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Univision Communications today is expected to announce "plans to launch three new cable television channels next year in a bid to tighten its grip on the growing Latino market." One of the Spanish-language media company’s new channels "will offer soccer and other sports" (L.A. TIMES, 5/19).Source: sportsbusinessdaily.com
GolTV to carry UEFA competitions
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
GolTV has snapped up the exclusive North American broadcast rights to UEFA’s Youth Women’s and Futsal competitions in a multi-year agreement with European football’s governing body.
The deal, covering the United States and Canada, will see GolTV air a range of UEFA competitions through to 2013. The broadcaster will carry action from the men’s and women’s youth national team European Championships at Under-19 and Under-17 levels, as well as the UEFA Women’s Champions League final and the annual Futsal Cup.
GolTV will also televise selected matches from the 2012 UEFA European Futsal Championship, which will be staged in Croatia. "As GolTV showcases the talent of female futbolistas and quick-footed futsal players for the first time, this represents not only a milestone for the network but an opportunity to engage an even more diverse audience," said GolTV chief operating officer Rodrigo Lombello.
"Drawing on the popularity of soccer as one of the top youth sports in the US, GolTV will also offer young viewers a glimpse of rising soccer stars and ignite the passion of boys and girls alike," Lombello added.
Source: sportbusiness.com
ESPN to air Copa America, Emirates Cup in UK
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
ESPN has announced it will broadcast the Copa America and Emirates Cup football tournaments in the UK this summer.
The Copa America, being held in Argentina this year, is being broadcast on ESPN in the UK for the first time and will feature 10 of South America’s best national teams as well as Mexico and Japan. ESPN will provide coverage of all of the tournament’s 26 matches, starting with the opening game on July 1 running through to the final on July 24.
The Emirates Cup will take place across the weekend of July 30-31, with ESPN covering the live games featuring hosts Arsenal, the New York Red Bulls, Paris Saint-Germain and Boca Juniors.
"The Copa America is one of the world’s biggest football tournaments and will showcase some amazing talent, while the Emirates Cup has established itself as essential viewing for the start of the season," said Jeroen Oerlemans, ESPN’s vice-president of TV in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "They’re both great additions to ESPN’s portfolio of live sport this summer and throughout the year."
Source: SoccerEx Business Daily
Sky Sports to carry new Dublin Super Cup
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Sky Sports has sealed a deal with Endemol Sport to become the exclusive home of the Dublin Super Cup in the UK and Ireland from the inaugural tournament this year through to 2013.
This year’s tournament will take place on July 30-31, with Manchester City, Inter Milan, Celtic and a League of Ireland XI competing at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Each year, a leading Barclays Premier League team, a top Spanish or Italian club and another prominent European club will compete alongside the Airtricity League XI, a team selected from the best players from Ireland’s top domestic League.
Sky Sports will deliver high-definition domestic coverage and a world feed for international viewers. Endemol Sport is also finalising agreements with broadcasters around the world, which will see live coverage of the 2011 Dublin Super Cup in over 100 territories across Asia, Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas. Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis said: "We look forward to showing three of the best-known teams in Europe and the finest Irish talent in four live matches."
Gregg Oldfield, managing director of Endemol Sport, added: "This multi-year partnership will see the Dublin Super Cup become a landmark in Sky Sports’ live summer football output. We are extremely proud to be joining forces with Sky and bringing a brand new, world-class football tournament to one of the world’s leading sports broadcasters."
Source: SoccerEx Business Daily
Japan pulls out of Copa America
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Japan confirmed on Tuesday that it would pull out of this year’s Copa America football tournament in Argentina, ending two months of speculation after the East Asian country suffered a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March.
Japan was slated to be a guest team for the event, but difficulty over persuading European clubs to release players for national team duty has forced the country to withdraw from the competition, which will run from July 1-24. Costa Rica has been tipped as the likely replacement for Japan.
Japan initially pulled out of the tournament after the catastrophe in March, only for the country’s football chiefs to change their mind two weeks later. However, Japan Football Association (JFA) president Junji Ogura (pictured) insisted on Tuesday that the decision to withdraw was final.
