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Cristy Ramos again questions Philippine policy

Is the Philippine Football Federation ignoring internationally-sanctioned events and preferring to send teams to overseas invitational tournaments instead? According to Cristy Ramos, the highest Filipino official in FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, the PFF failed to field teams in two age-group events for women organized by the AFC. "They missed the registration deadline for the Asian Under-16 tournament last May 12 and then the Asian Under-14 event last July 16. This I don’t understand," Ramos said at the Philippine Sportswriters Association in Manila."The PFF does not send teams to this official AFC-sanctioned events and yet at the FIFA women’s seminar last week, one of its officials announced that they would sent a women’s squad to an invitational tournament to Singapore," she added.

Late last year, Ramos, a member of the FIFA Women’s Committee and chairman of the AFC women’s committee, revealed that the PFF had missed the 31 August deadline for Asian Under-19 women’s tournament in 2006. This miscue forced the PFF to disband the national women’s squad, which was only informed of it in January when they had already trained for the event, Bong Pedralvez reported in The Manila Times.

"I am only critical of the PFF when I see a mistake. And I have been seeing a lot of them," Ramos said. She added that remarks made by PFF president Johnny Romualdez regarding the FIFA’s and AFC national ratings system "was uncalled for." Romualdez had earlier said he did not put too much weight in the ratings because it does reflect the "real" performance level of its members. The Philippines is ranked No. 195 in the world and No 44 out 45 in Asia, just a rung above Guam. "The PFF should not put down the FIFA and AFC ratings. They should be respected," Ramos said. However, Ramos, a former Philippine Olympic Committee president, did not rule out offering her assistance to the PFF. "I am willing to do what I can to help the PFF and local football. This has been virtually my life. All they have to do is ask," she said.

Barclays' Premier League sponsorship adds Asia

Barclays, the UK based international banking group, has renewed its title sponsorship of the English Premier League in a deal until 2010 worth £65.8 million. The new contract is effectively a three-year extension to the bank’s current agreement with the league, which was due to expire at the end of the current season, but now also includes the annual pre-season Premier League Asia Trophy. “We all know about the fantastic appeal of the Barclays Premiership in the UK but this sponsorship also fits our international presence and aspirations particularly in Asia and continental Europe. It provides us with powerful brand visibility in the many markets around the world in which we operate," Barclays president Bob Diamond said.

North Korea's winnning U-20 women receive awards

Members of the winning team at the FIFA U-20 women's World Championship were given honorary titles by the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, state media KCNA reported . According to the decree, the titles of Labor Hero and People's Sportsman were awarded to players including Hong Myong Gum of the Amnokgang Sports Group, Kim Song Hui of the Pyongyang City Sports Group, Kim Chun Hui of the Rimyongsu Sports Group and Kim Kyong Hwa of the April 25 Sports Group, and coaches Choe Kwang Sok, Sin Ui Gun and Kim Kyong Ho and to the deputy secretary general of the Football Department of the Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission, Ri Song Gun. The decree also noted that Kim Il Sung Youth Honor Prize and the title of Merited Sportsman went to Ri Jong Sim of the Amnokgang Sports Group and to Kim Jong Su, director of the Football Department of the Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission.

FFA supports Melbourne's move to big stadium

Football Federation Australia has given it’s full support to leading A-League club Melbourne Victory’s request to move six of their remaining eight 2006/07 matches to the 58,000-capacity Telstra Dome. “With the recent record crowd that we witnessed for the match against Sydney FC and with club memberships over the 10,000 mark, it is clear that the move Telstra Dome will provide an opportunity for more Victorians to support their club in the Hyundai A-League,” said FFA Head of Operations Matt Carroll. “It is also pleasing to see that the risk that the FFA took to stage and underwrite the round 2 match between Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC has proved fruitful, and is yet another ringing endorsement for the Hyundai A-League and the sport of football in Australia."

Arema confirms its inclusion in Champions League

Indonesian Premier League club, Arema Malang of East Java province, has confirmed its place in the 2007/08 Asian Champions League by winning the 2006 Indonesia Cup 2-0 over Persipura Jayapura of Papua province at Gelora Delta Sidoarjo stadium last Saturday. Their victory was completed with Aries Budi Prasetyo voted best player and Emaleu Sergei top scorer.

