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Vietnam's assistant coach sacked over fixing

Vietnamese team assistant coach Le Thuy Hai has been sacked as head coach of top V-League outfit Da Nang for ‘dereliction of duty’ leading to match-rigging in the recent SEA Games, reported AFCMedia.

The sacking was confirmed by Director of the Da Nang sports department, Le Nguyen Hong, to Thanh Nien newspaper, days after after a Da Nang footballer, Quoc Anh, was arrested for match fixing and two others, Hai Lam and Phuoc Vinh, were questioned by the police.

Le Thuy Hai, assistant coach under Austrian Alfred Riedl, is alleged to have known about the fixing plans from captain Tai Em well before a SEA Games game but failed to act or inform the coach.

See also: Vietnam FA VP resigns, FIFA fines hits players (28 Dec) and Latest football match-fixing "must be eliminated" (18 Oct).

Sports events dominate global TV broadcasting

The US Super Bowl, the European Champions League and Formula One's Canadian Grand Prix each drew more than 50 million viewers in 2005, proving that top sports programs are among the few remaining in a fragmenting TV landscape to deliver large global audiences for advertisers.

Ninety-three million people tuned in to watch Super Bowl XXXIX between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles but 98 percent of them were from North America, according to data released by media buying and planning firm Initiative, a unit of Interpublic Group.

By comparison, Liverpool's 3-2 penalty shoot-out victory over AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League Final attracted an average audience of 73 million viewers spread across dozens of countries. The Canadian Grand Prix drew 51 million.

"The reality of which events are most popular are different than most consumers' perspectives," said Kevin Alavy, the senior analyst behind the Initiative research. "I would wager that in Europe people would be a little bit surprised that the Super Bowl is number one because it draws its audience from only one market," he said, as reported by Jeffrey Goldfarb of Reuters.

The remaining seven events in the top 10 -- which included the men's 100 metres final in the World Athletics Championships, pro basketball's NBA Finals, baseball's World Series and cycling's Tour de France -- all had audiences less than half that of the Grand Prix.

In even-numbered years, when either the FIFA World Cup or the European Football Championships are played, they typically outdraw the Super Bowl, with the Euro 2004 final, for example, boasting an average audience of 153 million people.

"For the vast majority of genre and other programming, audience is declining because of fragmentation, digital video recorders and commercial clutter, but some of the sports programming is becoming more powerful with every year that passes," Alavy said.

"I would expect that for these sports programs, it will become yet more expensive to buy 30-second commercials," he added. A 30-second Super Bowl commercial in 2005 cost US$ 2.4 million.

Matchfixing Madness Elsewhere

Jamie Trecker of the Fox Soccer Channel (USA) reminded his viewers that corruption and football match fixing is a perennial problem, world wide.

He noted that a match fixing case and the conviction of six men overall as a result dominated headlines in Germany throughout the year. Referee Hoyzer was ultimately banned for life from football and sentenced to two years and four months in jail. Another referee, Dominik Marks, was given an 18-month suspended sentence while former player Steffen Karl was given a nine-month suspended sentence.

“Two Czech refs await trial for attempting to influence a game this season; a Finnish newspaper has reported that its league is rife with corruption (one team, Allianssi lost a game suspiciously 8-0); and Belgium is investigating Chinese businessman Zheyun Ye for attempted bribery in connection to club Germinal Beerschot. Ye, perhaps predictably, was also the main owner of AC Allianssi,” he reported.

See also: Latest football match-fixing "must be eliminated" (18 Oct).

Singapore resigns coach Avramovic for two years

The Football Association of Singapore has announced that former Oman coach Radojko Avramovic has signed a further two-year contract as Singapore's national team coach. His extension follows that of four other staff coaches, Robert Lim, Lee Bee Seng, V Sundramoorthy and Kadir Yahaya. “FAS is delighted to have secured the commitment of the coaches,” said FAS General Secretary, John Koh. “We are looking forward to build towards greater success, not only from our national team, but also our developmental youth teams, in the years to come."

The 56-year-old Serbo-Montenegrin took charge of Singapore in 2003 and despite some poor results during his first year in reign, the former Yugoslavia national goalkeeper lead the island republic to a 5-2 aggregate victory over Indonesia in the Tiger Cup final in January 2005. Singapore is currently ranked 14th in Asia and is the top South East Asian team in the December 2005 FIFA World Ranking.

“I have started something here in Singapore and I want to finish it. We have started to change the face of the national team and that job is not finished yet," Avramovic was quoted by the FAS website.

"We are building a team for the future and 2006 will be a very important year for us. We have the Asian Cup qualifiers, possibly the Asian Games, as well as to defend the ASEAN Football Federation Championship (formerly the Tiger Cup). With everybody getting behind the Lions, I am confident that we can do well.”

Indian football academy converts to Western food

Gone are the days of biryani, kebabs and north Indian food from the menu of Tata Football Academy cadets, Jayesh Thaker reported in The Telegraph. “Western fare, pasta, spaghetti and baked beans, comprise the new diet chart for the budding footballers”.

TFA sources said the new diet chart was prepared in consultation with a dietician and a nutritionist. “Western fares carry more fibre, which will help cadets maintain a healthy diet. Most of them have started relishing it after, of course, initial complaints,” they added.

TFA chief Satish Pillai confirmed the academy had been planning to introduce Western food for quite some time. “It is better to make the cadets habituated with western food as most of them represent the country for soccer tournaments abroad,” he said.

See also: Important findings on football nutrition and fitness (30 Nov)

Vietnam FA VP resigns, FIFA fines hits players

A vice chairman of the Vietnam Football Federation has resigned following allegations of match-fixing by players in the recent South East Asian Games. Vietnam beat Myanmar 1-0 after some Vietnamese players appeared to slow down their play and Vietnamese police are also investigating allegations of an attempt to fix another match with Malaysia that Vietnam won 2-1.

Federation vice chairman Le The Tho’s resignation has already been accepted, AFP reported. Tho was quoted as saying he was quitting because of unfair allegations. “Some newspapers carried inaccurate information aimed at undermining my reputation ... I voluntarily resign from the VFF standing committee,” he said.

Two Vietnamese footballers jailed last week for further interrogation over the SEA Games 23 match fixing, Pham Van Quyen and Le Quoc Vuong, will be each fined US$ 23,000 by world’s football governing body, FIFA. The Vietnam Football Federation will be responsible for paying the fine in case the two footballers fail to cover it, according to FIFA regulations.

FIFA rules stipulate that a footballer who is confirmed of match fixing by authorities will be fined for CHF15,000, and any of its members must send a report to FIFA after attending every international football tournament including invitational tournaments.

However, Vietnam will not be stripped of football silver medal it earned at SEA Games 23 because none of the regulations of the South East Asian Games cover match fixing, Thanh Nien reported.

SEA Games organizers in the Philippines said they were disappointed by the revelations but pleased that Vietnam had brought the matter under investigation.

"I'm saddened by the fact that there are these kind of athletes that competed in the SEA Games, but at the same time I'm glad the Vietnamese officials were able to discover and bring this matter to the attention of the police," Philippine Olympic Committee chairman Robert Aventajado told Associated Press in Manila.

The VFF has received warm support from FIFA for its efforts to clean up Vietnamese football. “With football matches happening 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s possible for a match-fixing epidemic to strike anytime. We don’t live in a perfect world, so the responsibility falls to national football federations to work together with FIFA to preserve the pureness of football,” FIFA Secretary General Urs Linsi previously commented.

See also: Vietnam SEA Games footballers jailed for graft (25 Dec) and Latest football match-fixing "must be eliminated" (18 Oct).

Chinese football "clean and entertaining" in 2005

Most Chinese Super League games “were clean and entertaining” in 2005, Xinhua has reported. "Most clubs and players have returned to rational thinking after last year's problems which actually was because we failed to address the issues that have emerged in the past 10 years of professional league," China Football Association deputy president Xie Yalong told the state newsagency.

"They are more sensible now and more friendly toward fans. The general atmosphere is calm and favorable for the sport. However, it is not until we see good results at the 2008 Beijing Olympics that we can say that Chinese football is back in reckoning. Then we must fight to advance to the 2010 World Cup finals and ensure we are on the right path for a glorious future," he said.

See also: 2006 comings and goings in China Super League (3 Dec) and China Super League kicks off 2006 with more teams (26 Nov)

Withe on problems of raising Indonesian standards

Peter Withe, Indonesia's national football coach, believes the tragedy of the 26 December 2004 earthquake and tsunamis caused his team's slump in the final of the 2004/05 Tiger Cup against Singapore. “It was a huge occasion,” he told Richard Edwards of The Times. “And although some of the players had obviously been through a lot, I stressed the importance of putting the disaster to the back of their minds and concentrating on their football.”

The former Aston Villa and England striker, scorer of the only goal in Aston Villa’s European Cup triumph over Bayern Munich in 1982, lost friends in the disaster "but knew that football could play a key role" in lifting a nation united in grief. “They’re football daft over here and the atmosphere was incredible,” he said. “I think in the end, though, the pressure of the occasion was too much for us. We ended up losing 5-2 over the two matches but I think in a small way we’d helped put a smile back on people’s faces.”

Withe then arranged charity matches to raise funds for victims of the natural disasters. “There was a match at the start of March for which I managed to bring over the likes of Mark Walters, Phil Neal and Ronnie Whelan,” he said. “Careca and Dunga also played and it was a fantastic occasion. Later that month we played another fund-raising match in Perth after being approached by the Australian FA ... A friend of mine from HSBC has been instrumental in the setting up of a portable hospital in Banda Aceh and FIFA are running a number of schemes aimed at rebuilding the infrastructure,” he said.

Despite the promising second position in the Tiger Cup and identifying several up-and-coming players, Boaz Salossa, Mahyadi Panggabean and Ilham Jayakesuma, Withe led Indonesia to a disappointing fourth place in the recent South East Asian Games, an Under 23 tournament that he won twice when manager of the Thailand national side.

Referring to only having one month's preparation after the end of the match-heavy Indonesian League, Withe further told Moch. N. Kurniawan of The Jakarta Post that the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) "must make a league schedule that also refers to the timetable of the national team so that the league can supply the national team with good and fresh players."

He also mentioned the problem of young Indonesian players unable to secure playing time at their national league club teams due to the presence of foreign players. However his call for a lower limit on the number of foreigners allowed on each team has since been rejected by PSSI which has actually increased the number permitted from four to five for 2006.

"It's true, commented The Jakarta Post, "that the influx of foreign players, especially from South America, as well as the poor physical and technical standards at the club level, have lowered the standard of national soccer."

However Withe remains positive: “I was brought in to raise standards and improve levels of professionalism, which is happening,” he said. “The main problem is identifying players for the national side. There are 220 million people in Indonesia, so monitoring different players is extremely hard. Who knows what the future holds, but we’re getting there."

See also: Deputy chosen for jailed Indonesian FA president (1 Dec) and Withe on Indonesian and Thai prospects (7 Aug).

Player takes Indian club to FIFA for 'withheld' fees

Togolese footballer Glay Yao Rodrigue has complained to the world football body, FIFA, that his former Indian club, Mohun Bagan, is yet to pay his dues. Sources quoted by Press Trust of India said Rodrigue alleged in a three-page missive that the club had forcibly got his signature on some papers, which wrongfully said that he had sought release from the club. (Pictured: Mohun Bagan captain Mehtab Hussain makes a point to Rodrigue).

Rodrigu claimed he had only wanted a short leave to celebrate Christmas at home and bring his wife and son to India. Soon after, Mohun Bagan released him without clearing his dues, Rodrigue alleged. His letter to FIFA was also sent to the Asian Football Confederation and All Indian Football Association.

Denying the accusations, Mohun Bagan general secretary Anjan Mitra claimed that the club has paid the player all his dues. "If FIFA writes to us, we will furnish all the documents," he said.

According to PTI, Mohun Bagan caught the ire of FIFA once before when several of their foreign recruits, George Ekeh, Essah Musah Erojie, Yajubu and Abdullatif Seriki, filed complaints with FIFA for 'non-payment of dues'.

FIFA then imposed a ban on the club recruiting foreigners and Mohun Bagan was forced to pay up Rs 1,500,000 as payment of arrears to the foreigners and also give a written undertaking that such things would not be repeated.

Thawani on Indian football, Zee, FIFA, marketing

While hockey is considered to be a more national sport in India than football, the latter popular in “two and a half states” (West Bengal, Kerala and Goa), the early results that new football broadcaster Zee Sports got for the 2005 Federation Cup were sensational, Nimbus Communications Ltd chairman Harish Thawani told Indian Television.

“I suspect that the National Football League will see a huge momentum going for football. Despite the All India Football Federation changing its mind 20 times over and getting less than what they could have got for the rights if they had been sensible about it they still got some serious money into the sport. Football had its first year of genuinely making some inroads into the Indian television market. It became a distant but very visible number two sport,” he said.

“Over the first three years it will be a fairly robust second sport - still distant from cricket but by 2007 we feel that football will start making its mark in more than just three states. I want to see the NFL numbers in 2006 because then we will know what the trend is. If four of five more states start pulling in numbers we will have a powerful number two sport at a very low cost.

“Regionalisation of commentary is something that we as the producers are actively telling Zee Sports to go in for. Languages like Punjabi, Bengali will work and we can do an audio multiplex. The AIFF is working hard to improve the structure and pull in bigger teams to play. This will be important in pushing the sport past the three strongholds,” he said.

