Thursday, 21st December 2006

HEADLINES OF THE DAY

CWC Champ Internacional to Face Nacional in Copa Libertadores

Club World Cup and defending champion Internacional will face Nacional of Uruguay, Emelec of Ecuador and either Argentina's Velez Sarsfield or Danubio of Uruguay in the first round of the Copa Libertadores. The Brazilian club, which beat FC Barcelona for the club world title on Sunday, was placed in Group 4 on Wednesday for South America's continental club championship beginning next month.

Boca Juniors of Argentina and Toluca of Mexico were paired together in Group 7, considered one of the toughest of the eight groups. Boca and Toluca were joined by Bolivar of Bolivia and as-yet-undetermined side from Peru. Boca's crosstown archrival in Buenos Aires, River Plate, will face Copa Sudamericana runner-up Colo Colo of Chile in Group 6 along with Deportivo Caracas of Venezuela and either Tacuary of Paraguay or Liga de Quito of Ecuador. Tacuary and Liga face off in one of six preliminary phase pairings.

The 48th edition of the Copa Libertadores features 38 teams, 35 of them from South America and three from Mexico. The preliminary phase will be played Jan. 24 through Feb. 7, with the six winners advancing to the second round that runs from Feb. 14 until April 25. The subsequent rounds conclude with final leg championship matches June 13 and June 20.

Wednesday's draw at the headquarters of the South American soccer confederation (CONMEBOL) in suburban Asuncion was staged with the help of Boca Juniors goalkeeper Aldo Bobadilla, a Paraguayan, as well as Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo and Peruvian soccer hero Teofilo Cubillas.

Nicolas Leoz, president of the soccer federation Conmebol, closed Wednesday's draw by handing over a replica of the Copa Libertadores trophy to Internacional team executives. He also paid a salute to Elizondo, the Argentine referee who supervised the opening and closing matches at the World Cup in Germany. Elizondo last week announced his retirement. Source: Associated Press published on Fox Sports, International Herald Tribune, 21st December 2006

Copa Libertadores Qualifying Matches Draw

The qualifying games are drawn as follows:

Game 1: Bolivia's Blooming vs Brazil's Santos
Game 2: Argentina's Velez vs Uruguay's Danubio
Game 3: Venezuela's Deportivo Tachira vs a Colombia team
Game 4: Parauguay's Tacuary vs Ecuador's LDU Quito
Game 5: Chile's Cobreloa vs Brazil's Parana
Game 6: A Mexico team vs Peru's Sporting Cristal
Source: People’s Daily Online, 21st December 2006

Squash Confirmed As Commonwealth Games 'Core Sport'

At a recent meeting in Malaysia, the Executive Board of the Commonwealth Games Federation confirmed that Squash would be one of the 'Core Sports' of the Games. The decision came following a detailed report from the Federation's Sports Committee pertaining to the Sports programme of the Games. It was agreed that Squash would be one of ten sports which "shall be obligatory" on the programme – including Athletics, Aquatics (Swimming), Badminton, Boxing, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball (Women), Rugby Sevens (Men) and Weightlifting.

“The Commonwealth Games Sports Programme is proudly 'of and for the Commonwealth of Nations'," said Michael Hooper, Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation. "Squash’s addition to the list of core sports for future editions of the Commonwealth Games is reflective of this and the sport's overall depth and quality within the Commonwealth today.

"Since the sport's introduction to the Games programme in 1998, the level of participation and excellence continues to grow and at the recent Commonwealth Games in Melbourne we saw 29 participating nations. With the commitment to the sport's further development across the Commonwealth by World Squash, we expect to see this continue to rise – we welcome Squash as a core partner within the Commonwealth Games movement.”

Jahangir Khan, the record ten-times British Open champion who is President of the World Squash Federation (WSF), added: "WSF is delighted to be named a Core Sport for future editions of the Commonwealth Games and I would like to thank President Michael Fennell and the team at the CGF for acknowledging Squash's role toward the success of the Games.

