Soccer News & Notes, March 14, 2011

MLS commissioner aims to attract more big-name stars
Monday, March 14, 2011

Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber has spoken of his goal of bringing in more big-name players like David Beckham and Thierry Henry to boost the profile of the competition.

Beckham (pictured) enters his final season with the Los Angeles Galaxy this season while Henry begins his first full campaign with the New York Red Bulls. The 18-team league, which gets underway tomorrow, will feature new clubs debuting in Vancouver and Portland this season ahead of the introduction of an expansion franchise in Montreal next year.

"We must bring in bigger names and more popular international players if we’re going to be the league we want to be," Garber told AFP. "You will start seeing more and more name players coming into MLS because we can afford to pay them."

He added: "The best players in the world for the most part are not here. In order for us to compete…we’re going to have to grow a business so that some of the best players in the world are here. We hope we will move our league closer to our goal of becoming one of the top soccer leagues in the world. We feel good about where we are but we know we still have a long way to go."

Source: SoccerEx Business Daily

African football event revenues to double – CAF
Monday, March 14, 2011

African football will generate almost US$140 million in commercial revenues through its competitions over the seven years, according to Confederation of African Football (CAF) financial statements.

The figures represent an increase of more than 100% in turnover from what CAF events previously generated. Sportfive has blanket rights to the major African competitions and is providing a minimum guarantee of $137.45 million for the rights to six different competitions through to 2017.

A total of $46.8 million is expected to be generated by four successive editions of the African Nations Cup finals, including last year’s tournament in Angola. Up until 2008, CAF earned $5.5 million every two years from Nations Cup rights.

A seven-year deal for the rights to the African Champions League and the African Confederation Cup will earn $71.4 million over the next seven years. "This is very significant for the smaller associations who in the past were not able to sell any TV rights," CAF finance committee chairman Suketu Patel told Reuters.

Source: SoccerEx Business Daily

AC Milan VP Galliani calls for UEFA to modify coefficients
Monday, March 14, 2011

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has hit out at UEFA’s coefficient rankings system after Italy was pushed into fourth place by Germany in the European ladder.

Last month UEFA confirmed that the German Bundesliga had been rewarded for its clubs’ performances in Europe by snatching a UEFA Champions League place off Italy’s Serie A in 2012-13.

The Bundesliga will have three automatic spots in the money-spinning competition as well as one play-off spot, while Serie A will only have a maximum of three Champions League places, including one play-off spot. However, Galliani told La Gazzetta dello Sport that Europa League results should not be decisive in determining places for the Champions League.

"We are speaking about two different competitions," he said. "Rankings are everywhere in sport, but they don’t count non-homogeneous situations. I think they should separate the Champions League from the Europa League to modify the criteria for admissions."

Source: SoccerEx Business Daily

World Sport Group to boost China’s foootball profile
Mon, 14/03/2011

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) and the China Football Industry Development Corporation (CFIDC) have struck a multi-year deal with World Sport Group to develop the brand of the country’s national football team.
The sports marketing company will create a comprehensive match schedule for China whilst enhancing the commercial revenues of the team.

The deal, which will be activated in May 2011, was signed by CFIDC deputy general manager, Liu Weidong and Nick Mould, president of East Asia at World Sport Group, at the organisation’s headquarters in Beijing on Saturday.

"We believe Chinese football has found itself at a reasonable level and the performances at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar showed that there has been a strengthening of resolve. There is a belief in what can be achieved in the future," said Wei Di, vice-president and general secretary of the CFA.

"We believe Chinese football can enjoy a bright and successful future in partnership with our friends at World Sport Group," he added.

Source: sportbusiness.com

European football body joins calls for betting "compensation"
Fri, 11/03/2011
The Professional Football Strategy Council (PFSC) has become the latest sporting organisation to call for betting companies to pay "compensation" for the right to take bets on matches.

Earlier this month, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge, speaking ahead of a summit with government ministers, Interpol, UN representatives and betting operators, called for sports bodies to receive a cut of betting revenues and also insisted that governments should impose tighter controls on gambling in sport.

After a meeting on Thursday, the PFSC, chaired by UEFA president Michel Platini and comprising representatives from the European Club Association, European Professional Football Leagues, FIFPro and UEFA, released a statement via the official website of European football’s governing body to confirm its members had "agreed a united position regarding the issue of betting".

"Financial solidarity depends on redistribution of revenue from the commercial exploitation of top professional football to the grassroots…(and the PFSC) expresses concern at the growing unauthorised commercial use of football competitions for betting purposes," read a statement from the organisation, which advises the UEFA executive committee.

"(The PFSC) considers that competition organisers/clubs should have the right, including intellectual property right, to consent to their events being used by betting companies and that such companies should pay fair financial compensation," added the statement on UEFA.com. "Such financial compensation is also essential for funding grassroots football as well as fighting match-fixing and sports fraud."

The PFSC also stated it would urge "political authorities to adopt a concrete national and/or European-wide legislation to address these matters and to ensure a fair financial return to football".

Source: sportbusiness.com