Thawani disclosed that Nimbus Sport is one of five companies in the final round of negotiations to represent FIFA for Asian rights marketing. The others are Infront, the incumbent, Dentsu, Wharf Cable and Sportfive. “Rumour has it that the five parties made a minimum guarantee of in excess of $300 million,” he said.

He also declined to recognize sports marketing as an industry, claiming that “other than IMG and Nimbus”, marketing agencies “are one-man and two-man outfits” which “operate as opportunistic brokerages” without “investments in infrastructure, personnel” and “not willing to take the capital intensive risks that are required to succeed in the sports marketing business”.

Bhutan lacks the coaching to build confidence

"Severely lacking in agility, strength, speed and in techniques of modern [football] playing, the Bhutanese team had the sympathy of the FIFA appointed match commissioner and match officials at the People's Sports Complex in Karachi, Pakistan - the 33,000 capacity stadium that remained empty whenever Bhutan was playing," Gopilal Acharya of Kuensel newsagency commented after the South Asian Football Federation Championships.

He also reported that Bhutan's national players seemed to lack confidence playing against teams it had played before in the past.

“Confidence comes from training and we had very little of that,” team captain Jigme Singye told Kuensel. He said the team did 20 days of 'fitness' training for the championship which basically involved running about. And for exposure, the team took part in a local tournament in Sikkim, India. “We should move away from just participating to competing with higher hopes,” said another national player.

According to striker Pema Chophel, if the team had improved from the past it was because of the efforts of a Dutch coach and two Korean coaches. Since mid-last year, the national team has been without an outside coach.

A BFF official told Kuensel that the foreign coaches had been provided free as technical assistance. “BFF is not in a position to hire foreign coaches, that would cost about US$ 5,000 a month,” he said.

FIFA awarded the Bhutanese team the 'fair play' trophy. Not a single Bhutanese player received yellow card, for foul-play, through the round-robin section of the SAFF tournament.

See also: Bhutan drops out of youth games because of exams (23 Nov).

Vietnam SEA Games footballers jailed for graft

Two Vietnam national footballers under arrest for alleged match-fixing, will be detained by police for four months for further investigation, under a decision approved by prosecutors. The national Under-23 team's leading striker Pham Van Quyen and midfielder Le Quoc Vuong are accused of seeking to arrange results of matches during the South East Asia Games in the Philippines earlier this month.

Van Quyen has admitted to police his role in match-fixing attempts, media reported. "Please forgive me and give me a way to return. I promise not to take part in negative activities any more. I wish I can get back to the football field,'"Van Quyen said in an interview recorded by state-run television. Van Quyen was quoted in the police-run An Ninh Thu Do newspaper as telling investigators he received 20 million dong (US$ 1,260) from Vuong for helping him fix the game.

Police also summoned a former player of the national team, Nguyen Phi Hung, for questioning. He is suspected of playing a key role in the case. Hung, as well as Van Quyen and Quoc Vuong, are all drawn from the Song Lam Nghe An football club which has provided many players to the national team.

State media has also mounted concerted attacks on Vietnam Football Federation vice chairman Le The Tho over the fraud allegations. "Tho should have been more active in cooperating with authorised agencies to punish those that stepped on the nation's honour," said the youth daily Thanh Nien, which has led a media onslaught against graft in Vietnamese football.

Tho, who was in charge of the Under-23 team during the games, told VFF officials that he only learned of match-fixing attempts two minutes before the match with Myanmar, the newspaper said. However, he did not inform other officials nor the national coach, Austrian Alfred Riedl. "Tho must be held accountable for the fact that many players had gambled, and organised results in several matches," Thanh Nien commented.

Vietnamese football is under intense scrutiny, with police already investigating fraud allegations implicating some 90 referees, coaches and players in the professional V-League.

See also: Vietnam PM calls for police speed on match fixing (21 Dec) and Latest football match-fixing "must be eliminated" (18 Oct).

FIFA and AFC fund repairs to Aceh's main stadium

FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation are financing major repairs to the Banda Aceh’s Lampineung Stadium damaged by the 26 December 2005 earthquake and tsunamis that devasted the western-most province of Indonesia. “We have to thank FIFA for helping us in our time of need,” said Burhanudin Amin, a Persiraja FC official supervising the works on the 15,000-seat stadium. “Without them, this club would have died in the tsunami,” he told Slobodan Lekic of Associated Press.

The stadium was first badly damaged by the earthquake then submerged by the huge wave, leaving only the "forlorn-looking goalposts" standing. Spanish and other troops who arrived a few days later with heavy equipment to help with rescue and relief operations, further damaged the site. They bivouacked at the stadium, setting up makeshift warehouses for humanitarian supplies on the pitch.

FIFA and the AFC launched a US$10.5 million Tsunami Solidarity Fund for football infrastructure reconstruction in areas affected by the tsunami. AP reported this included financing for numerous projects in Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Thailand, where a Tsunami Memorial Football Centre will be built. In the Maldives, relief financing was directed into repairs to the damaged headquarters of the national football body and their training centre, while in Sri Lanka 13 separate reconstruction projects were funded.

The Lampineung Stadium repairs, as with football pitches in the outlying towns of Bireun and Langsa, are to facilitate the return to national competition of the province's three leading teams

However Nuzuli Ibrahim, deputy head of the Indonesian Sports Confederation in Aceh, told AP that despite the help received so far, it was still difficult to reconstruct the teams and get the players motivated to participate. “The teams are not back to speed,” he said. “Players have not played in a long time, coaches have left, stadiums are still unfinished and money is short to support the program.”

But on an optimistic note, Nuzuli said help was still arriving, sometimes in unexpected forms. “For instance, Bosnia – another country familiar with tragedy – had just offered to send a coach, and maybe a couple of players to help out Persiraja with their return to league competition,” he said.

See also: Football assists tsunami and earthquake victims (23 Dec)

Australia's year of 'destiny' not just for World Cup

In their end-of-year message to the "football family", Football Federation Australia chairman, Frank Lowry (pictured right) and CEO, John O'Neill (pictured left), report on a year of sensational growth for football at the national level in Australia:

The performance of the Australian team in Montevideo on 12 November followed by the “date with destiny” on 16 November 2005 "will be long remembered by football fans and proud Australians generally" but "qualification was always just a step on the path, however, and we will certainly not be going to Germany to 'make up the numbers'. Intensive planning is continuing to provide the team with the ideal preparation and support to give them the best possible opportunity to perform at their best at the World Cup."

On Australia's transfer to the Asian Football Confederation, the benefits of qualifying for the next World Cup without a “do-or-die” match "should make it fairer, but there are five Asian countries ranked higher than Australia at the moment, so the competition will be tough! "

The real reason that membership of AFC and playing in AFC competitions will be a transforming change for football in Australia is that in one fell swoop, we will be in a position to “complete the pyramid” of the Australian Game ... Now ... our national men’s team will play six Asian Cup qualifying matches in 2006, and if successful, the Asian Cup itself in 2007. Half of these qualifying matches would be at home here in Australia, and they would fall on FIFA reserved dates – making it much easier for our best players to be available.

In turn, this program of regular, scheduled, high quality, meaningful qualifying and competition matches against strong Asian opposition – and not forgetting the opportunity for the top Hyundai A-League clubs to play in the Asian Champions League – makes much more compelling football for commercial partners. All this allows the potential for more dollars to be driven into the top end of game, so that we can really start to improve the value being delivered down through the Australia football pyramid and into the grass roots football family.

Spectator, television and online audiences suggest that the newly launched Hyundai A-League has "resonated and engaged" with a significant section of the Australian sporting community.

+ Total crowd attendance for the first season of the league is on track to top one million with average attendances likely to be in the order of 11,000-12,000;

+ FoxSports reports that A-League average broadcast audiences are comparable with Rugby Super 12, despite the Rugby competition’s relatively long history.

+ The A-League’s family of websites in October 2005 received more than 850,000 unique visits. This compares with AFL number which were 961,000 in September – the peak month of the AFL season.

In short, all of the A-League’s key indicators are tracking ahead of expectations at this early stage and both the momentum of the Socceroos’ “Road to Germany”, and the new opportunities in Asia will be harnessed for the benfirt of the league. World Cup Socceroos returning to Australia for matches in the lead in to Germany will be used in A-League promotions, and Australian A-League players’ World Cup aspirations will be highlighted.

The opportunity to bring a number of senior international players home after the World Cup, to play in A-League is also being evaluated. "Certainly many players have expressed a desire to return home' after the World Cup and play in Australia."

In the meantime, the Sydney FC experience in the recent FIFA World Club Championship provided a useful insight into the potential opportunities presented for Australian clubs in Asia. More than 100,000 Australian viewers tuned in to Fox Sports coverage of their opening game in Japan, "a terrific Monday night audience".

Aussie state team returns to regional China in 2006

Victoria, Australia’s second most populous state, will continue to strengthen football ties between its capital, Melbourne and Chinese sister city, Tanjin, when the cream of its state-league semi-pro talent returns to China for a two match series in March 2006.

Mens and Womens teams have made the trek for several years, while last year saw a two-legged series played between Chinese side Tanjin Teda and Football Federation Victoria’s state team in Tanjin and Melbourne.

The opening game in Melbourne saw the home side capture 1-0 victory. A big crowd was on hand for the return leg in China when the Victorians drew 1-1, gaining an all important away goal, handing Victoria the series 2-1 on aggregate.

Football Federation Victoria is affiliated to Football Federation Australia.

Team Manager George Angelopoulos has fond memories of the series. “We have built a really great relationship with Tianjin Teda, a relationship that we hope will grow for years to come,” he told Asian Football Business Review.

“With Australia’s entry into the Asian Football Confederation this year, it opens up a number of opportunities for our sport. We can learn from emerging nations like China and they can learn from us in a host of different areas of the game,” he said.

The Victorian state team showed promising form in a recent friendly series against Hyandai A-League club, Melbourne Victory. Despite being out of season, the Victoria side took on the fully professional Victory outfit and won the second game of the series to tie it up at one win each.

Football Federation Victoria Head of Commercial Operations Michael Zappone is excited by the opportunities the series brings. “We were proud to be partnered with Vodafone for last year’s series and we are again looking to the market place for a strong multi-national brand to come on board as a sponsor of the Victorian side for the tour,” he told AFBR.

Melbourne Mayor John So, who is of a Chinese background, has been a strong supporter of the series and the City of Melbourne again joins Football Federation Victoria as a supporter of the event. The first game of the 2006 series is against Tianjin Teda on 3 March and the second against the newly promoted team from Xiamen.

See also: Thousands of Aussie juniors get free Nike footballs (24 Nov)

Football assists tsunami and earthquake victims

A young boy found wandering delirious on a beach in devastated Aceh province three weeks after last December's tsunami, made headlines when he was rescued wearing the red and green jersey of the Portugal national football team.

Martunis (pictured right), now eight, was found in Alun Naga, an obliterated village southwest of the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. He had apparently kept himself alive for 19 days by eating berries and dried noodles and drinking puddle water. He lost his mother, younger sister and older brother in the disaster.

Moved by his story, the Portuguese Football Federation flew him to Lisbon as guest of honour at a June World Cup qualifier with Slovakia, where he walked onto the pitch with his heroes. He was given a cheque for 40,000 euros (about US$47,300).

He may soon be back in the spotlight through the movies. A spokesman for Jakarta-based Multivision, which produces TV soaps, confirmed to Tomi Soetjipto of Reuters that it had a film contract with Martunis, but declined to give details.


FIFA, FOOTBALL'S international governing body, is donating 1,000 pairs of football boots to help the sport get back on its feet in Aceh, Asri Sulaiman of the Aceh branch of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) said as quoted by Antara newsagency (16 Dec).

FIFA vice president in charge of development affairs, Uhr Janitti, was scheduled to visit Murthala stadium to inspect its reconstruction, accompanied by David Borca, FIFA's director for Asia and Oceania and Windsor John, FIFA's representative for Southeast Asia.

The FIFA-funded renovation project, which involves repairs to six stadiums at an estimated cost of Rp 4.9 billion, is expected to be completed within the next year. The stadiums are located in Lampineung, Aceh Besar, Sigli, Bireuen, East Aceh and West Aceh, areas devastated by the 26 December 2005 tsunamis.


THE THAILAND national football team led by its staff coach Charnwit Pholchewin warmed up and trained at a pitch near the Phuket provincial hall for about two hours today before they got back to the hotel where they are staying.

During the 2005 King's Cup football tournament, the Thai team will first meet Latvia in Phang Nga, while Oman play North Korea in Krabi, on 24 December. The Thai staff coach invited football fans to give their support at Surakul stadium in Phuket and the main stadiums in Phang-Nga and Krabi towns, Thais News reported.

The 36th edition of the annual event was moved to the south of the country as part of the activities the Thailand government has organised to commemorate the first anniversary of the tsunami. The tournament is being telecast nationally by Channel 7. The final will be played on 30 December.


THE ASIAN Football Confederation has extended a donation of US$ 200,000 for assistance to Pakistani survivors of the 8 October earthquake, the president of the Pakistan Football Federation, Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, told government officials.

Mr Faisal, who is also the Pakistan’s minister for Kashmir affairs, said he was informed that the AFC in collaboration with the International Association of Football Federation (FIFA) will increase this amount substantially, perhaps three to four times more.

Former Pakistan captain and coach dies

Former Pakistan football captain and coach Kulamattikkalathil Moideenkutty alias Malappuram Kutty died at Karachi, Web India reported. Kutty, 81, who led the Pakistan team in the Manila Asian Games in 1954, reportedly died of old age.

