Thursday, 24th May 2007

HEADLINES OF THE DAY

Chile Presents Bid for 2011 Copa America

Chile has submitted a bid for soccer’s Copa America, the South American national teams competition, in 2011. Michelle Bachelet, the president of Chile, met Nicolas Leoz, the president of Conmebol, South American soccer’s governing body, yesterday to present the candidature. Leoz said the interest of Chile’s head of state in the competition was a positive sign for sport in the country. Hugo Chavez Frias, the president of Venezuela, made a similar approach to Conmebol in 2004 and it was subsequently awarded this year's event.

Chile is the only country to have made a concrete bid for the 2011 competition. This year’s event will take place from June 26 to July 15. OleOle.com, the online event packages and hospitality services firm, has agreed a deal to become the official hospitality partner for the 2007 Copa America. The company will offer exclusive hospitality packages to businesses and individuals. The packages include pre-match entertainment, catering and match tickets. Source: Sportcal, 23rd May 2007

Devils Hope Problems Will be Solved Soon

Manchester United hopes that the issues surrounding their trip to Malaysia will be resolved by the relevant parties. The club said in a statement posted on their website that they held a series of meetings in Kuala Lumpur yesterday with the Youth and Sports Ministry, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) concerning the match, scheduled to be played in Kuala Lumpur on July 27.

“This match is a key element of Malaysia’s celebrations of its 50 years of independence and presents a marvellous opportunity for us to play in front of our many Malaysian fans,” the club said. “Unfortunately new information has come to the club’s attention today concerning the FAM’s agreement with the AFC to act as host for the Asian Cup, which means the club cannot play the game without the official approval of the AFC. “The club hopes the issues can be resolved to ensure that this celebration match can take place as planned.” Source: The Star, 23rd May 2007

Related Excerpts: Manchester United’s Tour of Malaysia

Source: Manchester United Official, 23rd May 2007
Manchester United has had a series of meetings today with the Malaysian Youth and Sports Ministry, The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) concerning the planned match in Kuala Lumpur on 27 July 2007. This match is a key element of the Malaysian Government’s celebrations of its 50 years of independence and presents a marvellous opportunity for us to play in front of our many Malaysian fans. Unfortunately new information has come to the Club’s attention today concerning the FAM’s agreement with the AFC to act as host for the Asian Cup, which means the Club cannot play the game without the official approval of the AFC. The Club hopes that the issues can be resolved by the relevant parties to ensure that this celebration match can take place as planned. A further announcement will be made in due course.

Source: The New Straits Times, 23rd May 2007
Football Association of Malaysia deputy president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad, met Manchester United chief executive David Gill and English Premier League chairman Dave Richards separately, said he was sad the match won’t be held. "We tried to reach an amicable solution. In fact, I requested that United come two days later but they said it’s not possible. "There is nothing much we can do at this point in time," he said. Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Hammam also met Gill and Richards at AFC House in Bukit Jalil yesterday. It is learnt that he had put all the cards on the table, including the contract provisions FA of Malaysia had signed to host the Asian Cup.

Source: Bernama Newswire, 23rd May 2007
Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has asked for the AFC to give Malaysia a special exemption to allow the EPL champions, Manchester United, to play the friendly as scheduled on July 27.

Source: Fox Sport Australia, 23rd May 2007
Asia's football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam has asked Manchester United officials to reschedule the club's July 27 match against a Malaysia XI to avoid a clash with the Asian Cup. Hammam met United chief executive David Gill and English Premier League chairman David Richards in the Malaysian capital overnight in a bid to resolve a tense situation which could result in legal action being taken against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

Source: Shanghai Daily, 24th May 2007
Manchester United and Asian soccer's governing body failed to reach an immediate agreement to end the standoff over the English champion's proposed Asian tour, despite a lengthy meeting between the two in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The Malaysian government, meanwhile, insisted it wants United to play as planned on July 27 in Kuala Lumpur. The Asian Football Confederation has urged the newly crowned Premier League champion to postpone its four-country Asian tour over fears it will detract from the finals of the July 7-29 AFC Asian Cup.

Source: Channel News Asia, 24th May 2007
Malaysia is pushing ahead with hosting a friendly match with Manchester United in July, despite strong opposition from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The government made this decision after no compromise was reached in a meeting of the affected parties in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. The President of the Asian Football Confederation refused to budge, despite a personal visit by the Manchester United chief executive and the FA Premier League chairman. With no compromise in sight, the Malaysian cabinet gave its support to the Football Association of Malaysia.