"Squash and the Commonwealth Games form a natural partnership because the sport is played in virtually every Commonwealth country - and the level is truly world-class, as demonstrated in Melbourne. "WSF looks forward to working with the CGF to ensure the success of Delhi 2010 and future editions," Khan concluded. Source: Sports Features Communications, 20th December 2006


INFO DIGEST

Timeline – How the English Football ‘Bung’ Scandal Unfolded in 2006

January 11 - Luton Town’s Mike Newell highlights the issue of bungs by criticising agents and claiming that offers of illegal payments are common.

January 18 - Newell meets the Football Association to discuss his claims.

January 24 - Premier League announces an inquiry will be launched into alleged bung payments.

March 3 - Former Metro Police chief Lord Stevens is appointed to head the inquiry. His team of forensic accountants examine 362 transfers made between January 1, 2004 and January 31, 2006.

September 19 – BBC’s ‘Panorama’ alleges Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce received illegal payments. The programme also claims his son Craig and other agents Peter Harrison, Teni Yerima and Charles Collymore were involved in bungs.

September 27 - Colin Gordon, agent for England manager Steve McClaren, claims “tens of millions of pounds has gone out of the game” in corrupt deals and labels his profession as “scum of the earth”.

October 2 - Stevens announces his inquiry has been narrowed to 39 transfers involving eight clubs. He states less than half of the 150 agents contacted have fully co-operated with the inquiry and FA rules may be used to force them to open their bank accounts for inspection.

October 4 - BBC begins process of handing over Panorama evidence to the FA.

December 12 - Stevens delivers his report and recommendations to the Premier League board.
Source: Football Insider, 20th December 2006


SPORTS SHORTS

* Five Hollywood studios have won a court case against a retailer of pirated DVDs in Beijing, China, who has been ordered to pay just RMB164,000 ($21,000). The prosecution against the Yu Hao Qing DVD retail outlet in Beijing, and its parent company, Beijing Century Hai Hong Trading Co. Ltd., was coordinated by the Motion Picture Association (MPA). MPA studios lost US$6.1 billion to worldwide piracy in 2005. Of that, about $1.2 billion came from piracy across the Asia-Pacific region. Source: Worldscreen, 20th December 2006

* The Panama Basketball Federation (FEPABA) has announced an agreement with Wanavu Media that will see the TV network broadcast all national team games, both at home and abroad. Wanavu Media owns the sports portal ChampionshipTV.com and will broadcast both men’s and women’s national team games. The new agreement includes their transmission via Internet or TV. It will also transmit action over the Internet from the domestic Circuito de Baloncesto Superior (CBS) League, which is scheduled to start in April. Source: Sports Media, 20th December 2006

* The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has said that it is not worried about the Colombian bid to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The CBF handed in its official bid last week and was expected to be the only candidate to host the 2014 event. However, Colombia’s president Alvaro Uribe is keen for his country to host the tournament and his federation has now entered the race, despite Brazil’s bid gaining the blessing of the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL). Source: Football Insider, 20th December 2006

* Former Brazil midfielder Juninho Paulista has joined Flamengo from fellow Brazilian club Palmeiras. The 33-year-old is Flamengo's first major reinforcement for next year's South American Libertadores Cup campaign. It will be the second stint at the club for the 2002 World Cup winner, whose career has also taken him to Middlesbrough, Atletico Madrid, Celtic, Sao Paulo and Vasco da Gama. Source: Guardian Unlimited, 13th December 2006

* ESPN has acquired a minority stake in the Arena Football League (AFL) as part of a deal that will give the summer indoor American football league extensive coverage, including games in prime time. ESPN and the AFL have entered into a five-year agreement for a minimum of 26 televised games per season, beginning in 2007. ESPN also gains the right to both show and syndicate AFL games worldwide through ESPN International. The deal also includes extensive multimedia rights. Source: Worldscreen, Seattle Post, The Examiner, Broadcasting & Cable, Media Post, Mediaweek, 19th December, Sports Media, Sport Business, 20th December 2006