Kutty played for many local clubs at his native Malappurm and joined the Indian Royal Air Force in 1944. After the partition he migrated to Pakistan and played for the Air Force till 1968.

After his retirement from service, he served the Pakistan team as coach for 15 years and won many laureals, including the 'Best Sports person' award from General Yahya Khan.

Carlsberg attracts two World Cup teams to HK

Carlsberg and the Hong Kong Football Association have invited two World Cup qualified teams, Croatia and Korea Republic, to advance their tournament preparations in the Carlsberg Cup against Denmark and the Hong Kong representative team.

The 2006 Carlsberg Cup will be played over the Chinese New Year holiday at the Hong Kong Stadium. On 29 January, Croatia will encounter Korea Republic while Denmark will meet Hong Kong. The 3rd/4th Place final and Carlsberg Cup final will be played on 1 February.

Croatia is making its Carlsberg Cup debut in 2006, while Korea Republic was a participant in the first Carlsberg Cup in 1985 and has appeared on two other occasions. Denmark won the tournament on its debut in 1994 and is making its 3rd Carlsberg Cup appearance in 2006.

The Danish team has also accepted an invitation to play an official friendly match against Singapore on 26 January. The Danish team (ligalandsholdet) is a specially selected team, consisting only of Danish players from the domestic league, SAS Ligaen, thus giving the national head coach, Morten Olsen, a chance to evaluate the potential of some of the upcoming stars in Danish football.

Concern grows over Thai government football

Football Association of Thailand secretary general Worawi Makudi has tried to cool growing anger against the government-controlled Sports Authority of Thailand’s decision to create a rival football league.

SAT, along with the Special Branch of the Royal Thai Police, discussed their proposal for a new Professional Football Association with Football Association president Vijitr Getkaew yesterday.

And Worawi urged all parties to remain level-headed over the contentious issue.

"The Football Association and SAT have been working together for a long time and I want our good relationship to continue," he said, as quoted by Thai Football. "The FA has got resources like players and the SAT has to use these players for tournaments like the SEA Games, the Asian Games and the Olympic Games. We should get together in the development of the current association rather than set up another one in competition."

Mr Worawi said it was still unclear what form the new league would take, or who would ultimately be behind it. "We don't know whether it will set up by the government's Ministry of Tourism and Sports or by a private organisation."

However the minister of tourism and sports, Pracha Maleenont, has vowed to go ahead with establishing the Professional Football Association and a new league on 8 January, 20 days before the FA’s inaugural Thailand Premier League kicks-off. The government-backed opening match will be presided over by prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai Football reported.
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Pracha said he thought the dispute could be resolved. "We all want to see football in Thailand grow and we must find the best means to do it … It is good to have the two leagues competing against one another … It should help upgrade Thai football."

His new league will feature mostly low-ranking provincial clubs with eight teams from the former Provincial League 1 (Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chanthaburi, Surat Thani, Satun and Si Sa Ket) joining six teams from the Provincial League 2 (Phitsanulok, Sakhon Nakhon, Narathiwat, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Chachoengsao) and two teams from the Thailand League - the Port Authority of Thailand and TOT Corporation.

The Professional League champions will receive 10 million baht, runners-up five million, third place three million and fourth place two million and matches will be shown live on channels 9, 11, iTV and UBC on a rotating basis.

The starting 12 clubs of the official Premier League are Thai-Honda, Osotspa, Provincial Electricity Authority, Bangkok University, Bangkok Bank, BEC-Tero Sasana, Port Authority of Thailand, Krungthai Bank, Royal Thai Army, Chon Buri, Suphan Buri and defending champions the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly.

The champions will receive Bt 10 million in prize money with the runners-up, the third place and the fourth placed teams receiving Bt 3 million, Bt 2 million and Bt 1 million respectively.

At the end of the 2005-2006 season, the bottom two clubs were to be relegated to Division One and replaced by the champions and runners-up from both Division One and the Provincial League for the next two seasons. This process was to increase teams participating in the Premier League to 14 in 2006-2007 and to 16 in 2007-2008.

See also: Government move may sabotage Thailand football (17 Dec)

Man United still looking at Asian shirt sponsors

English Premier League club, Manchester United, is still searching for the right shirt sponsorship deal to replace Vodafone. According to the Mena Report, club representatives are in talks with several companies, most notably Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates carrier, which is believed to have offered about £8 million - about £1 million less than Vodafone are paying.

“United consider the offer too low but many in the industry believe that, with the market a little depressed, the club may have to settle for about £12 million. Etihad Airways aims at increasing its exposure in the UK and recently announced that it would begin daily Manchester to Abu Dhabi flights, possibly in March next year,” the publication stated.

However Harry Philp, managing director of Hermes Sports Partners financial advisers, told Bill Wilson of BBC News that the new owners of the club, the American Glazer family, are not under financial pressure to cut inferior deals (Glazer brothers l-r, Bryan, Avram and Joel). He said the Glazer business plan is built on a number of debts which are structured to have low repayments in the early years.

Mr Philp said eliminating the £267 million of debt they loaded onto the club when they took over is a priority for the family. "It is easy for some critics to say this is the start of the end - but the debt is so back-loaded it is not going to impact immediately ... We very much expect them to get rid of the senior debt as soon as they can - they may offer some kind of bond issue to spread it out over a 25-year period, and backed by season ticket revenue."

See also: Man United told to look to Asia for shirt sponsor (1 Dec)

World Cup a "unique catalyst" for LCD TV sales

For investors in Samsung Electronics and LG.Philips LCD, the two biggest producers of liquid-crystal displays for televisions, this year's FIFA World Cup may be about to kick off. "I'm bullish on TV-related stocks," Kim Jun Ki, a fund manager at Hanwha Investment Trust Management in Seoul, told Young-Sam Cho of Bloomberg News. The World Cup "should spark positive sentiment on the sector."

The 64 matches in Germany starting on June 9 between 32 national teams probably will draw 30 billion viewers, according to FIFA, soccer's governing body. The 2002 World Cup, hosted by Japan and South Korea, bolstered sales at companies like Sharp, the biggest producer of LCD televisions.

Sales of LCD and plasma screens will rise 31 percent to US$ 47 billion next year, according to iSuppli, a research firm in El Segundo, California. Global LCD TV sales are set to rise 39 percent to US$ 33 billion next year and plasma TVs are predicted to climb 14 percent to US$ 14 billion. That will outpace the 5 percent jump in overall TV sales in 2006, according to estimates by iSuppli reported by Bloomberg.

The World Cup may be a "unique catalyst" for LCD TV sales, with the increase concentrated during the first half of the year, Ron Wirahadiraksa, chief financial officer at LG.Philips, said in October, when the Seoul-based company reported third-quarter financial results.

Free Puma boots to 1,100 English apprentices

The English Football League has announced that sportswear company, Puma UK Ltd, will become its first ever Official Technical Partner in a contract which will run until 2009, the Soccer Investor reported (21 Dec). Puma is expected to contribute to the Football League’s youth development program. Firstly, as a sponsor partner to the Football League Youth Alliance and secondly, through the provision of complimentary, market-leading football boots to the 1,100 apprentice players (aged 16-18) on the books of League clubs.

The Football League Youth Alliance consists of a League and Cup competition for apprentice players from the under-18 age group. Football League clubs operate 22 Academies and 47 Centres of Excellence, enabling more than 8,700 young players to receive professional coaching from 2,200 trained staff at their local Football League club.

Puma will also lend its support to a number of other League initiatives including the BT Community Cup and BT Girls Cup as well as clubs’ Football League in the Community programs, through the provision of high-class football equipment.

Aussie demand for World Cup slows down the Web

Australian fans desperate for World Cup tickets caused a meltdown of the official website yesterday. Football Federation Australia said the first-come, first-served system for the sale of only 8,500 tickets held up well considering that between 9am and 9.10am, the web page was accessed about 60,000 times, with around 10,000 applications arriving electronically before 9.30am.

A message soon appeared on the federation's travel website asking applicants not to call the inquiries line, which had been swamped. By the afternoon 22,000 applications had been received, many of them for more than one person. The federation said the website had never gone down, but had been operating slowly because of the volume of traffic.

"The systems survived that very, very heavy traffic," the federation's chief executive John O'Neill told Ben Cubby of The Age. "It's quite an overwhelming response and a spectacular demand for World Cup tickets … We said last Friday that demand would exceed supply and it's certainly done that."

UPDATE

Rob Tolson, the brother of one of the 1974 Socceroo World Cup squad, Max Tolson, was the first Australian football fan to secure tickets to the World Cup in Germany. Rob, one of 22,446 applicants scrambling for just the 8,500 tickets, was the first chosen in what he described as "family justice".

FFA Travel, a joint venture between travel group The Fanatics and Football Federation Australia, had processed three quarters of the tickets as of 2pm Friday, with the successful applicants informed via e-mail throughout the afternoon, SBS Sports reported. The tickets range from A$ 50 for a single game to a A$ 7,000 12-day all-inclusive tour package (24 Dec).

Vietnam PM calls for police speed on match fixing

Vietnam's prime minister Phan Van Khai has urged police to speed up investigation of alleged match-fixing during the South East Asian Games in the Philippines earlier this month. He asked police to give their findings by 15 January into allegations that the country's Under-23 match against Myanmar had been fixed, Tran Duy Ly from the Vietnam Football Federation told AFP.

Vietnam beat Myanmar 1-0 but state media described it as an "arranged" result as some Vietnamese players appeared to slow down their play.

Several newspapers said one player, Van Quyen, told police that he had received an envelope stuffed with 23 million dong from two women in Ho Chi Minh City on his way back to Hanoi from Manila. Police are investigating whether the exchange was linked to match-fixing and are also looking into an alleged attempt to fix another match with Malaysia, which Vietnam won 2-1.

"The scandal may have an impact on some players and clubs but we step back now in order to move forward. Our aim is to purify Vietnam's football," Ly said.

State media noted that match-fixing had already occurred in the past. The late Nam Cam, one of the most powerful mafia bosses in the country, was believed to have fixed some matches in the 2001 SEA Games in Malaysia. He was executed last year for murder and bribery.

Vietnam police said they had detected a huge football betting network after the arrest last week of 22 policemen found gambling in a Hanoi park. According to AFCMedia, “investigations showed that an international game cost around VND6 billion, or around US$ 378,000 to ‘buy’.”

See also: V-League kicks off 2006 with corrupt club dropped (12 Dec) and Latest football match-fixing "must be eliminated" (18 Oct).

Blatter on professionalism and other Asian issues

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has echoed the recent comments by Asian Football Confederation president Mohammed Bin Hammam urging greater professionalism to help football grow in the region. He said clubs needed to understand that they must be run as commercial entities and called on national associations to show better leadership.

"The problem of professionalism in leadership at the level of national associations and the clubs ... is a general problem and not just in Asia," he told AFP news agency.

"If you look at the big European associations, the best leadership is in the clubs because they are professionals and they are organised. But you don't have the professional governance in the national associations or even in the leagues. The clubs are commercial entities and they have to be organised or they will not work."

He said Asian football did not yet compare to the “good leagues in Europe” adding it is “a question of investment and you have to try and bring clubs towards this."

He emphasised that corruption must be tackled and leagues must be wary of trying to grow too quickly. "Football is a game and in a game there is gambling and gambling is naturally cheating but this is a matter for national associations," he said.

"They have to control that but it is difficult the bigger an association is. Can you imagine it in China with 1.3 billion people. In China the development of football has come too fast in consideration of the culture of the Chinese. When you see the economic development and the political development, it came in steps. Football came in and tried to change everything in one day."

Blatter suggested that the FIFA "For the Good of the Game Task Force" will help Asia address these problems and issues such as the behaviour of players and agents and the continued interference by some governments into the running of football in their countries.

"There are more good activities in football then cheating, corruption and doping but these are subjects I have mentioned before and we have to go and look at that and we have started to work on it," he said.

Asian Player of the Year

The FIFA chief commented on AFC rules only allowing those attending the awards ceremony to be eligible to win an Asian football award. "To say we will not give the award to players who play outside Asia, then you must say we will only give an award to the best Asian player in Asia,'' he said in an interview published by the China Post (19 Dec).

"You should make sure that when the award is given that the player is able to be present,'' Blatter added. "Not then to say we don't give it to him if he's not coming.''

On splitting the AFC

Blatter rejected speculation that the entry of Football Federation Australia into the AFC will cause an east-west split in the confederation. The AFC headquarters is in Malaysia, but the region has two diverse powerbases, in the Middle East and in Japan and South Korea.

"I cannot see that Asia will split, it's not the agenda," he said, as reported by Shanghai Daily (17 Dec). "AFC is one continent and a very strong one with Australia in”.


Oceania playing Asia

Blatter hinted at the possibility of the top national side in the Oceania Football Confederation playing off against Asia in the 2010 World Cup qualifying competition. Until this year, the winner of the Oceania qualifiers played off against the fifth-place team from the South American qualifying zone.

"I think the solution would be … to have the winner of the Oceania elimination join the winner in an Asian group, to give them access, to have a chance to play and develop football. I don't know if it is a half slot or go and play with Asia. At least, all the 207 national associations must have a chance to try to get into the World Cup," he said

Club World Championships

Blatter confirmed that the FIFA Club World Championship will be held again in Japan in 2006 but has not yet decided on allowing a home team to participate if a Japan club is not the Asian champion.