SPORTS SHORTS

* Taiwan's National Communications Commission announced that it will amend fixed-network telecommunication regulations to include operation of multimedia platforms, allowing existing cable TV operators to operate IPTV and local voice communications through their cable TV networks. The amendment will allow qualified cable TV operators to run independent multimedia platforms to provide data services and allow programme channels to deliver contents. Basic requirement is a minimum of 400,000 subscribers. Source: Advanced Television, 23rd May 2007

* Shanghai Media Group is expected to launch broadcast of the country's first Mobile TV service. The company is preparing for China's eventual rollout of 3G wireless services - expected ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Dragon New Media, a unit of SMG, has formed partnerships with China Mobile Group and China Unicom Group to focus on mobile TV services. SMG and larger rival China Central Television (CCTV) have both won nationwide mobile TV permits. Source: Advanced Television, 23rd May 2007

* Roger Federer, world number one male tennis player, is to take on retired star Pete Sampras in three exhibition matches in Asia later this year. Federer will meet the American, a 14-time grand slam winner, in the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 22 and in Macau on November 24. The location for their first contest on November 20 is yet to be determined. The tour is being organised by IMG Tennis Asia, a division of international sports agency IMG. Source: Sportcal, All Headline News, ESPN, Aljazeera English, The Star Malaysia, 23rd May 2007

* Following Fox Sports’ report yesterday that the billion dollar television deal between ESPN Star Sports and International Cricket Council is in danger of collapsing, the cricket market today went into a tizzy. When contacted by Indiantelevision.com, ESS executives said the delay was on account of technical issues which are being sorted out and all financial arrangements are in place. Was ESS renegotiating the deal? The official answer is no, says an ESS spokesman. Source: Indian Television, 23rd May 2007

* Queensbury Media has been appointed to market international television rights to the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships in Thailand. RS International Broadcasting and Sports Management will be the host broadcaster for the event, which takes place in Chiang Mai from September 16 to 26, and a first-ever high definition production is promised. Queensbury Media produced the 2006 world weightlifting championships for Eurosport and NTV Russia, and has also been involved in European and world boxing championships. Source: Sportcal, 23rd May 2007

* Infront Sports and Media has reportedly agreed to pay between €12 million ($16.2 million) and €15 million per year to the German Skiing Association to distribute media rights to FIS World Cup events held in the country. The four-year deal will see Swiss-based Infront market the rights to events in alpine, Nordic and freestyle skiing and snowboarding until then end of the 2010-11 season. The rights were previously owned by Media Partners, the Italian sports agency acquired by Infront last October in a deal worth around €130 million. Source: Sportcal, 23rd May 2007

* Media Partners has now officially become Infront Italy. The company was rebranded eight months after it was purchased by Infront Sports & Media. MP Web, the new media company of Media Partners Group, will also be relaunched as Infront Advanced Media Solutions. Source: Sports Media, Sport Business, Sports e-Media, 23rd May 2007

* Canadian commercial broadcaster CTV and cable sports channel Rogers Sportsnet have secured rights to the National Football League for the next 3 seasons. CTV has secured the rights to the early-afternoon games, the playoffs and the climatic Super Bowl, while Rogers will show the late-afternoon game. The two are reported to have paid between C$10 million ($9.2 million) and C$15 million per year for rights. Global, which had held rights to Sunday games, playoffs and Super Bowl for decades, is left out of the picture. Source: Sportcal, Worldscreen, Globe & Mail, 23rd May 2007

* Arsenal will become the latest club to launch a television channel. The London-based club aims to introduce the paid-for service on an existing broadcast platform before the end of the year. The station will run for six hours a day, five days a week, and feature archive footage, match action and original material. It will also run the existing Arsenal TV show and the club's website, 60% of subscribers of which are based overseas. Other British clubs with television channels are Manchester United, Chelsea, Celtic and Rangers. Source: Sportcal, 23rd May 2007

* ESPNsoccernet is launching an online video football news service called Soccernet SportsCenter. The website will provide 3-min video new round-ups on a daily basis, covering leading global football news stories. ESPNsoccernet recently offered exclusive video interviews with David Beckham and Jose Mourinho via the website, but the new service will be available to view every morning. The bulletin will be hosted by Georgie Bingham, who previously worked for the BBC, ITV and Sky, and now hosts the ESPN SportCenter Atlantic TV show. Source: Sports Media, 23rd May 2007

* Honda’s F1 team has become the first to offer fans a dedicated WAP site. Throughout the 2007 season on UK’s ITV1, fans will be prompted to access the Honda WAP site by texting a keyword to a short-code. On the WAP site, users can also order brochures, book test drives, locate their nearest Honda dealer in the UK, and more. Content downloads include; ringtones, screen savers and wallpapers, which will be updated regularly to reflect the latest Honda action in the F1 Grand Prix season. Source: Content Futures, 23rd May 2007