* The first half of the 1.Bundesliga season ended on Monday with the last of 306 matches produced live going out on prime time. Production was covered by a host broadcasting company in its first season of operation - Sportcast GmbH. Sportcast, based in Cologne, has produced a full slate of matches in both divisions every week it uses several production partners, including TopVision, WIGE and SBA. The second half of the season kicks off on January 19, with another 306 live matches to go, all live on new pay-TV service Arena with an additional 2.Bundesliga window on DSF. Source: Sports Media, 20th December 2006

* Perth has won the right to host the 2007 international women’s golf event, the Lexus Cup. The event will be held at The Vines Resort and Country Club in December. It was also confirmed Western Australia had secured the first option to host it again in 2010 and 2013. Three days of live television broadcast will carry into Japan, China, and Korea. Source: Sport Business, 20th December 2006


MORE NEWS

Don King: Pacquiao-Barrera 2, DK Hounds Roach

During a recent press dinner in the Philippines, Freddie Roach, trainer of Manny Pacquiao, revealed to the Cebu Sun Star that promoter Don King has been calling almost every day in an effort to sign Pacquiao, who is in the middle of a lawsuit between promotional companies Top Rank and Golden Boy Promtions. Both companies claim the right to promote Pacquiao.

Roach thinks that Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions will win the suit because Top Rank has no legal claim to Pacquiao, who initially signed with Golden Boy, and then signed a contract with Top Rank a few months later. Roach feels that Pacquiao will face Marco Antonio Barrera in his next fight, which should be in April on HBO pay-per-view. The lawsuit, which Roach wants to avoid, could possibly keep Pacquiao away from the ring for up to 6 months. The fight in April against Barrera is the biggest money fight for Pacquiao. Source: Boxing Scene, Sun Star Cebu, 20th December 2006

Asia/Rights: Asia Set For Serie-A Rights Race

Dentsu and Media Partners & Silva Ltd are to issue an invitation to tender (ITT) for the media rights of Italian Serie A soccer in Asia for the three seasons 2007/08 to 2009/10. The two companies have formed a partnership for the co-management and co-distribution of the rights in Asia.

A statement said: “The ITT will be launched in early January 2007 and tenders will be invited from all suitably qualified media companies, including TV broadcasters, cable operators, pay-tv platforms, telecom operators, local agencies and broadband portals. The closing date for submission of proposals is set for January 31. Source: Sport Business, 20th December 2006

Malaysia/General: Kien Keat-Boon Heong Out of Super Series Opening Leg

Asian Games men’s badminton doubles gold medallist Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong are set to miss the Malaysian Open which doubles up as the first leg of the Super Series at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium (KLBA) from Jan 16-21. The pair are currently ranked 119th in the world and it is not enough for them to make the cut for the opening leg. Only the top 60 in the world ranking list of the respective events gets direct entry into the Super Series.

The top 28 go directly into the main while four others will come through the qualifying round, which involved a maximum of 32 players. Replacements are only allowed if those ranked in the top 60 decide to pull out. And once the draw is made, there will be no replacements. In short, the ranking of players will be very important under the highly anticipated Badminton World Federation (BWF)’s Super Series. Source: The Star Malaysia, 19th December 2006

India/New Media: Time Broadband, the new player in Indian TV broadcasting

Time Broadband Services (TBSL) is to launch IPTV services. The company is not part of the Times of India group – it is an independent company founded by three entrepreneurs with a technological background, Sujata Dev, Amit Dev and Tushar Shah. TBSL plans to be in the B2B space and roll out IPTV services called My Time in association with wired telecom service providers such as Tata Telecom, Bharti Teleservices, Reliance Telecom and the state owned BSNL, and MTNL, which has rolled out IPTV services in New Delhi.

TBSL is yet unable to disclose details of a deal with any of these telecom operators. TBSL claims to have around 100 channels on its platform. The USP of My Time will be international special interest channels not available on regular platforms such as DTH or C&S. My Time has positioned itself as a content aggregator and it will be a conduit between telecom operators and the content industry. The services it offers will include interactive games, chat, SMS, polls/voting through television and the soon to be launched video phone through a common delivery platform.