"This is a very important question because this is the only FIFA competition where the host cannot play," he said as reported by Shintaro Kano in the Daily Yomiuri (17 Dec). "In all the other competitions, FIFA, UEFA whatever, you have the host play. We have to consider that, but then the format of the competition would not be the same if you have eight teams or six teams.

On banning Iran from World Cup

The Peninsular of Qatar (17 Dec) reported that Blatter replied “politics has no place in football” when asked whether Iran should be banned from the World Cup after its president described the Holocaust as “a myth”.

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked widespread outrage by describing the Holocaust as “a myth” and several German politicians called for FIFA to expel Iran from next year’s World Cup in their homeland.

"We are not going to enter into any political declarations," Blatter said. “There have been so many rants from heads of states, even in Europe, and we in football, if we entered in such discussions, then it would be against our statues.

"We are not in politics."

See also: Bin Hammam calls for maturity and professionalism (2 Dec)

Saudi Arabia sacks Calderon, appoints Paqueta

World Cup qualifiers Saudi Arabia has appointed Brazilian Marcos Paqueta as the new head coach after Gabriel Calderon was fired despite qualifying the team for Germany 2006. Paqueta, who led Riyadh-based club Al Hilal to the Saudi league and cup double last season, has signed a contract to take the three-time Asian champions to the World Cup finals with the deal due to run into 2007, also covering the Gulf Cup and the finals of the 2007 Asian Cup.

Calderon was replaced after his team's poor showing at the West Asian Games in Qatar and the former Argentina international's "constant changes to his backroom staff and his lack of a convincing plan for the national team's World Cup preparations", Michael Church of PA Sport reported.

Sao Paulo crowned FIFA's Club World Champions

South American champions Sao Paulo FC of Brazil took the FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup Japan 2005 by beating European champions Liverpool of England 1-0 at International Stadium Yokohama, Japan, yesterday. Sao Paulo midfielder Mineiro latched on to a long ball from Fabao and fired home the game's only goal in the 27th minute, helping his team bring home the trophy as the No. 1 club in the world.

Earlier in the day, CONCACAF champions Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica downed Asian champions Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia 3-2 to come in third in the revamped Toyota Cup. Oceania champions Sydney FC of Australia downed African champions Al Ahly of Egypt 2-1 to finish fifth on Friday.

Leading the awards announced on the final day of the competitions was Sao Paulo goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, who had to make some sharp saves from Liverpool's 21-shot attack, and earned the adidas Golden Ball and the Toyota Award. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) won the adidas Silver Ball; and Christian Bolanos (Deportivo Saprissa) won the adidas Bronze Ball. Liverpool won the Fair Play Award.

Doubts had been raised about the timing of the championship, which replaced the traditional one-off game between the European and South Americans champions by also including winners from Africa, Asia, Oceania and CONCACAF. Crowds over the seven games only averaged around 33,000, although the final was a near 70,000 sell-out and Fifa president Sepp Blatter was a happy man. "It showed that the leading clubs are not only in Europe and South America," he told AFP.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said he was not complaining about the tournament, despite it being held in the middle of an already busy season. "It deserves to be a big tournament with extremely tough qualification: how else would you measure the best," he said. "We are proud to be here."

Earlier in the week, Liverpool CEO Rick Parry had thanked the Japanese for the warm welcome accorded the Liverpool team on their arrival. "We are here for competitive reasons, not commercial," Parry said, as quoted by Henry Winter in The Telegraph. "This is not about raising revenue. We are conscious of our huge fan-base. We were here in Asia in 2001 and 2003 and were impressed by the depth of our support."

Reuters also reported Parry's comment that "This trip is more about reinforcing the link with our supporters" and "Our single aim is to take the trophy home. It's about winning things and it's better to be here in a competitive environment."

Pakistan visa hassles upset victorious Indians

Indian footballing legend P K Banerjee, who managed the victorious Indian football team at the South Asian Football Association Championships in Pakistan, complained he had been so "saddened by the behaviour of Karachi airport officials" that he was forced to shed tears.

"I have been to many countries as a player and as an official but never have I been meted out such treatment as by the security officials at the Karachi airport," Banerjee told media on his return. "They were extremely arrogant and rude and refused to cooperate despite showing them proof that I was in Pakistan as the Indian team's manager."

The incident occurred when Banerjee was to take a connecting flight to Abu Dhabi from Karachi to fly to the US from there to attend the convocation ceremony of his daughter. The airport security officials in Karachi had him evicted from the airport premises, as his visa was not attested by a local police station.

"No one told me that I had to report to a local police station in Karachi and have my visa attested and neither did any Pakistan Football Federation officials accompany me to the airport, which is a normal custom," Banerjee said.

All India Football Federation president Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, who is also India's union minister for information and broadcasting, said he had briefed Indian foreign secretary, Sham Saran, to take the matter up with Pakistani authorities and had already sent a representation to the Pakistan Football Federation "strongly protesting the treatment of Banerjee" as well as informing the Asian Football Confederation and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association.

Although an Indian referee, Suresh Srinivasan, was also held back at the Karachi airport just as he was returning with the Indian team for the same visa hassle, the secretary of AIFF, Alberto Colaco, appeared suprised that there was confusion about the visa formalities. “Every Indian national in Pakistan and Pakistani in India has to report to local police station," he told The Statesman.

Designs on Aussie Champion and Premier teams

The first season of the Australian elite competition, the Hyundai A-League, will conclude on Sunday, 5 March 2006, with its first Grand Final. The design of the first Champions Cup to be won at that game will be selected from submissions made to Football Federation Australia by PROdesign (Qld), D3 Design (NSW), Fingo (SA), Form Designs Australia (WA) and Charlwood Design (VIC). All are highly credentialed design houses, with Charlwood Design for example, being the agency behind the design of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Game’s Queen’s Baton Relay.

The team that finishes at the top of the Hyundai A-League after round 21 - prior to the Final Four play-offs - will be deemed ‘Premiers’ and will receive the Premiers Plate award. The annual Hyundai A-League Champion and Premier teams are expected to represent Australia in the Asian Champions League from 2007 onwards.

India wins its third South Asian FF Championship

India captain Baichung Bhutia became the first player in history to collect three South Asian Football Federation Championship winner's medals after his goal made the game safe in Saturday's final against defending champions Bangladesh in Karachi, Pakistan. Bhutia's late strike doubled India's advantage the tie after Mehraj Uddin had opened the scoring on the half-hour. He remains of the only squad member who took part in India's previous SAFF Championship triumphs in Kathmandu in 1997 and Goa 1999 when Bangladesh were also the runners-up.

This year's edition, the fourth, brought together eight nations from South Asia including: Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan, Afghanistan and hosts Pakistan with all of the games being staged at the People's Sports Complex between 7 and 17 December 2005.

The two finalists had met five days earlier in the group stage in a closely-fought match that ended 1-1. Bangladesh eliminated Pakistan in the semi-final with a single goal victory and India did likewise, struggling to beat the Maldives with Nanjangud Manju's 38th minute goal proving to be the matchwinner.

See also: Good footballing news from Afghanistan and Iraq (8-12 Dec)

Goa keeps Santosh Trophy but AIFF consults AFC

The All India Football Federation has confirmed Goa as the winner of this year's Santosh Trophy football championships, while at the same time deciding to consult the Asian Football Confederation's referee committee on the All Manipur Football Association's complaint against match officials in the controversial Manipur-Goa quarter-final tie, the Imphal Free Press reported.

The controversy, which provoked widespread protests in Manipur, figured prominently in the AIFF's annual general body meeting in New Delhi. The meeting reviewed video recordings of the match and listened to comments of the match commissioners, referee board and tournament disciplinary committee.

The AIFF general body reportedly agreed that the results of the 60th Santosh Trophy championships should not be altered but directed AIFF president, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, to consult the Asian Football Confederatio's referee committee by 31 January 2006

Given the popular uproar in Maninour state, it is not suprising that the AIFF decided not to impose any penalty against any state player, "including, apparently, the four players against whom disciplinary action were supposed to be taken for protesting the referee`s controversial decision in the Manipur Goa tie that led to Manipur's quarter final ouster from the tournament".

The AGM also agreed that the All Manipur Football Association "shall not face any difficulty in any national tournamen" and that All Manipur Football Association players should resume their activities, including participation in all competitions.

L Ranjit Roy, secretary of the All Manipur Football Association participated in the AIFF meeting and AMFA sources in Imphal indicated that the football association would hold an executive body meeting on 20 December "to decide on the stance to adopt regarding today`s decision".

See also: Entire Indian state revolts against referee decision (5 Dec) and Manipur to boycott Indian nationals because of ref (21 Nov)

2005 Cup winners in India, Korea and Indonesia

Army XI created Indian football history when they stunned favourites Sporting Club de Goa 5-4 in a penalty shootout on 17 December to become the first team from Bangalore to win the Durand Cup. Founded by Sir Mortimer Durand at Shimla in 1888, the annual New Dehli event is reputedly the world's third oldest football tournament, predated only by the English FA Cup (1872) and the Scottish FA Cup (1874).

Chonbuk Motors defeated Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Company by a solitary goal to win the Korean FA Cup on 17 December. This is Chonbuk’s first FA Cup win since 2003 and only the third title in the club’s history. It qualifies the club for a place in the Asian Champions League 2006.

Chilean striker Aldicidio Fleitas scored twice in the space of 15 minutes as defending champion PSMS Medan retained its crown in the Indonesian Bang Yos Gold Cup with a 2-1 win over Persik Kediri in the final played in South Jakarta on 17 December. The nationally televised tournement is named after the governor of the Jakarta capital city province, Sutiyoso (Bang means 'Mister' in the city's local ethnic language, Betawi).

The winning North Sumatran club pocketed Rp 250 million (about US$ 25,000) and the Runners-Up, Persik Kediri, Rp 175 million. The other teams, PSIS Semarang (3), Persija (4), Thailand league club, Osotspo (5) and the Cambodian Under 23 team (6), each received Rp 75 million. Alcidio Fleitas was awarded both Best Player of the series (Rp 15 million) and Top Scorer with seven goals (Rp 10 million).

The Turkmenistan President's Cup will be held 10-26 February 2006 in Tashkhabad. Nisa FC, the defending champion, has won the title four times.

Government move may sabotage Thailand football

The Football Association of Thailand appears to be on a collision course with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Tor Chittinand reported in the Bangkok Post, over proposals by the Ministry to set up a new Professional Football Association and an entirely new football league.

The FAT’s authorised Thailand Premier League, which is scheduled to be launched next month, has 12 teams, 10 from last season's Thailand League and two from the former Provincial League.

The alternative league proposed by Tourism and Sports Minister Pracha Maleenont, reportedly will have a 16-teams from around the country.

FAT president Vijitr Getkaew vehemently opposed the idea yesterday. "We do not agree with the Sports Authority of Thailand to approve the Professional Football Association. We strongly oppose setting up a new association as it will divide Thai football and cause a lot of conflict."

He said the government’s proposed Association and competition would have to be approved by FIFA, or Thailand could be banned from competitions. It would probably also sabotage Thailand's participation in the AFC’s Asian Champions League.

See also: Details of Thailand's new Premier League released (27 Oct)

Seeds and pots allocated for 2007 Asian Cup draw

Japan, China, Iran, Bahrain, Uzbekistan and Jordan are the top six seeds for the draw for the qualification rounds of the AFC Asian Cup 2007 to be held at AFC House on 4 January 2006, AFCMedia reported. The team classifications and pot allocations were approved by the AFC Competitions Committee.

The 24 teams have been divided into four pots (A-D) of six each. The draw, which will be held in the presence of the representatives of the teams, will slot four teams each into six groups (A-F), with the top two teams from each group advancing to the final round. Teams from the same pot will not face each other.

The four hosts - Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand - automatically qualify for the tournament proper.

While pot A comprises the top six seeds, pot B has Korea Republic, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, ranked from 7th to 12th.

In pot C (seeds 13-18) are UAE, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Palestine, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Pakistan/Bangladesh, India and Australia have been placed in pot D and seeded 19th to 24th.

Pakistan and Bangladesh will clash in a pre-qualification double-header. The winner of this two-legged playoff will make it to the qualifying rounds.

Australia, who join the AFC on 1 January 2006, are the bottom seeds in pot D. All other teams have been classified on the basis of both the preliminary and final rounds of the 2004 Asian Cup. "Australia do not have a record, so they are at the bottom. If we went according to FIFA rankings, of course, the situation would be different," an AFC official said.

See also: Aussies may take weak side to first Asian Cup game (29 Nov)

Crowd ruckus at Malaysia-Myanmar Youth match

The Asian Football Confederation has demanded a full report of the crowd disturbances during the Asian Youth qualifying match between Malaysia and Myanmar from the host, the Football Association of Malaysia. According to Rizal Hashim of the Malay Mail, a letter from the AFC reached FAM general secretary Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad’s office at Wisma FAM yesterday, ordering the national governing body to provide their version of events at the KLFA Stadium on 12 December.

Malaysia won 4-2 but when they had raced to an early 4-0 lead, disappointed Myanmar fans among the big crowd of 6,000 hurled plastic bottles onto the pitch. “Their unrest escalated into a clash with the Malaysian fans on the terraces, aided by the fact that there were no FRU personnel present to diffuse the situation. This has put FAM’s widely acknowledged organisational skills into question,” Hashim reported.

FAM general secretary Datuk Ibrahim was reportedly visibly upset with the crowd trouble, claiming the national body had requested more security presence from the police but they were all deployed for the ongoing ASEAN Summit.