* FIBA is threatening to suspend English players from its competitions unless the UK government withdraws plans to take more control of the sport. A FIBA official has branded the plans to set up a new British governing body to replace the British Federation as "abusive". FIBA has taken exception to the level of government interference. The governing body will ban English players from its competitions from June 15, which would prevent Britain's best men and women from playing in the qualifiers for the 2009 European finals. Source: Sport Business, Sportcal, 23rd May 2007

* The Hawk-Eye replay technology will be used at Wimbledon tennis championships on Centre Court and Court No. 1, organizers said after testing the procedure on grass. Using Hawk-Eye for the first time may benefit players on grass because the ball skids and usually doesn't leave marks. The marks are most noticeable on clay, the surface for the French Open and the only major that doesn't use instant replay. At Roland Garros in Paris, a referee can be asked after each point to physically check where the ball bounced. Source: Bloomberg, 23rd May 2007


MORE NEWS

Mid-East/Rights: Showtime Scores New Rugby Deal

Pay-TV network Showtime Arabia has taken up the “multi-year” rights to the SANZAR rugby union package which includes the Tri Nations, The Currie Cup, The Air New Zealand Cup, the 2009 British and Irish Lions Tour of South Africa, the Tri Nations tournament and the home international matches of leading rugby nations Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The agreement also secures coverage of the Super 14 competition on Showtime Arabia. This year’s edition of the popular provincial rugby competition featuring teams from Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand was won by the Bulls after the team beat the Sharks 20-19 in the final on Saturday. The broadcaster also covers the RBS (sponsor) 6 Nations, all home internationals of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland, the Guinness Premiership, The Magners League and the IRB Sevens circuit.

Later this year Showtime Arabia will air coverage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, and the network recently acquired rights to English Premier League football for the next three seasons. “Showtime is the home of rugby and adding these broadcast rights to our already strong and exclusive rugby offering provides our customers with the best rugby from both hemispheres all year round,” said Andy Warkman, head of sports at Showtime. Source: Sports Media, 23rd May 2007

Malaysia/General: Finances Key to Night Grand Prix in Malaysia

Cost will be a determining factor on whether F1’s Malaysian Grand Prix becomes a night race after 2010, according to the country’s minister for youth and sport. Azalina Othman Said said: ‘Staging an F1 race is an expensive affair for the government… we have to see how well we can benefit from the event and what kind of development it can bring to motor sport in the country. Ultimately our dream is to see more Malaysian F1 drivers in Formula 1 racing.’

Singapore is due to stage the first night grand prix in 2008 and countries in Asia are being encouraged to follow suit so that their races can be held at a convenient time for European television audiences. Mokhzani Mahatir, the chairman of Sepang International Circuit, the venue for the Malaysian race, said efforts were being made to ascertain the viability of a night race.

He told the Bernama news agency: ‘We are actually studying what kind of light would be suitable, the security aspects, which will certainly be our top priority, and a few other things before anything can be firmed up.’ Formula 1 promoter Bernie Ecclestone indicated this week that the Australian Grand Prix, held at Albert Park in Melbourne, could disappear from the calendar in the future if the race cannot be held at night. Source: Sportcal, 23rd May 2007

Elsewhere/Business: Champions League Triumph is Worth £67 Million

Liverpool and AC Milan will battled it out for a windfall of up to £67 million at the 2007 UEFA Champions League final in Athens, according to research commissioned by MasterCard. KRC Research assembled 12 of leading football and business experts, from England, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Croatia, on behalf of MasterCard. The experts found that a winning club is likely to enjoy increased sponsorship, TV revenue, gate receipts and player value - although the estimated reward of up to £67 million is less than many top clubs have spent on transfers and wages in the past few seasons.

The findings also suggest good news for the victorious club's home city. When Liverpool won the 2005 final, the city of Liverpool benefited from an estimated £47 million cash injection over the following year, through increased consumer spending, tourism, sponsorship and commerce. FC Porto also enjoyed a financial boost after its 2004 win, with the Portuguese city estimated to have raked in up to £8 million. The research also found that the home cities of UEFA Champions League-winning clubs profit more from the success of their local team if they are small or relatively unknown. Larger cities such as Milan, Barcelona or London, are said to benefit least from a local club lifting the title.

The Champions League and the European Championship have both seen rapid growth in popularity since MasterCard began its association with UEFA in 1992. They are now ranked among the biggest sporting competitions in the world, with nearly 50% of the audience for the Champions League’s 2004-05 season coming from outside Europe. Source: Football Insider, Sport Business, 23rd May 2007