IPTV has witnessed success in most parts of the world – the US, China, Italy and Germany are some of the countries that have seen explosive growth in this sector. The global IPTV market is estimated to be worth US$2 billion and India, with China, is expected to contribute almost half of this growth. Source: Agencyfaqs, Indian Television, 21st December 2006

India/New Media: Maxis readies bid for Hutch Essar

Posing serious competition to the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group, Maxis of Malaysia is finalising a bid for Hutchison Essar, the third largest private mobile operator in India. The Maxis bid has the option of buying Hutchison’s 49 per cent stake in Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd (Orascom owns another 19 per cent and the remaining stock is widely held) or directly acquiring HTIL’s 67 per cent stake (with its associates) in Hutchison Essar.

After the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group and European telecom major Vodafone, Maxis is the third serious suitor for Hutchison Essar. An acquisition will give the successful bidder a strong footprint in India, the world’s fastest growing mobile market. Maxis already has a presence in India after it bought Aircel, which operates mobile services in Tamil Nadu and Chennai, apart from five other circles, and is now looking for a pan-India launch. Source: Agencyfaqs 21st December 2006

China/New Media: IPTV Market Developing Slowly But Surely

China's IPTV market will go through a gradual but solid increase from 2006 to 2010, according to high-tech market research firm In-Stat. The industry environment for IPTV has improved, but the outlook is still not completely positive. Two more IPTV licences have been issued in China, and licence holders have achieved some progress with more local telcos. However, the government agency SARFT maintains tight control over content supervision and is using government policies to level the competition between IPTV and digital cable TV.

"China's IPTV ecosystem is still shaping itself," suggested Rebecca Tan, In-Stat analyst. "The ecosystem participants, centralised around telcos, are trying to find an effective model for co-operation. Telcos currently have to rely on content providers for programming while trying to gain content licences of their own, while content providers, represented by Shanghai Media Group, are managing to control end-users through IPTV." Source: Advanced Television, 20th December 2006

China/Business: Tencent Signs Up For Women's World Cup

FIFA has announced that Tencent Limited has signed up as a National Supporter for the 2007 Women’s World Cup in China, becoming the first Chinese company to do so. The leading provider of Internet services will become one of up to four companies that will enjoy local rights for the top event in women's football, which will kick-off on September 10 and conclude in Shanghai on September 30. Tencent will act as exclusive official Internet services provider in its product category.

Tencent will leverage the portal leadership of QQ.com and 221 million active user accounts of QQ Instant Messaging to promote the event and the official FIFA website across China. In addition, Tencent will provide mobile communication solutions through its instant messaging platforms to facilitate internal communication within the Local Organising Committee and its volunteer network across China.

The 2007 Women's World Cup will feature the top 16 teams from the six confederations at five different venues (Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Tianjin and Wuhan). The tournament has come on in leaps and bounds over the last decade in terms of live and television audiences. In 1999, it was broadcast to 67 countries. Four years later, it was broadcast to 144 countries worldwide, covering nearly 3,000 hours of tournament play, and with a total cumulative TV audience of 526 million worldwide. Source: Football Insider, 20th December 2006

Afghanistan/Broadcaster: Shamshad TV Joins Asiasat 2

Asian satellite communicatsion service provider Asiasat has announced that it has signed a deal with Shamshad TV of Afghanistan. The deal is a lease agreement for the use of C-band capacity on Asiasat 2 to distribute the channel to all broadcast networks across Afghanistan and countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and other parts of Asia.

Shamshad TV has commenced free-to-air broadcasting on Asiasat 2, offering programming in English, Dari and Pashto languages 24 hours a day of content including news, entertainment and educational programmes.

Following the launch of terrestrial broadcast in the country earlier this year, the service is now put our on Asiasat 2 satellite to extend coverage to both urban and rural areas of Afghanistan. It also brings services abroad, serving audience in more 50 countries and regions across the Asia Pacific. With the addition of the new channel onto Asiasat 2’s line up of international programming, the satellite has firmly established itself as Asia's most popular multilingual and multicultural platform for broadcast services across the region.