"With all due considerations, we cannot form a team to participate in such an important tournament as the Copa America and lamentably we must withdraw our place in the competition," Ogura said.
Source: SoccerEx Business Daily
Iran in running for FIFA Club World Cup hosting rights
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Iran has tabled an unlikely bid to host the FIFA Club World Cup in 2013 and 2014, world football’s governing body has announced.
Iran will be up against Morocco, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the right to stage the tournament, which brings together the champion teams of each of FIFA’s six continental confederations as well as the host country’s domestic title winner.
The UAE has staged the past two editions of the event in Abu Dhabi, while Japan will host the competition later this year and also in 2012. The candidates for the 2013 and 2014 tournaments must submit their official bid documents by September 30 this year, and FIFA’s executive committee will select the host country for the next two editions of the Club World Cup in October.
South Africa, the host country of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, announced in February that it would bid for the Club World Cup after the country was awarded the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
Source: SoccerEx Business Daily
Blatter blames English for World Cup bid failure
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Tuesday labelled the British press as "stubborn" and accused the English of ‘sour grapes’ over the country’s failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Blatter was criticised by swathes of the British media in the aftermath of the December 2 tender for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which saw England pick up only two votes. Last week, former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman made allegations of impropriety against several FIFA executive committee members, with FIFA pledging to investigate the claims by June 1, when Blatter will face the challenge of Mohamed Bin Hammam for the presidency of world football’s governing body.
"The British press have always been very critical regarding football and FIFA," Blatter told AFP. "It didn’t start with me. It’s been a long time. There is a sort of stubbornness against football and FIFA. Of course there is the fact that England didn’t get the World Cup. But perhaps you have to analyse why."
Blatter added: "The English say: ‘If we’d been told that the World Cup was going towards new territories, we wouldn’t have bid.’ If they had followed the policy of the FIFA president, they would have seen that the World Cup was in the process of circulating, in Asia (2002), South Africa (2010) and Brazil (2014)."
Source: SoccerEx Business Daily
MLS Attendance Up 6% Through May 16; FC Dallas Up Nearly 53% At Home
Published May 17, 2011
MLS teams are averaging 17,141 fans per game through May 16, up about 6% from the same period a year ago. The Sounders continue to lead all clubs with 36,350 fans per game at Qwest Field. Both participants in last year’s MLS Cup are seeing big gains at the gate, with the defending-champion Rapids up 26% and runner-up FC Dallas up a league-leading 52.5%. The Galaxy are also seeing strong growth, up 26% at The Home Depot Center. MLS attendance has also been boosted by the addition of the Whitecaps and Timbers this season, who rank third and fifth, respectively, to start their inaugural seasons. The Crew are seeing a sharp drop in Columbus this season, down 23%. Listed below is team-by-team attendance for MLS clubs through May 16, with comparisons to the same period last year (THE DAILY).
MLS ATTENDANCE THROUGH MAY 16
HOME TEAM GMS TOTAL AVG. % CAP. PREV. % +/- GMS (’10)
Sounders FC 5 181,750 36,350 148.4% 36,145 0.6% 5
Galaxy 5 122,480 24,496 90.7% 19,397 26.3% 5
Whitecaps 6 119,821 19,970 95.1% n/a n/a n/a
Toronto FC 7 136,898 19,557 97.8% 20,144 -2.9% 3
Timbers 4 74,508 18,627 100.0% n/a n/a n/a
Union^ 5 90,224 18,045 97.5% 29,954 -39.8% 2
Red Bulls 5 85,955 17,191 68.8% 17,940 -4.2% 4
Real Salt Lake 4 66,686 16,672 82.5% 14,950 11.5% 4
DC United 6 98,063 16,344 34.8% 14,954 9.3% 5
Dynamo 5 80,391 16,078 50.2% 15,754 2.1% 5
Chivas USA 4 58,592 14,648 54.3% 14,555 0.6% 4
FC Dallas 6 85,549 14,258 69.6% 9,352 52.5% 4
Fire 4 54,513 13,628 68.1% 14,937 -8.8% 3
Rapids 4 52,970 13,243 73.2% 10,484 26.3% 3
Revolution 6 65,353 10,892 54.5% 10,120 7.6% 5
Crew 5 50,996 10,199 50.6% 13,271 -23.1% 4