AFC may impose severe disciplinary measures against FAM if the match commissioner’s report concludes that the national body had failed to take appropriate security measures to provide a safe environment for the audience during the match.

What European football thinks of Asian prospects

“In recent years capturing the Asian market has become a holy grail for Europe's leading clubs”, the official UEFA website has noted. According to writer Paul Saffer, “the attraction is obvious: Asia is the most populous continent, much of it is either already wealthy or, like China, in the midst of a boom, and satellite television has spread the word about European football”.

Mentioning Liverpool FC’s visit to Japan for the FIFA Club World Championship, Saffer observed that while that trip was for “a competitive purpose, there is no doubt that there is money to be made in the Far East …”

Japanese journalist Atsushi Nakayama told uefa.com: "With the number of games shown on TV now increased, there is virtually no one who doesn't know the UEFA Champions League among football fans." Top Asian players joining European clubs has helped with this. "They certainly have helped to increase the name value of the UEFA Cup. Shinji Ono, Hidetoshi Nakata, Koji Nakata and Naohiro Takahara have all played in the competition this season," he added.

“Of course the Asian market will only truly be of lasting benefit to European clubs if they lay down roots, rather than attempting to cash in swiftly - as seen when some tours this summer attracted surprisingly low crowds. The increasingly knowledgable fans are no longer happy to turn up just to see their heroes in the flesh, feeling the friendly games do not compare to the competitive UEFA Champions League fixtures they see on television,” commented Saffer.

For example, FC Bayern München’s head of international affairs, Martin Hägele, told uefa.com that “to become the best club in the world … we also have to become a highly regarded brand in Asia. Many clubs in Europe regard the Asian market as a cow to milk but not to feed. But the people in Asia only build up confidence and trust very slowly. We want to have partnerships in which both sides give and take. We do not go to Asia in order to just sell our shirts. We go there in order to arrange friendships and serious partnerships," he said.

“That is the key,” concluded Saffer. “Clubs know their supporters at home will stick by them through thick and thin, otherwise their future would be bleak. If they can attract similar loyalty from fans thousands of kilometres away, the financial rewards will be huge. In the modern game, that is nothing to be bashful about.”

CSL’s Inter Shanghai relocating to Xi'an city

China Super League club Inter Shanghai will play its home matches in Xi'an, capital city of Shaanxi province, in 2006. Shanghai Yungtay Engineering, which bought the club from Shanghai Cosco Real Estate and Salim Group last season, will retain the majority stake with former chairman Xu Zexian's Xi'an-based Xi Xia Real Estate company holding a minority, Sinsosoc reported.

With three China Super League teams and one China League side in Shanghai, Xu has felt for some time that competition in the eastern coastal city is too strong and that a move to Xi'an is in the best interests of Inter Shanghai. The ‘Terracotta Army city’ is currently without a top-level football team after Shaanxi Guoli moved to Harbin.

Wang Guolin will continue as the club's general manager, with head coach Cheng Yaodong also to stay on. Former Shaanxi Guoli sponsor, Xi'an Lijun Medical Ltd, has agreed to sponsor the newly arrived club which is considering a name change to win over local fans

See also: Two parties interested in China's Inter Shanghai (30 Aug)

Japan player trials receive international response

A mass trial of Japanese players organised by the J-League and J-League Pro-Footballers Association received a excellent response from clubs. The J-League, JFL (third division), universities, regional teams and the US Major League Soccer sent as many as 153 scouts to the trial, which was first held four years ago to tap potential players. According to AFCMedia, total of 97 players presented on the occasion, each playing in a match of 30 minutes.

The second trial will be held in Tokyo in January 2006.

Research: Soccer is Australia's most played sport

Soccer has kept its spot as the number one participatory sport in Australia, according to a new survey conducted by market research firm Roy Morgan. Nearly 1.1 million people play soccer ‘regularly or occasionally’ - 7% of the population aged 14 and above - making the world game the team sport of choice for Australians.

Overall, almost 3.2 million Australians (19% of the total Australian population aged 14 and above) regularly or occasionally take part in team sports. The research was carried out for the 12 months ending June 2005.

South Korean corporates spend big on World Cup

South Korean companies are kicking off massive marketing activities for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Hyundai Motor, the country’s largest automaker and one of 14 official partners of the tournament in Germany, is supplying around 1,000 automobiles to be used to carry players, officials and media from all over the world during the one-month event in June.

“We estimated the effects gained from our sponsorship of the 2002 World Cup games amounted to 6 trillion won and for next year’s World Cup, the figure will jump to 9 trillion won,’’ the company’s public relations manager Cho Hong-ki told Cho Jin-seo of the Korea Times.

The company has a task force of 31 employees devoted to the World Cup and will be the host of the “Fan of the Match’’ event on the official website where it will award a prize to a spectator wearing the most exciting costume, face and make-up every match day.

Hyundai hopes that 300 million visitors will visit its website via the World Cup homepage, about six times more than four years ago. “We will begin a road show soon that will travel through all of 32 participating countries, which will maximize the turnover from the event,’’ the company said in a statement.

“One reason Hyundai has so much interest in the World Cup is that it witnessed the power of sports marketing a year and a half ago in Greece,” Cho commented. “At the time, it was behind Toyota and Opel in the local automobile market with an 8.6 percent share in 2002 and 2003. But after sponsoring the Euro 2004 football championship, which Greece won for the first time in history, Hyundai’s share rose to 9.3 percent to become the top seller.”

LG Electronics has installed 110 flat-screen television units at the airport of Frankfurt, the host of five matches including South Korea’s first match against Togo on 13 June. The South Korean giant is also the sponsor of the German national team.

UPDATE

KTF Co, the nation's second-largest mobile service provider, launched its marketing by signing a sponsorship contract last month with the "Red Devils," the official fan club of South Korea's national football team. Under the deal, KTF will sponsor a variety of promotional events such as concerts with the club to maximize marketing benefits from the soccer tournament. KTF has already provided the Korea Republic's football association with 50 complimentary phones, each capable of international roaming in 90 countries, so the national team players and coaches can make calls during their training and games, the Joongang Daily reported (4 Jan).

The Samsung Economic Research Institute estimated the previous World Cup, jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan in 2002, had a corporate promotion effect worth 14.76 trillion won (US$ 14.67 billion).

English Championship club acquires Chinese club

English Championship club Sheffield United yesterday signed an agreement with the Chengdu Football Association to take a majority stake in China League club Chengdu Wuniu based in western China. According to Sinosoc, the deal was brokered by Xu Hongtao, "the agent who handled Hai Haidong's famous one-pound transfer to Sheffield United earlier this year".

Chengdu Wuniu were taken over by the Chengdu FA this season after previous owners Chengdu Tobacco company quit the football business at the start of the 2005 China League season.

More details emerged at Sheffield United’s Annual General Meeting reported by Soccer Investor (13 December). The Championship club’s executive chairman Kevin McCabe told around 300 shareholders that the planned acquisition of the "Chengdu Five Bull Football Club" (CW FC) in China was expected to be completed in the New Year.

"Our transformation into a full football, property and leisure services business continues apace and I am particularly excited to announce this morning that we are taking the Blades global with the acquisition of the [CW FC] in China. Contracts have been exchanged at a price, which is not material to the Group and, subject to a number of conditions, we expect to complete the acquisition in the New Year… Bringing [CW FC] into the Sheffield United fold presents enormous opportunities for the Group and follows our first team’s successful pre-season tour of the Far East in the summer which began the process of establishing the Blades brand in the region,” he said.

CW FC was established in 1996 and enjoys strong local support, with this season’s opening match drawing 18,000 supporters and the club’s attendance record is 30,000. Currently the CW FC has no official supporters club and sells no merchandise. CW FC has 30 registered players and six coaching staff, including Li Bing, a former national team player seen as one of China’s best ever forwards, winning player of the year award several times," Soccer Investor reported.

Chengdu city has a population of 11.3 million and is the capital of the Sichuan province with a population of around 100 million. “Although I do not expect them all to become fans, this does present us with a huge potential fan base with which we can develop both the Chengdu Five Bull and Sheffield United brands,” McCabe added.

“As one of the main clubs in its province Chengdu has a 40,000 seat stadium as well as excellent training facilities. From a business point of view, there are numerous ways in which we can enhance Chengdu’s performance and our initial focus will be on improving sponsorship and increasing attendance. We intend to establish a leisure/ football shop in the stadium as a well as a Blades bar in the city itself.

"In addition, we intend to sell Chengdu Five Bull branded merchandise for the first time, encouraging the growth of the fan base and creating a new revenue stream. There are numerous other potential initiatives which will be announced in due course,” he said.

See also: Sheffield United expected to purchase China club (6 Dec)

Second phase of 'Vision Asia' in two Chinese cities

The implementation of the Vision Asia program in the Chinese cities of Wuhan and Qingdao is progressing to the second phase. Launched by Asian Football Confederation president, Mohamed Bin Hammam, the program is a football development master plan integrating marketing, coach education, competition, football fans, futsal, media, national associations and clubs, referees, sports medicine, women’s football and youth and grassroots.

Customised as Vision China, the program’s first-phase successfully launched city leagues in Wuhan and Qingdao in May 2005. A midseason review in both cities conducted by the AFC and China Football Association revealed that 346 players from 12 clubs participated in Wuhan Division 1 and 66 matches in 11 rounds were played. In the Qingdao City League 409 players from 14 clubs participated and 91 matches in 13 rounds were played.

“The enthusiasm and commitment of the City Governments, the Sports Bureaus and the City FAs to Vision China and football development remains at a high level,” the AFC reported.

The AFC and CFA met on 30 November to plan Vision China for 2006 with the main focus on future directions and strategies aimed at rolling out Vision China to many more Chinese cities and provinces.

In Wuhan and Qingdao, the second-phase will focus on the continuing development of the city leagues and establishing well-structured grassroots (elementary schools) and youth (clubs) competitions. The city league plans include setting up Second Divisions and the introduction of promotion and relegation; upgrading and refresher courses for club and league management, coaches and referees; and strengthening marketing and promotion.

The AFC conducted two ‘Grassroots and Youth’ workshops in the cities in September 2005 to provide key officials and coaches with the latest knowledge of youth and grassroots football development policy and practices.

V-League kicks off 2006 with corrupt club dropped

Vietnam's professional, national football competition, the V-League, kicks off for a new season on 15 January 2006 with 13 teams in the fray instead of the usual 14, the Vietnam Football Federation confirmed.

East Asia Bank-Pomina Steel (EABPS) was dropped from the league after being found to have earned promotion to the topflight through match rigging. Several of the club officials are facing prosecution alongwith a raft of referees and assistant referees.

See also: Vietnam elite clubs demoted for match-fixing (18 Nov) and V-League coach and ref arrested for corruption (10 Nov)

"What we lack in funding ... we have in passion"

Throughout Asia there are so many young men and women with such a burning desire to play football they create their own teams and get on with the game without proper equipment and official help. They are all worthy of assistance but we couldn't even mention but a tiny number of them.

When they are proactive to write to us with their story, however, we are happy to oblige and provide a touch of publicity. This is Regor Francis Dadivas' story of the Panitan Football Club in The Philippines ...

HOW DOES ONE go about accomplishing so much with so little? Ours is no World Cup qualification story. Not even a national league victory. But for the barefoot kids from the boondocks deprived of opportunities, bringing home bronze medal despite being under-equipped in the Western Visayas Regional Athletics Association Meet means more to them than we could ever fathom.

We found many such elementary and high school kids in our hometown of Panitan, Capiz, Philippines, my brother and I, former varsity players of the University of San Agustin Iloilo, were playing a fun game in our municipal plaza when we noticed these kids watching us in interests.

Though they were not familiar with the sport, they were enthusiastic. We detected in their natural ability; eagerness to learn; and the fact that this was giving them the sense of purpose.

Knowing the sports provides talented children a chance to engage in healthy, productive activity ... that it gets them out of the streets and into physical fitness; That it provides the youth with valuable foundation to practice the principles of teamwork, discipline, strategizing, alertness, planning and decision making; that it builds confidence, instills self worth; provides exposure ... And knowing that these children are deprived of such opportunities, we were inspired to give them the chance that they deserve.

Thus, the Panitan Football Club was born. The first football club in Western Visayas to be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

But the task was very difficult. We have no support from the schools and received very little from the local government. Football is an old, emerging sport in this country, neglected in the Province of Capiz and practically unheard in the town of Panitan until we materialized,

With such difficulty and with most of the funding coming out of our pockets, we were at least able to acquire balls. But it was heart-rending to see these kids play barefooted. On our rocky field, yet the pressed on because they were grateful to be given this chance to accomplish something. Until finally, they could no longer bear it and complained of footaches.

We were able to get our ex-teammates from Iloilo to donate their old shoes. . We also held a couple of fund raising raffles on which accumulates only about 7,000 pesos (US$ 130). This all went to bought ukay-ukay shop (second hand stores) for some second hand playable shoes.

But what we lack in funding, the boys made up for in the passion. And in our first foray into the tournament arena, at the Divisiion meet, our elementary boys (Under-12) dethroned the defending champion!

Our High School team (Under-16) reached the finals, and have the unique distinction of being the only team in thirteen years to score goals against the opponent!

The Western Visayas Regional Athletics Association Meet for elementary, held in 23-28 February 2005 in Iloilo City, was our second tournament, and we were able to bring home the Bronze Medal.

