expansion franchise for the city.
Irish based broadcaster Setanta has agreed a deal with EchoStar Communications Dish Network in the US to distribute its 24-hour digital sports channel. Setanta has US rights for live European football including EPL matches as well as rugby and other sports. In addition, Setanta will launch a Canadian soccer channel with extensive rights to live EPL matches in partnership with Rogers Communications.
Positive remarks from FIFA President Sepp Blatter indicate the possibility of Venezuela hosting a future FIFA World Youth Championships following its successful hosting of the Copa America. Also this week, the Brazilian Football Federation formally submitted its proposals to host the FIFA 2014 World Cup.
Press in Milwaukee report that local real estate and sports lawyer Marty Greenberg, who is trying to bring an MLS franchise to the city, is looking into the viability of having a $40m pitch built on a tray that could be moved when motor sports events are being held at the Milwaukee Mile NASCAR track (similar to the Arizona Cardinals' field in Phoenix).
While all the publicity has been on players moving in the opposite direction, Freddy Adu completed his transfer to Portuguese giants Benfica this week. In addition to the transfer fee between MLS and Benfica, it is believed that through a sell-on clause, the league could receive a percentage of any future transfer if Adu subsequently moves to another team.
Scotland takes on the cheats
Scottish football is to launch a groundbreaking scheme to punish diving (simulation) using video evidence. Referees will review matches they have officiated and will be able to hand out yellow cards retrospectively. Testing will start from the beginning of this season with the system ‘going live’ from January 1st 2008.
Reports in the UK suggest that the Carlos Tevez dispute between MSI/Just Sports and West Ham has been resolved and the player completed a move to Manchester United, after the parties reached an out-of-court agreement.
Failure to qualify for last seasons Champions League has had a marked effect on the latest annual financial results of Scottish giants Rangers FC. The club made an operating loss of $10m to June 30, 2007 compared to a $9m profit the previous year. Revenue at the club was also down by 4% to $82m compared to $87m in 2006, though net operating expenses fell by 22% to $86m mainly due to outsourcing the club’s retail and merchandising operations.
Responding to criticism from Human Rights Watch this week relating to Thaksin Shinawatra purchase of Manchester City, the EPL defended their Fit and Proper Persons test stating the controls ‘go above and beyond any requirement by company law and are some of the sternest in any UK industry’.
Today Real Madrid made a formal announcement that agreement had been reached to launch a Real Madrid Academy in Bali, Indonesia – the club’s first in Asia. The Academy will “offer youngsters between the ages of 9 and 18 from Indonesia and the rest of Asia-Pacific, the opportunity to enrol for professional football training under the guidance of International Real Madrid coaching staff while continuing their top level academic studies.” A new facility is slated to open in August 2008.
Atletico Madrid have agreed a deal to move to La Peineta stadium – planned for the city’s unsuccessful 2012 Olympic bid. The facility will be redeveloped at a cost of $220m for a possible 2016 Olympic bid and the club is expected to move in 2010. Meanwhile EPL team Derby County unveiled plans for a $40m redevelopment of their wider Pride Park stadium complex. A hotel, office space and bars/restaurants are planned in the scheme which Derby hope will commence in 2008.
Franz Beckenbauer has backed England to secure the 2018 World Cup. Beckenbauer, who helped deliver a successful tournament in Germany, has said that England is the only serious candidate to host the event. "The Premier League at the moment is the best league in Europe and the stadiums are outstanding.” he told the BBC.
Polish born contact lens tycoon Waldemar Kita has acquired French club Nantes in a deal believed to be worth close to $14m. Nantes have won the French Championship on 8 occasions but were relegated to Ligue 2 last season. Separately, major Everton shareholder Robert Earl - founder of the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain – has been appointed to the board of the EPL club.
Weekly Brief - 2007-07-20
Linked to MLS’s ‘Home Grown Talent’ initiative, the Chicago Fire have opened an Academy which will field teams at U-16 and U-18 age levels. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Wizards have formally opened their new $3m purpose built training facility at Swope Park.
MLS makes a come back
MLS confirmed this week that the San Jose Earthquakes will return to the League in 2008. Under the franchise ownership of Lew Wolff and John Fisher the team plans to play at a soccer specific stadium near Mineta San Jose International Airport.
Real and Real announce partnership
Dave Checketts’ SCP Worldwide – owners of Real Salt Lake - announced a 2 year agreement with Real Madrid to include the creation of elite soccer academies and camps, managing the broadcasting rights the Spanish team’s content and managing Real Madrid’s tours to the US.
The quarter-finals of the premier knock-out competition for US teams will see 5 USL sides - including 2 from USL-2 (Harrisburg City Islanders and Richmond Kickers) - compete with 3 from MLS for places in the semi-finals. Matches are slated for August 7th and 8th.
Weekly Brief - 2007-07-20
South American team to break into MLS?
Argentinean giants Boca Juniors have confirmed they are looking at the possibility of a ‘Boca team’ playing in the MLS. Any deal may involve a franchise in Arizona, Miami, Los Angeles or New York. Boca would lend its name to a local franchise, in return for a reported 10-15% equity in the new team.
A group of investors led by Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi is talking to MLS officials and local state lawmakers about bringing a professional team to Philadelphia. The deal would involve a $100m soccer specific stadium being built in the town of Chester, a suburb south of the city.
British-Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian is involved in further controversy after the partnership between Brazilian club Corinthians and MSI was terminated by the club. Joorabchian, who has a warrant out for his arrest on money-laundering charges in Brazil, is threatening to take legal action to recover $25m compensation for the company. In England, Joorabchian has started legal proceedings against West Ham as part of the Tevez transfer saga.
In a deal that could be worth around $50m, AEG is reported to be selling its 50% stake in Red Bull Park to Red Bull GmbH, according to a report in the New Jersey Herald News. AEG sold the then NY/NJ Metrostars franchise to Red Bull in March 2006.
With Argentina winning the competition for the sixth time by beating the Czech Republic in the final, and despite the poor showing from the host country, the FIFA U20 World Cup in Canada was deemed a great success. FIFA announced that the tournament officially set the record for the highest cumulative attendance in FIFA U-20 World Cup history with more than 1.2m spectators at 52 matches, surpassing the previous record set in Mexico in 1983. It was also the largest single-sport event ever held in Canada.
US owners look at naming rights
Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the new American owners of EPL team Liverpool FC, are reportedly keen to sign a naming rights deal for the club’s proposed new stadium according to the Liverpool Daily Post. In the same week that the club presented plans for its new 60,000 capacity stadium there is speculation that the club will look to raise $200m for the naming rights. The team has played at its current stadium, Anfield, since its foundation in 1892.
As reports continue to link Stan Kroenke with a bid for EPL giants Arsenal, the club MD Keith Edelman has gone public to warn fans that overseas investors will look to make money from EPL clubs - and will not necessarily invest significant amounts into the squad. There was speculation earlier in the week that F1 racing supremo Bernie Ecclestone was considering investing in the Gunners.
The failed takeover of Championship club Sheffield Wednesday by Paul Gregg has been blamed on the supporters trust group, ‘Wednesdayite’, for not agreeing to sell its shares without conditions. Meanwhile Coventry City’s proposed takeover by Manhattan Sports Capital Partners continues to move forward, albeit slowly according to the club’s MD Paul Fletcher.