Earthquakes 5 49,396 9,879 94.1% 9,514 3.8% 4
Sporting KC* 0 — — — 9,703 — 4
TOTALS 86 1,474,145 17,141 73.2% 16,181 5.9% 64
NOTES: Teams can exceed 100% capacity because of standing-room-only ticket sales. All attendance figures are based on totals posted immediately following games. It may not reflect any subsequent adjustments made by teams or the league. ^ = The Union played two games at Lincoln Financial Field last season before moving into their current venue, PPL Park. * = Sporting KC has not played any homes games to date because their new Livestrong Sporting Park is under construction. The venue is set to open on June 9 with a home game against the Fire. Last season, the team played its home games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
Source: sportsbusinessdaily.com
Johnson & Johnson To Announce FIFA World Cup Sponsorship
By Fred Dreier, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal
Published May 19, 2011
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Johnson & Johnson will announce a multiyear partnership with FIFA today that focuses on the ’14 World Cup in Brazil, sources have confirmed. The health care conglomerate joins Budweiser, McDonald’s, Castrol, Continental Tire and Seara as World Cup-level sponsors. The move marks Johnson & Johnson’s highest-profile sports sponsorship since it declined to renew its five-year deal with the IOC after the ’08 Beijing Games. That deal was valued between $60-80M; the IOC would have gotten $100M for a four-year renewal. Terms of the FIFA deal were not available.
Source: sportsbusinessdaily.com
FIFA security chief makes stark warning over match-fixing
Thu, 19/05/2011
Match-fixing in football is worth US$90 billion every year, FIFA security chief Chris Eaton has claimed.
Eaton told Reuters that the predicted value of the illegal industry matches that of legal sports betting. Last week, FIFA president Sepp Blatter pledged Eur20 million towards a dedicated anti-corruption unit based in Singapore to fight match-fixing.
"Criminality involved in fixing football matches is global, enormous and organised," Eaton said. "Football is too respected globally to not be protected. These are criminals taking advantage. They are not to be respected – they are not Robin Hoods – they are not good people. They hurt players and they destroy careers."
The new anti-corruption unit will operate in partnership with Interpol, although Blatter’s presidential rival, Mohamed Bin Hammam, has claimed that the incumbent chief failed to consult the FIFA executive committee before unveiling the new venture. Bin Hammam will challenge Blatter for the presidency in a June 1 election.
"We protect young players, we protect young referees by teaching them to resist the temptations that these people are trying to take advantage of," said Eaton, a one-time Interpol officer.
"FIFA is a football management organisation," he added. "It is not an investigation organisation. We don’t conduct a lot of security operations with a little bit of football. We conduct a lot of football with a little bit of security. Prosecution is not my priority, in fact, not a priority at all."
Source: sportbusiness.com
Budweiser To Be Named FA Cup Title Sponsor, Angering FA Partner Carlsberg
Published May 18, 2011
Budweiser replacing E.ON as title sponsor of FA Cup
England’s Football Association next month will announce Budweiser as the "new title sponsor for the FA Cup, replacing E.ON," according to John Reynolds of MARKETING MAGAZINE. The deal is "thought to be worth around" US$13M a year. E.ON "resigned its four-year title sponsorship in 2009," and "subsequently negotiated a further extension, which ends this year." The FA also "held discussions with LG over sponsorship opportunities." IMG handled the search for a title sponsor (MARKETINGMAGAZINE.co.uk, 5/18). In London, Lawton & Sale reported the Budweiser deal "has incensed" current FA sponsor Carlsberg. The Danish beer company has "deals in place, with their pouring rights for Wembley and secondary sponsorship contracts around Team England and the FA Cup, and believe bringing in Budweiser would be in breach of exclusivity clauses." Carlsberg, which "declined the chance to become lead sponsors of the FA Cup, will be expecting a severance cheque from the FA" (London DAILY MAIL, 5/14). The FA already has had to "pay out severance to Fiat after they signed rival car firm Vauxhall as partners of the England national team and will be keen to avoid a similar situation following this new agreement" (UKMARKETINGNEWS.com. 5/18).