We can go farther with the talent and the drive that our boys have, yet there is so much we lack in finanacial, technical and equipment support. We need coaching and training seminars. We need training facilities, equipment, shoes, balls, shin guards, nets, uniforms and even socks. And most importantly, we need funds, for the team’s daily expenses, for tournament formation/participation and even for basic necessities during practices.

Thus, we are calling, individual persons, private companies,foundations, organisation, and foreign football clubs for assistance in the hopes that you can provide us with any of the things that our boys need. We want to spearhead the move to promote grassroots development in football and help the youth, starting with our town, and eventually throughout the Province of Capiz.

With your help, we can materialize these objectives. We have shown what we can do with so little. But together with your support we can do much more. With you behind us, our modest dreams can come true.

Please contact Roger Dadivas, Technical Development Officer, Panitan Football Club, Quezon St, Pob. Ilaya, Panitan, Capiz, Philippines. Mobile: +63 91 7303 1857; Tel: +63 36 634 0454. Emails: panitanfc@yahoo.com or regorfrancisd@yahoo.com. Website: www.panitan.tk

World Cup 2006 "tough draw" for Asia-5 says AFC

"The five Asian teams at the 2006 World Cup got a tough draw," was the immediate reaction of the Asian Football Confederation's website after 32 nations were each allocated positions in one of eight groups for the next round of FIFA's four-yearly competition.

In Group F, Japan will go up against AFC newcomers Australia on 12 June 2006, in Kaiserlautern, and play Croatia on June 18 in Nuremberg, before clashing with Brazil in Dortmund on 22 June. After Japan, Australia, who qualified after an Oceania playoff against South American Uruguay, take on Brazil in Munich on 18 June and play against Croatia in Stuttgart on 22 June.

In Group G, 2002 semifinalists Korea Republic open their campaign against Togo on 13 June in Frankfurt, clash with France in Leipzig on 18 June and play Switzerland on 23 June in Hanover.

In Group D, Iran are first up against Mexico in Nuremberg on 11 June, play Portugal in Frankfurt on 17 June and then Angola in Leipzig on 21 June.

In Group H, Saudi Arabia kicks off against Tunisia on 14 June, play Ukraine in Hamburg on 19 June and come up against Spain in Kaiserlautern on 23 June.

The full draw:

Group A: Germany, Costa Rica, Poland, Ecuador; Group B: England, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden; Group C: Argentina, Cote d'Ivoire, Serbia and Montenegro, The Netherlands; Group D: Mexico, Iran, Angola, Portugal; Group E: Italy, Ghana, USA, Czech Republic; Group F: Brazil, Croatia, Australia, Japan; Group G: France, Switzerland, South Korea, Togo; Group H: Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia.


BAN IRAN?

Former German international Wolfgang Overath suggested yesterday that the Islamic Republic of Iran, "should be banned" from the 2006 World Cup finals because of a new statement by its president that the Holocaust did not occur, which closely follows him calling for the majority-Jewish state of Israel to be "wiped off the map".

"We don't accept European countries saying that Hitler killed millions of Jews in furnaces and if Europeans want they should give some of their provinces to Zionists," president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad commented on the last day of the Organization of Islamic Conference meeting in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as quoted by the Anadolu Newsagency of Turkey.

"Such comments from a head of state are really grounds enough to exclude a country," Overath said in an interview on German television ahead of the World Cup draw in Leipzig.

The Foreign Ministry of World Cup host country Germany told Reuters it had summoned Iran's ambassador to protest against the Iranian president's remarks.

UPDATE

FIFA will not kick out Iran from next year's World Cup in Germany despite calls from German politicians for it to be excluded because the country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, denies the Holocaust. "FIFA strictly separates sports from politics," spokesman Andreas Herren said, as reported by the Ottawa Sun (16 Dec).

Another World Cup, another new ball

Adidas presented the "+Teamgeist" ball on Friday ahead of draw for the World Cup finals. The ball is said to be so technologically advanced that the German sportswear giant assured the performance is "unprecedented." France midfielder Zinedine Zidane put it in simpler terms. "When you kick it, it goes in the right direction," Zidane said. "For attackers, it is very good," he said. "It is the way a ball should be made," England captain David Beckham said after trying out a few of his famed free kicks.

The ball will get its first regular trials in US Major League Soccer next year. MLS will use it when its 2006 season begins 1 April, league senior vice president Dan Courtemanche told AP. MLS signed a 10-year, $150 million sponsorship contract with Adidas last year.

Adidas expects to increase sales of soccer-related goods to more than 1 billion euros in 2006 up from 900 million euros in 2004. But analysts have warned against companies spending too much on marketing. Adidas saw a temporary profit decline in 2002 due to higher marketing costs ahead of the World Cup in Asia.

Broadcasters, television set makers and retailers are hoping fans will flock to buy new high-definition TV (HDTV) sets to enjoy sharper pictures. The World Cup will be the first major event to be broadcast in HDTV in Europe. Germany’s only pay-TV broadcaster, Premiere hopes the tournament will be a showcase for HDTV, encouraging subscribers to pay a premium for the service in future. Retailers such as Metro, which owns electronics stores, and TV makers Loewe, Medion, Sharp, Sony and Philips are expected to see improved sales.

World football body FIFA has contracted 21 firms to sponsor the event, among them Deutsche Telekom, Hyundai, Coca-Cola and Yahoo. LRP analysts say the companies paid 643 million euros in total. With the exception of Anheuser Busch, whose Budweiser brand will be the only beer to be sold in stadiums, sponsors are mainly hoping to raise brand awareness, which will not necessarily result in more sales in the short term. “Sponsors of major sporting events benefit from brand awareness ... This should boost share prices,” said Thomas Kalich at Frankfurt Trust, which has launched a fund investing solely in sponsors of major sporting events.

Fans are also expected to gamble on the World Cup, boosting sales at major international betting firms like Austria’s BETandWIN and Britain’s William Hill. German rivals Tipp24 and Fluxx are also expected to enter the sporting bets market, but will play a minor role due to regulatory obstacles at home, according to analysts. Other hot soccer bets among investors include agency CTS Eventim, which sells match tickets. But the stock has already risen 300 percent this year and it is trading at 38.8 times 2005 earnings, making it more expensive than most German media peers, according to Reuters data.

Germans present award to Japan FA's Naganuma

Senior Japan Football Association advisor and former president (1994-1998) Ken Naganuma today received a special award from the Germany Football Association for his and the JFA's contributions to friendship with their German counterparts. The award was presented to him at the Deutscher Fussball-Bund special congress held in Leipzig a few hours prior to the FIFA World Cup final draw.

"I believe that not me but the Japanese football family has been given this prize," said Naganuma, as reported by the JFA website. "We, Japanese football, might not have returned in kind that which the DFB has given us over a long period of time, but I think the fact that Japan has developed ever since we received the guidance of Mr Dettmar Cramer may be part of what we owe them."

The 75-year-old former Japan player was one of those who learned modern coaching from German coach Cramer in the 1960s. Naganuma then coached Japan in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics, guiding the Boys in Blue to the quarterfinals and a bronze medal, respectively.

Australian postage stamps mark World Cup entry

The Australian postal service is celebrating Australia's entry into the 2006 World Cup with the release of a Souvenir Stamp Sheet featuring ten 50-cent “kangaroo and flag” stamps with the Australian team logo featured on the stamp tabs. With the title Australia Qualifies, the sheet includes dramatic images of Australia's 16 November clash with Uruguay such as "Mark Schwarzer’s heroic diving save, John Aloisi with his fingers pointed in the air in celebration and the Qantas Socceroos rising as one when Aloisi’s penalty struck the back of the net".

According to Australia Post, two details "which will be forever etched in the memory of those who witnessed the event", the final score and the date, are also featured on the sheet which retail for A$15.95.

“The support that the Australian team has received from the Australian public since qualifying for Germany has been outstanding,” said John O’Neill, Football Federation Australia's CEO. “For Australia Post to recognise the Qantas Socceroos on this Souvenir Stamp Sheet is a sensational tribute to the team and to the sport. Hopefully people will buy the stamps and send them to their friends and family all over the world to let them know that Australia is on its way to Germany.”

Philippines bidding for 2006 ASEAN Cup

Following the success of the Bacolod South East Asian Games co-hosting, Philippine Football Federation president Johnny Romualdez said the PFF is bidding to hold the ASEAN Cup (formerly sponsored by Tiger Beer), the most prestigious tournament in South East Asia, at the Bacolod City Sports Complex and at Panaad Stadium in November or December next year.

According to the Visayan Daily Star, Romualdez said the PFF had already submitted its hosting bid to the Asian Football Confederation, which will decide on the matter when it holds its general assembly in January in Myanmar.

"The problem we had before is we didn't have stadiums but now we have two. I think we have a good chance," the PFF president said, also citing the fan support generated by the national team in the SEA Games.

All South East Asian countries are expected to field their national teams in the competition, which was last won by Singapore in 2004,

Good footballing news from Afghanistan and Iraq

A 9-1 drubbing by The Maldives in their opening game in the 2005 South Asian Football Federation Championships in Karachi yesterday is not the end of the world for the Afghanistan national team. “We want to lay the foundation so that in two or three years the Afghan team is able to compete in the Asian arena,” the team’s new German coach, Klaus Staerk, told AFP earlier. Germany is assisting the Afghan squad and also financed a 10-day training camp in a German town earlier this year.

Before the repressive Taliban regime was toppled in late 2001 by the US-led military intervention, Islamist radicals had turned the national stadium in Kabul into an execution centre. They forbade men from playing football in shorts and, just five years ago, shaved the heads of a visiting Pakistani team who defied the ban. The internationally recognised government of president Hamid Karzai has lifted all such edicts. Now Afghans, including the millions of exiles who have returned from Pakistan and India, have chosen football and cricket as the most popular pastimes.

Staerk admits, however, that even basic issues like accommodation and nutrition are still problematic for his national team, with none of the Afghan players having a job. “So it’s difficult to get fit and achieve higher aims, but we will give it the best try,” he said.

IN IRAQ, the Football Association (IFA) has set up its first ever referee’s training centre, a project which aims to develop the skills and standards of referees in line with FIFA’s guidelines on grooming your referees. The centre is in full operation with the training of its first batch of 15-year-old. The youths undergo a 12-month course with daily sessions lasting up to four hours, giving them a total of 192. Should a trainee miss 20 hours of lessons, he is expelled. The centre includes a fully-equipped lecture hall with modern equipment including data projector, CTV, VCD, refereeing slides, football pitch, balls, whistles and other facilities.

UPDATE

Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in the ongoing South Asian Football Federation Championship in Karachi. "The people in Afghanistan are football crazy but unfortunately the game has been overshadowed by political turmoil," said Afghanistan team manager Ali Askar Lali as quoted by AFCMedia. "It is difficult to make a comeback but slowly we will make it big." (12 Dec)

Malaysian FA drops dividend to Super League clubs

The Football Association of Malaysia is reportedly about to cut annual grants to teams by up to 20 percent due to sponsorships dropping from 30 million ringgits (around US$ 8 million) to eight million ringgits (US$ 2.2 million). Two seasons ago, when Dunhill sponsored the Super League, participating clubs received dividends of around 1.4 million ringgits each to run their teams, President’s Cup sides and youth development, but that contract ended last year. Telekom Malaysia is now the official sponsor but the deal had reduced to 8.5 million ringgits, the Star newspaper reported.

FAM competitions committee chairman, Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar, told the newspaper that the grants had to be slashed because of the limited financial resources. “Although we have several sponsors, the amount is not enough. All teams will need to find their own sponsors to make up shortfalls.” he was quoted as saying.

See also: Malaysia's Penang FC attracts corporate sponsor (7 Dec)

Japan League title and Turkmenistan Cup final

Cerezo Osaka allowed FC Tokyo to equalize right on the stroke of full time on Saturday afternoon, settling for a 2-2 draw, that crowned Osaka rivals Gamba, who won 4-2 at Kawasaki Frontale, as the 2005 J-League1champions. "I don't know what to say," Gamba manager Akira Nishino said. "Finally, I guess. I've been a coach for so long and never won a championship. After four years at Gamba, I felt pressed to get it done."

Gamba became the first league champions from Kansai, finishing the 34-game season a single point ahead of four teams on 59 points: Urawa Reds, Kashima Antlers, JEF United Chiba and Cerezo, who fell from first to fifth on goal difference.

Turkmenistan League champions MTTU beat Cup holders Merv 4-1 and clinched the Super Cup in front of 6000 fans. MTTU and Merv will represent Turkmenistan in the 2006 AFC Cup.

Sinchi FC opts out of S-League's new season

Chinese club Sinchi FC will not be participating in the 2006 S-League after failing to get together a competitive team for next year. The Chilins, who made their S-League debut in 2003, will concentrate on grassroots projects including a football school and futsal tournaments. Their current youth side, champions in the Prime League this season, will play in China's lower leagues with a view to gaining experience for a projected return to Singapore. An alternative plan to adopt the youth team of a top China Super League club - following the model of Albirex Niigata - is also under consideration.

“Our management had decided to withdraw from the S-League after our poor finish this season, but changed our mind following encouragement from the FAS and our sponsors,” said Sinchi vice-chairman Wang Jinhui. “But after studying the new team in China last week, we felt that it was too weak and not any better than the teams of the last three years. We need more time to be more selective with the players who will represent Sinchi. We want to do justice to the S-League, the fans and sponsors.