Shamshad TV was launched early this year from Kabul. The channel provides educational, news, and entertainment programmes in English, Dari and Pashto languages. Its production studio and broadcast station are located in Kabul and provide digital terrestrial transmission and satellite transmission to both urban and rural areas of Afghanistan as well as other countries in Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. Source: Indian Television, 20th December 2006


ARTICLES, COMMENTS & OPINIONS

The Balance of Power in South America Shifted in '06

Now tell me it wasn't a shocker. Internacional's stunning 1-0 victory over Barcelona in the title game of the FIFA Club World Cup sent a message around the world: Soccer's balance of power is shifting toward clubs with a greater hunger to succeed. Inter's victory may well be the success story of the year if you're the kind of person who loves giant upsets on the biggest stages. It's always great to see top two sides battle it out, particularly when the stakes are so high. South American clubs cherish the opportunity to show their skill to the world, especially at the expense of one of Europe's most lucrative clubs.

Much of the reason behind the recent success of South American clubs is the outstanding internal quality of its major competitions, the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. These events have only increased in prominence in recent years, and their exciting formats mean that several different clubs are beginning to inflict pressure on the traditional heavyweights and are coming out on top.

This year was no exception, and no matter your vantage point, the continent has experienced numerous surprises. It all started in August when Internacional hoisted the Copa Libertadores after an amazing run that saw it edge out defending champion São Paulo in the final. The Porto Alegre-based club hadn't qualified for the competition in 12 years, but all of a sudden it was sweeping aside the top club in the tournament en route to the title. Inter's stunner over Ronaldinho's Barça last weekend only justified the achievement.

The year of the underdog has seen many South American clubs come back into the spotlight after long periods in mediocrity. Not only in Brazil, but also in Argentina -- a country whose league has mostly been dominated by its wealthier clubs. The conclusion of the season provided a shock of the highest magnitudes as cash-strapped Estudiantes de La Plata came from behind to snatch the title away from overwhelming favorite Boca Juniors.

Clearly the balance of power in South American competitions is shifting toward the direction of those clubs that have been starved for recognition in recent years, despite having experienced glorious pasts. The reason: Clubs are beginning to understand that there are several elements that characterize a championship team, with the most important being skill, attitude and determination.

Internacional is the prime example of this rebellion. Not only did the Colorado defeat a star-studded Barcelona side, but they did so with awesome temperament. Inter made history in superb fashion, and although deemed inferior when compared to its imposing opposition, it lived up to the expectations of its massive following back home. Said attacking midfielder Iarley, whose picture-perfect pass led to Luis Adriano's late goal, "The matches are won on the field, not with one's name."

Inter's victory once again verified that Brazilian clubs are still the most poised to win these kind of tournaments. Since the first club world championship in 2000, Brazilian clubs have had a tight lock on things. Despite the ongoing exodus of top players to Europe, its clubs continue to succeed, a trend many credit to the wealth of homegrown talent that continues to grow in Brazil.

The past year soccer was turned on its ear in South America, as clubs who haven't been consistently successful in recent years took center stage. While some clubs have proven that fighting spirit can always replace quality, Internacional went a further step to outline the main concept behind winning a major title. The Brazilians not only reaffirmed that determination is still a defining factor in the game, but also a quality that can get the best out of any club. Gregory Sica comments on Sports Illustrated, 20th December 2006

Premier Clubs Get TV Rights Lift

The Premier League sweetened the mood among club chairmen awaiting the findings of the Stevens bungs report yesterday by issuing an update on its overseas television rights sales. In an email circulated to senior club executives its chief executive, Richard Scudamore, revealed that the income from international rights sales stands at £600m and counting, an increase of 50% on the last three-year deal.

With several territories yet to settle deals, the astonishing rise in the overseas revenue will nudge the total income from the 2007-2010 rights towards the £3bn mark, a figure that will make the gulf between the top flight and the Championship even greater. It will also cause tremors of anxiety in mainland Europe where the impact of the Premiership's wealth is already being felt in the Champions League.

The timing of the £600m email is surely not coincidental, given the febrile climate that preceded publication of Stevens' findings, but in truth the club chairmen had little to fear from the report. It effectively cleared them of any wrongdoing despite the fact that 17 transfers in which their clubs were involved are still considered potentially crooked. Paul Kelso comments on The Guardian, 21st December 2006