Source: sportsbusinessdaily.com
Blatter receives African Executive Committee backing
Tue, 17/05/2011
Sepp Blatter’s bid to be re-elected to the helm of world football’s governing body received a huge boost on Monday when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) advised its members to back the Swiss incumbent in the FIFA presidential election on June 1.
Blatter, who is up against the Qatari head of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed Bin Hammam, already has unanimous support from the executive committees of Europe, South America and Oceania, while he is confident of securing the bloc vote of CONCACAF, which represents Central and North America.
CAF stated that a "majority" of its ruling executive committee had voted in a secret ballot to endorse Blatter, although Bin Hammam is still thought to have garnered significant support from the 53-nation continent.
According to the Associated Press, Bin Hammam made two campaign trips to Africa in April and earned goodwill when Qatar’s successful 2022 World Cup bid sponsored the 2010 CAF general assembly. However, Blatter is the strong favourite to win the election, with a total of 208 FIFA members set to vote.
Source: sportbusiness.com
Lviv won’t lose Euro 2012 hosting rights – Lubkivsky
Thu, 19/05/2011
Lviv will not be stripped of its hosting rights for UEFA Euro 2012 despite having been the setting of violent scenes during the recent Victory Day on May 9, according to Ukraine’s tournament director, Markiyan Lubkivsky.
Widespread clashes occurred in Lviv, with fascist demonstrations marring the Victory Day celebrations. There have also been concerns over hooliganism in Euro 2012 co-host Poland, with the country’s government having threatened to force matches to take place behind closed doors to clamp down on the problem in the build-up to the event.
"I would not like the Communist Party (CPU) to [decide] which cities are worthy to host the Euro 2012 and which are not," said Lubkivsky, according to Interfax, after the CPU suggested that Lviv could lose the right to host Euro 2012 matches. "The CPU is not an institution that can choose the format of the tournament. The only structure that decides on the format is UEFA. The UEFA agenda currently does not include the issue of a format change [for the tournament]."
Lubkivsky added that "neither Dnipropetrovsk nor Odesa" would be ready to host games at Euro 2012 if UEFA does remove Lviv as a host city. He also said that the May 9 protests in Lviv were "thoroughly monitored" by UEFA, considering "the problems of security on the territory of Euro 2012".
Source: sportbusiness.com
Canada to host CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament in Vancouver, BC
VANCOUVER – The Canadian Soccer Association has announced that Vancouver will be the host city for the upcoming Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament from 19-29 January 2012. The eight-team championship will feature Canada and seven continental opponents as they vie for one of two qualification spots to London 2012 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament later that year.
"British Columbia enjoys a stellar reputation for supporting soccer and hosting major events," said Peter Montopoli, Canadian Soccer Association General Secretary. "We saw the success of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2007 and the enthusiastic fan support that propelled the Vancouver Whitecaps FC into Major League Soccer. I can think of no better place for our Women’s National Team to win their way to London."
The newly revitalized BC Place stadium will host the eight participating teams competing in this 15-match event. Canada, Mexico and USA will fight alongside three teams from the Caribbean and two from Central America for the two coveted passes to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament to be held in London, England, in July 2012.
"I’m confident British Columbians will show their enthusiastic support when Canada’s Women’s National Team plays before a home audience for an opportunity to represent our country in the London Olympics," said Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Ida Chong. "This international tournament will provide a superb opportunity for British Columbians to support our summer athletes."
This marks the third edition of CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournament, held every four years since 2004. In 2008, the Canadian team went undefeated before finishing in second place behind CONCACAF champion USA, falling in the championship final on kicks from the penalty mark. Canada still advanced to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament for the first time where it reached the quarter-final stage. Once again, Canada’s nemesis was USA: the Canadians came within an extra-time goal of knocking off the eventual Olympic champions, but had to settle for an eighth-place finish.
Canada’s Women’s National Team, whose title sponsor is Winners and presenting sponsor is Teck, is one of the top women’s football programs in the world. The Canadian team was most recently ranked 6th in the world in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking.
Source: CanadaSoccer.com
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