S-League CEO, How Seen Yong, Singapore's 2006 S-League roster announced (11 Nov)

Malaysia's Penang FC attracts corporate sponsor

Malaysian Super League club Penang has secured a RM 2 million sponsorship from the E&O Group of companies, the Malay Mail reported. Penang's state Chief Minister and football association president, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, said the big sponsorship came with the condition that the team be known as Penang E&O and also performance options.

However he reminded the public of the need for grassroots development and appealed for sponsorship for junior-age-group competitions.

"The last three years the [Penang state] FA’s financial strength has been low due to the poor gate collection and the inability to get big sponsors. The gate collection from about RM 1.3 million three years ago has dipped to about RM 300,000. We have to address this downturn and get the fans to fill the stadium and for this to happen we have to play well and produce results. Not only does the FAP need the financial support, likewise the players also need the moral support of the fans," he said.

Sheffield United expected to purchase China club

English Championship club Sheffield United is reportedly "close to buying a Chinese club". According to Soccer Investor (6 Dec), sources close to the club said preliminary terms have been agreed and both parties are going through a due diligence process. Blades chairman, Kevin McCabe (pictured), who has a number of business interests in China separate from the club, confirmed the possibility to BBC radio.

Sheffield United has been steadily strengthening its football ties in China and has established the Hainan Football Academy to train young Chinese players on that large island off the coast of southern China. In addition, a Chinese-English language school will be established in the Sheffield United Academy for those young players who gain a chance to graduate from the Chinese Academy and come over to England.

The stock exchange-listed club conducted a pre-season tour of the People’s Republic playing games in Hangzhou, Shenyang and Changsa and recently acquired Chinese international Hao Haidong.

Zhang award for promoting Italian football in China

A Chinese sports commentator has been awarded one of Italy's highest honors to commend his promotion of Italian football in the Peoples Republic of China, Beijing Times reported. Zhang Lu, who has commentated the Italian Serie A league at China Central Television for 15 years, was made a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity in Beijing by Gabriele Menegatti, Italy's Ambassador to China, on behalf of the nation's president Carlo Ciampi.

Although not a star, Zhang was the goalkeeper of the Beijing team in the early 1980s. He completed a master's degree at Beijing Sport University in 1991 and then helped CCTV launch its live telecasts of Italian Serie A games in 1992. Zhang is the vice president of Beijing Guo'an, a Chinese Super League team, which sold a five percent stake to Spanish giant Real Madrid last month.

See also: Real Madrid and Beijing Guo'an sign co-operation (10 Nov)

UEFA's vision for European football

For the first time in its history UEFA has made public its official policy on a number of key issues relating to the future of European soccer. Vision Europe (sounds copied from the Asian Football Confederation's 'Vision' initiative) is described by the European governing body as "a detailed and comprehensive review of the state of the European game and the way ahead".

The document contains UEFA's views and approach to all the big issues facing European football, including:

• Clubs releasing players to national teams
• Youth development and homegrown players
• Corruption
• Doping
• Racism
• Agents
• Competition structures
• Multi-club control
• Fan ownership of clubs
• Political intervention and co-operation

Sports Business points out that Vision Europe reflects official UEFA policy since April 2005 but is available to read and download (pdf format) via the official website, uefa.com.

Thailand wins South East Asian Games football

A hat-trick from Teerathep Winothai led Thailand to a convincing 3-0 victory over Vietnam in the final of the SEA Games football tournament at Paglaum stadium, Philippines. It was the seventh successive title for defending champions Thailand, including the 2003 final against Vietnam in Hanoi.

An emotional Thai coach Chanvit Phalajivin was delighted at his team's performance. "I am very proud," he told Tor Chittinand of the Bangkok Post. "This gold medal is for His Majesty the King to celebrate his birthday. Our boys played really well today," he said. "We thoroughly deserved our victory."

Vietnam's Austrian coach Alfred Riedl conceded Thailand were the better team. "We were under pressure right from the start," he said. "The Thai strikers were too much for our defence."

In the earlier bronze-medal match, Malaysia defeated Indonesia 1-0 through a Fadzil Shaari goal in the 75th minute. Indonesia had what looked like two legitimate penalty claims for handball turned down in the final five minutes, then Bangkok Post reported.

See also: Schedule delay as football teams drop SEA Games (7 Nov)

FIFA World Cup will boost 'global adspend' in 2006

Global advertising expenditure is in good health and will show stable growth next year, according to a report by ZenithOptimedia. The survey has predicted that global advertising spend will grow by 4.8% in 2005 in line with Zenith's 5% forecast a year ago. Zenith said the moderate growth reflects a tough comparison with 2004, which was buoyed by the US presidential elections, summer Olympics and Euro 2004.

The figure is expected to increase to 5.9% in 2006, aided by the football World Cup in Germany and mid-term elections in the USA.

The report found a number of ad-growth hotspots around the world, with the US coming out on top as the largest contributor to global advertising growth. The US will account for 41-43% of global advertising between 2004 and 2008. The dynamic ‘BRIIC’ economies of Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia and China are only 6%-10% of the sector but are all among the top eight growers, and predicted to supply 26% of global ad growth 2004-2008. By comparison, the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, will see their share of the global ad market shrink from 19% to 17% over the same period.

The report singled out the internet as a driver of increased ad spend. Zenith said the internet will take 4.6% of advertising spend this year, rising to 6.4% in 2008. From 2005 to 2008, the internet is expected to create US$ 15.8 billion worth of new ad spend.

Advertising Expenditure Forecasts is published quarterly priced £385. It may be ordered in hard or soft copy from www.zenithoptimedia.com.

Entire Indian state revolts against referee decision

The entire sporting population of the Indian state of Manipur appears to be supporting the All Manipur Football Association's boycott of national competitions in protest of a referee decison in the Goa - Manipur game which ousted the state from the next stage of the 60th Santosh Trophy football tournament in Cochi, Kerala.

The complaint was that the referee allowed Goa to restart the game even as most of the Manipur players were celebrating W Tomba's "brilliant goal in the 88th minute, off a classy swerving free kick" and an equalizer was scored by Goa`s Climax Laurence "even before the applause for Tomba`s goal subsided or the TV cameras had time to shift focus to the centre circle".

Even as the state's sports minister, Govindas Kon-thoujam, appealed to the Committee for Implementation of People's Decision on Santosh Trophy to review its decision to "suspend all national level sports meets and not to send any state contingent to any such meet", sporting activities came to a grinding halt with the first casualty being the All India Inter-University Football (W) Tournament being put on hold.

The Sangai Express reported that other state sports bodies had already announced boycotts of the following events: World Wushu Championship at Hanoi (from 7-15 December); U-17 National School Games at Andaman and Nicobar Island; U-19 National School Volleyball Tournament at Rajasthan (19-24 Dec); 32nd National Volleyball Championship at Karnataka (24-30 Dec); 20th Black belt, 22nd Men Colour Belt, 20th Sr National Female Taekwondo Championship at Lucknow (16-18 Dec); 5th Senior East and North East Volleyball Championship at Assam (14-18 Dec); 3rd National Touch Rugby at Delhi (25-27 Dec); Squash Board Competition at Canada (23-30 Dec); 28th National Archery Championship at Jharkhand (26 Dec); 8th Sub Jr National Sepak Takraw at Orissa (15-18 Dec) and 59th National Aquatic at Kerala (13-18 Dec).

Minister Govindas reportedly agreed that "the Santosh Trophy imbroglio had shown there was sentiment in mainland India to bring down Manipuri sports" but pointed out that Manipur had been chosen for one of the two Asian Football Confederation's Vision India pilot projects and that the central government had granted Rs 400 million as part of the Prime Minister's package for setting up a sports academy in Manipur.

He also reiterated that the ouster of Manipur from the Santosh Trophy on account of a referee`s controversial decision in the 17 November match "was very unfortunate" but reminded that the All India Football Federation, AIFF president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and Union sports minister Oscar Fernandes had agreed to look into the matter when an all-party delegation from the state brought it to their attention. The state government is waiting for whatever decision they might take, he said.

See also: Manipur to boycott Indian nationals because of ref (21 Nov)

Can ISO 9001 raise the value of shirt sponsorship?

Dr Simon Chadwick of Birkbeck College, University of London, is presenting a seminar on the value of the ISO 9001 standard to address problems fooball clubs have in acquiring and retaining football shirt sponsors. Football shirt sponsorship contracts in England have been identified as being less valuable than those in other countries and there is also growing scepticism amongst sponsors about the effectiveness and relevance of shirt sponsorships.

"Organisations have indicated that some clubs are often unwilling to cooperate with them, fail to communicate openly or regularly, do not engage with the staff responsible for managing sponsorship programmes and frequently reject a collaborative approach to their relationship," Dr Chadwick wrote in his synopsis.

The ISO 9001 standard exists in order that an organisation can demonstrate its ability to consistently meet customer requirements. It also aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of systems, including processes for continual improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer requirements. Amongst benefits attributable to the standard are improved levels of quality, safety, reliability, efficiency, inter-changeability and economy.

"This standard clearly has a role to play in ensuring that football clubs serve the needs of their customers, amongst them a club’s shirt sponsors. In particular, they identify that sponsors will inevitably seek to maximise their returns from a sponsorship contract and their assumption is that clubs applying for and securing the ISO 9001 standard will thus be able to more readily deliver these returns.

"The presentation will therefore contend that football clubs can retain their shirt sponsors for longer periods of time and secure higher financial values for these contracts than is currently the case, if they were to secure ISO 9001 accreditation. The award of this standard would mean the club setting down performance benchmarks for their relationship with a sponsor. As a result, it will be argued that sponsors should be more likely to trust clubs and therefore make a longer-term financial commitment to them," Dr Chadwick explained.

For further details on "Football shirt sponsorship programmes - is ISO 9001 a way to address retention and value problems?" (7 Dec), contact Sean Hamil, Department of Management, Birkbeck College. Email: s.hamil@bbk.ac.uk

See also: MU and Vodafone split as shirt sponsorship soars (23 Nov)

Mueller calls for more Indian youth development

German legend Gerd Mueller (the 'Aerial Bomber' pictured left) is impressed with Indian football. "I did not know what to expect before coming here. I am impressed with the fitness of players, but there is a need for more skillful individuals," he told media. Visiting Kolkata as the assistant coach of a Bayern Munich development squad to take part in the IFA Shield tournament, Mueller also recommended improving the standard of football grounds to enable players to display better football.

He emphasised youth development and graduating to a professional structure of the game to make India a power to reckon with. "The most important thing is youth development ... Indian football has to heavily invest on this. Once this is done, bring quality players from abroad to make a good mix for domestic tournaments," he said, adding that a professional structure cannot be done at one go. "You need to go step by step and systematically".

Mueller said he was particularly moved by the lively crowd and said "the supporters are noisy, always cheering for the home side, but not hostile to the guest teams. They are a very positive crowd".

Earlier he unveiled the German shirts for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, designed by Adidas, in the presence of Adidas India Marketing Pvt Ltd managing director Andreas Gellner. Mueller said he would look forward to visiting India with a first string side of Bayern Munich "in the future".

See also: Beckenbauer agrees: the 'future of football is Asia' (28 Nov) and Bayern Munich discovers India in "South East Asia" (9 Nov)

2006 comings and goings in China Super League

Wang Baosheng has been appointed the new head coach of the China Super League club, Shenzhen, for the 2006 season. "The club chose me because it has faith in me. I am also confident that we can have good performances in next year's China Super League matches," Wang said. He told media he had a realistic goal: to make sure the team was not relegated.

He said he had a better understanding of the team after a match against a Bayern Munich development side (29 Nov). "My task will be to rebuild the team and my overhaul will start from the rear guards," he said. "The team hasn't been engaged in a systematic training for too long a time. The winter training session will be very crucial," he said.

China Broadcast reported that Wang is the fifth head coach of the Shenzhen team this year, following Zhu Guanghu, Chi Shangbin, Guo Ruilong and Xie Feng.

Shanghai Shenhua SVA captain Sun Xiang wants to help his club win the domestic championship in the new season, effectively shutting out any possible move to English Premiership side Wigan Athletics FC during the winter transfer window. Sun went to Wigan for a weeklong trial and looked like securing a deal with the Premier League side, Zhou Zuyi reported in the Shaghai Daily.

"My priority is to do my bit for Shenhua in the new season next year," he said."The trip to Britain was a pleasant one but a transfer is now out of question." The Shanghai native took over the captaincy midway through last season after Du Wei headed for Celtic.

Shenhua, as well as its new coach Wu Jingui, is apparently reluctant to release its captain as it reportedly courts Shenzhen Jianlibao captain Li Weifeng and a handful of other Chinese internationals, including goalkeeper Li Leilei.

The club finished second in the 2005 Chinese Super League and will represent China in the 2006 Asian Football Confederation Champions League.

Sun said his decision to stay back for another season does not mean that he was forsaking his long-term dream of playing in some of the world's best soccer leagues. "I will stay for the next season but I haven't thought about anything beyond that," he told Soccer newspaper. "The days in Wigan, short as it was, has convinced me that my future lies in Europe," he said.

Kazuyoshi Miura: Australia will do very well in Asia

Japanese great Kazuyoshi Miura, currently playing with A-League club, Sydney FC, said Australia's footballing future looks bright. "Nothing has surprised me about the A-League. I was expecting a good league and it has been very good so far," he said in an interview with Michael Cockerill in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"I think Australia will do very well in Asia. A lot of the teams in Asia will be scared because the Australian teams and the Australian players are very high quality. By the same token, Asian teams will have difficulty playing against Australia initially but it will help lift the standard of Asian teams having a quality side like Australia in the matches.

"The A-League is just starting in its early stages and the level of the A-League teams will also lift, so it will be good for all teams in Asia, including Australia," he said.

IFA Shield promoters fishing for Liverpool for 2006

Total Sports Asia has signed an MoU with the Indian Football Association, the Kolkata-based organisation responsible for football in India's West Bengal state, to further develop and promote the game.

TSA is responsible for the Bayern Munich development team's participation in this year's IFA Shield and the company’s next target is to provide an international flavour to the five-a-side Futsal event in 2006.

"The final of the Futsal soccer will have an international tinge next season with efforts already on to rope in two popular foreign participants, either from Singapore, Thailand, Bangladesh or Pakistan. These two will play with the other 19 qualified teams from the district. And the final phase will be held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium," TSA director, Navneet Sharma, told Sudeep Pakrashi of Express India.

With the end of 10-year tie-up between ESPN and IFA next year, TSA is targeting two local television broadcasters. “If ESPN doesn’t renew its contract, then we are planning to get two channels as IFA sponsor. One would be a regional channel for the district-based and junior tournaments of the IFA, while the popular channel would be contracted for the IFA premier league and the IFA Shield,” another TSA executive said.

TSA has said it has started negotiating with English Premier League club, Liverpool, for their participation in the IFA Shield next year. “It might be Bayern Munich reserves again participating in the Shield next year. But talks are on with the Liverpool club management and if things work out, then Liverpool reserves’ participation will be sure,” the executive told Express India.

Japan and USA in pre-World Cup test

Japan will match up against the United States on 10 February in San Francisco with the game broadcast live throughout the USA on ESPN2.

“This will be a great opportunity for our domestic players to show what they can do against a team that is headed to the World Cup,” said US Manager Bruce Arena in goal.com.

“We believe Japan will field a number of first team players, so it will be a great game to evaluate players and continue to formulate the roster that we will take to Germany.”

UPDATE

Australia's assistant coach, Graham Arnold, has responded to claims by USA coach Bruce Arena that Australia will be one of the easybeats of next year's World Cup finals in Germany.

Arena did not rate the Socceroos in an interview with Sports Illustrated's website. "The last time around (the 2002 World Cup finals) the easy games were China and Saudi Arabia," Arena said. "This time around you'd probably say Australia and Trinidad and Tobago are the weak ones."

While Arnold said he would not have been surprised if the comments had come from some of the superpowers of the game, he told The Australian (7 Dec) that it was unfair for the Socceroos to be criticised by what he sarcastically called a "footballing giant like the Americans ... The last time I looked they hadn't won the World Cup."

Arnold said the more the Socceroos were looked down upon by likely opponents the better.

"If the other countries want to take us lightly then they do so at their own peril," he said. "But that sort of negativity will work to our advantage.

"Look what happened to Uruguay. When we beat them (last month) to qualify for the World Cup finals, I think we showed the world what we are capable of. Uruguay paid a severe price for their cockiness and, if the other countries react the same way, then it will suit us perfectly."

Bin Hammam calls for maturity and professionalism

Chaired by AFC president, Mohamed bin Hammam, members of the Asian Football Confederation Executive Committee met in Kualar Lumpur on 1 December. In the following media conference, the president emphasised the need for increasing professionalism throughout Asia. Naming several leading football associations, he called on them to give away their "immature" mentality so that the AFC "can become the second strongest confederation behind Europe". With their population, resources, economies and talent, he said, Asia could have five or six leagues to match the Europeans ... but only if standards continue to be raised, including better management.

He also cautioned that the AFC was not pressing FIFA for more automatic places in the World Cup. While there will be great interest in the performance of the five Asian nations (including Australia) participating in Germany next year, he said it was possible that Asia would not be technically prepared for greater representation until much later, perhaps until 2022.

Mr bin Hammam announced that Australia, which formally joins the AFC on 1 January, had been allocated to the ASEAN Zone because of its proximity. He said Australia brought with it economic power and technical ability and these will provide a new challenge for many Asian countries.

Seamus O'Brien, president of World Sport Group, which controls the marketing rights to Asian football, was reportedly full of praise for the zoning. "Being placed with such heavyweights as Japan, Korea and China would have stifled Australia's ambitions of growth," O'Brien told Philip Micallef of the Herald Sun. "Clearly, being a big fish in a small pond will benefit Australia's aspirations greatly," he said.

However the AFC zones - West Asia, Central/South Asia, East Asia and South East Asia (ASEAN) - are administrative and do not affect World Cup, Asian Cup and Olympics and other qualification paths. Deputy General Secretary, Dato Paul Mony Samuel, also confirmed to the Asian Football Business Review that membership of the zone will not automatically include Australia in the next ASEAN Cup (formerly 'Tiger' Cup) as the ASEAN Football Federation, which organises the Cup and the AFC zone "are two different things".

Following the successful presentation of the annual awards the previous evening, the Committee unanimously agreed to maintain the criteria that players must be present at the awards.

The Committee also took a tough stance against the fielding of over-age players at AFC U-17 competitions. It was decided that the sole responsibility of checking a player's age falls within the member association. if any of the players are suspected of being over-age, MRI examination will be done on them and if guilty, the member association's results in the competition will be nullified. Further, the concerned associations, officials and players will be suspended with the option of extending this ban internationally.

German clubs find secret of merchandise success

A survey carried out by PR Marketing and summarised by Soccer Investor (2 Dec) has revealed that Germany’s professional football clubs managed to lift their merchandising sales to a new high, breaking the € 100 million barrier for the first time in their history. The sales of all 36 professional clubs in 2004/05 add up to a total of € 101 million with the major share of € 87 million coming from the 18 Bundesliga teams, leaving € 14 million to second division sides.

“Three out of four Bundesliga clubs and two out of three Bundesliga II sides report growing merchandising sales while many third-division clubs and the DFB (German FA) have also increased their figures in 2004/05,” explained PR Marketing merchandising director Peter Rohlmann.

While figures in the Bundesliga were up for the fourth consecutive year, with clubs reporting that around 8% of their budget comes from merchandise sales, Bundesliga 2 clubs have now also joined the boom.

The Bundesliga is Europe’s best-attended league with an average of almost 40,000 fans per game in 2005/06, up from 37,000 last season, while the Second Division has increased numbers from around 10,000 in recent years to about 13,000 during the current campaign.

Man United told to look to Asia for shirt sponsor

Manchester United appears confident that its English Premier League shirt will draw a more lucrative deal than the US$ 15.5 million received from departing sponsor Vodafone plc. "The conversations we've had in the last few weeks would indicate that our confidence is not misplaced,'' spokesman Phil Townsend told Sam Sheringham of Bloomberg.

The club has approached technology companies, including Google Inc, Yahoo! Inc, LG Electronics, and Sony Corp to replace Vodafone, The Times reported (30 Nov).

O2 plc, whose shirt sponsorship deal with Arsenal ends next May, didn't entertain an approach from United because the UK mobile-phone network operator is looking to brand music concerts and computer games, spokesman Simon Gordon told Bloomberg.

"United might struggle to get a higher figure," John Taylor, chairman of London-based sponsorship firm Sports Impact, said. "Most of the global brands who spend that amount of money are already tied up with a football club or have looked at it and considered it's not for them."

United should focus on finding a brand with a strong presence in emerging soccer markets such as Asia, Taylor said.

See also: MU and Vodafone split as shirt sponsorship soars (23 Nov)

Deputy chosen for jailed Indonesian FA president

The national meeting of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) in Hotel Grand Mercure, Yogyakarta, 28-29 November, appointed a deputy for the national president, Dr Nurdin Halid, who is currently in jail waiting trial for corruption. Mr Agusman Effendi will deputise for Mr Halid during his incarceration. Mr Halid, chairman of the Indonesian Cooperatives Association and formerly associated with the football club PSM Makassar, was elected president of PSSI for a five-year term in 2003

Soon after, however, he was arrested and charged with embezzling Rp 169.7 billion (US$ 18 million) in state funds from the National Logistics Agency (Bulog). That charged was rejected by the South Jakarta district court in June this year but Mr Halid is back in Jakarta’s Salemba jail pending his trial for a separate charge of involvement in a sugar smuggling case worth Rp 180 billion (US$ 19 million) involving state-owned plantation company PTPN X.

"Not only in this [Bulog] case was I sacrificed, but also in the corruption charge over the sugar import by PTPN X because I was slandered by former industry and trade minister Rini Suwandi," he complained at the time. He said he was “sacrificed” by Rini Suwandi in 2004 because of pressure from then president Megawati Sukarnoputri’s campaign team for the 2004 presidential election, as he had supported the competing Golkar Party’s presidential candidate, former military chief Wiranto. In 1999 Mr Halid was found not guilty of swindling more than Rp 100 billion of funds owned by local clove farmers in South Sulawesi.

In other decisions, PSSI established an autonomous board to run the national professional competition, Liga Indonesia; discussed the implementation of new FIFA and Asian Football Confederation rules; evaluated its 2005 work program and supervision of departments; and discussed a proposal to recommend the late Soeratin Sosrosoegondo, the founding chairman of PSSI in 1930, to the central government to be declared a "National Hero". No decision was taken on the return of the Surabaya club, Persebaya, to league ranks after its 18-months suspension is served.

See also: AFC applies vision to 'wake up' Indonesian football (23 Nov)

Draws for AFC's 2006 Champions League and Cup

The draw for the 2006 AFC Champions League, the fourth edition of the tournament, was conducted by the Asian Football Confederation's Deputy General Secretary, Dato Paul Mony Samuel at AFC House. Twenty-eight teams from 14 countries found out their groups and opponents, with current champions, Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, joining the group winners at the quarterfinal stage.

The teams are separated in the group stage into seven groups of four on a regional basis – four from West and Central and South Asia and three from ASEAN and East Asia. Clubs from the same country were kept apart in the draw and play one another on a home-and-away basis. The first Match Day is on 8 March 2006.

Group A: Pakhtakor (UZB), Al Qadisiya (KUW), Foolad (IRN), Al Ittihad (SYR); Group B: Al Ain (UAE), Mashal (UZB), Al Minaa (IRQ), Al Hilal (KSA); Group C: Al Wahda (UAE), Al Gharafa (QAT), Al Kahrama (SYR), Saba Battery (IRN); and Group D: Al Sadd (QAT), Al Arabi (KUW), Al Quwa Al Jawiya (IRQ), Al Shabab (KSA).

Group E: KFA Cup Winners (KOR), Dalian Shide (CHN), J.League 2005 Champions (JPN), Da Nang (VIE); Group F: K-League 2005 Champions (KOR), Arema Malang (IDN), Tobacco Monopoly (THA), Tokyo Verdy (JPN); and Group G: Persipura Jayapura (INA), Shanghai Shenhua (CHN), Prov. Electrical Authority (THA), Dong Tam Long An (VIE).

The draw for the 2006 AFC Cup, the club competition for 'developing' football associations, was also held at AFC House. Teams are seperated into the group stage into six groups of four on a regional basis - four from West and Central and South Asia and two from ASEAN and East Asia. Clubs from the same country were kept apart in the draw and play one another on a home-and-away basis.

Group A: Muharraq (BHR), Al Ahed (LIB), Mahindra United (IND), Brothers Union (BAN); Group B: Al Nasr (OMA), Al Helal (YEM), FC MERW (TKM), Dempo SC (IND); Group C: Al Wihdat (JOR), Dhofar (OMA), LC (BAN); and Group D: Al Nijmeh (LIB), Al Faisaly (JOR), FC MTTU (TKM).

Group E: New Radiant (MDV), Perlis (MAS), Home United FC (SIN), Sun Hei (HKG); and Group F: Selangor (MAS), Hurriya SC (MDV), Happy Valley AA (HKG), Tampines Rovers (SIN).

See also: Asian continental tournament developments (2 Nov)

Asian 2005 football awards well presented

Hamad Al Montashari of Saudi Arabia was selected the AFC Player of the Year 2005 at the Asian Football Confederation's gala annual awards presentation at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, on 30 November. Over 400 guests from across the continent enjoyed a professional and entertaining presentation which also highlighted Japan's Hara Natsuko naming as AFC Women's Player of the Year and the inaugural Diamond of Asia presentation to Japan Football Association president, Saburo Kawabuchi, for his outstanding efforts to develop football.

The JFA president had more reason to cheer after Japan was named as the AFC National Team of the Year and the Japan Under-17 women’s team the AFC Women’s National Team of the Year.

Pictured left: AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam (right) with Titik Ningsih of Football Dynamics Asia at the 2005 Gala Awards.

DPR Korea striker Choe Myong-ho won the AFC Youth Player of the Year award while the AFC Match Official of the Year award went to Singaporean Shamsul Maidin. Seven-time Asian futsal champions Iran collected the AFC Futsal Team of the Year title and Al Montashari's club Al Ittihad was named AFC Club Team of the Year. The Qatar Football Association picked up the new AFC Association of the Year award for its pioneering work in promoting the game and Hong Kong was awarded the AFC Fair Play Team of the Year.

The AFC Coach of the Year was not presented this year "in the absence of a suitable Asian candidate", the AFC advised. "None of the Asian teams which qualified for the 2006 World Cup are coached by Asians and neither are the top club sides," AFCMedia reported.

See also: More nominations for AFC 2005 football awards (23 Nov) and AFC must define who is "Best" and who is "Asian" (21 Nov)