Ironically, both clubs qualified for the 2006/07 Champions League but were expelled from the competition by the Asian Football Confederation when the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) did not submit documentation by deadline. Persipura had won the Premier League (Liga Djarum) grand final and Arema was the Copa Dji Sam Soe champion. While Persipura seemed resigned to its fate, Arema demanded that the PSSI board resign and sought automatic inclusion for the 2007 edition of the AFC event as they could prove they had sent their documentation to PSSI in time. PSSI confirmed its agreement for Arema's automatic inclusion by letter on 25 March.

Although Arema has qualified with back-to-back cup victories, manager Benny Dollo admits that leading Asian teams may be "three or four times better" than Indonesian teams. ”We will face odds in the Asia Championship,” he said. “We need a big spirit against those big teams. Without hard work, we will be easy to beat. Performing in that competition will be my player’s test case."

See also: Indonesia's Arema promised 07 Champions League (21 Apr)

British listed Futsal operator sees growth in centres

Goals Soccer Centres plc, the Alternative Investment Market-listed operator of five-a-side Futsal centres across Britain, has announced pre-tax profits up by 72% to £2.1 million for the six months ended 30 June 2006. Sales increased by 35% to £7.5 million (2005: £5.5m) and a statement reported by Soccer Investor said the company is well placed to increase revenues not only from developing its pipeline of new sites but also from its existing portfolio of centres. The company invested £8.1 million in capital expenditure during the period, £7.7 million of which relates to investment in new centres. Since the start of the year the company has added an additional five centres at Sutton, Southampton, Birmingham Central, Plymouth and Bradford and in total have opened 10 new centres since the company listed on AIM in December 2004 bringing the current total operating to 21. A further centre will open at Birmingham West in late 2006.

BenQ delivers record sponsorship to Real Madrid

Real Madrid has reached a €100 million agreement with Taiwan mobile phone company BenQ, a firm which purchased the celluar business of Siemens last October. BenQ will extend the current BenQ-Siemens club shirt sponsorship until 2010 and display static publicity at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. According to Soccer Investor (16 Sept), the new contract, worth €25 million a year, places Real Madrid as "the best renumerated in the world in terms of sponsorship".

Brazil lottery to stop players being sold to Europe

In a ceremony at the presidential palace with top executives of Brazil football sector, president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a law that creates Timemania (Teammania), a lottery game that will use 80 Brazilian football teams logos instead of numbers. Teammania aims at equilibrating the finances of local football clubs, which are on the verge of bankruptcy, especially due to debts with the government, estimated to total 900 million reais (US$ 417 million).

Government bank Caixa Economica Federal will be responsible for operating the game, which is expected to generate up to 500 million reais (US$ 231.5 million) per year, Peoples Daily reported. At first, 22 percent of Teammanias revenues will be used to pay the teams debts with the public health care system and pension agencies; after that, the clubs will start to pocket the lottery money. Each team will have a separate account with the government/CEF.

Brazil sports minister Orlando Silva said in the ceremony that Brazilian teams will make use of Teammanias revenues to keep and qualify their players, instead of selling their rights out to foreign teams. Rio de Janeiros Fluminense football club president Roberto Horcades welcomed the creation of the lotto game. "Firstly, Teammania is an intelligent way to pay an unaffordable debt. Secondly, it is the effective recovery of football. And thirdly, a future planning for us to reinvest in the junior football divisions," said Horcades.

Vietnam battles new scams in football clean-up

Quoting estimates of Deloitte, an international auditing firm, Saigon Liberation newpaper reported that Vietnam's illegal betting market is valued at US 1 billion. Vietnamese police detected a total of 348 cases of football betting in 39 cities and provinces nationwide with the involvement of 1,554 people during the World Cup 2006. They confiscated over 3. 4 billion Vietnamese dong (US$ 213,800) and more than US$ 100,000, the newspaper said.

Meantime, Vietnam's football chief admits he is facing a headache about a new kind of match-fixing for which there is no law to prevent. Nguyen Trong Hy, the chairman of the Vietnam Football Federation, said that unlike the common practice of fixing scorelines in return for cash, league sides were deliberately losing matches to help other teams stave off relegation, the Thanh Nien daily reported. Hy described the practice as "immoral philanthropy" but admitted it was a test to existing legislation as no money had changed hands. Games were being deliberately lost as a result of close ties between managers and owners of different clubs, who were exchanging favours to guarantee survival in Vietnam's top flight, the daily quoted him as saying. Police have launched a probe into mid-table Danang's 2-0 loss to bottom side Tien Giang on 13 August which they described as the most dubious game of the season, the report said.

While Vietnam has been tainted by a string of match-fixing scandals, the most high-profile taking place during last year's South East Asian Games in the Philippines, police also state that 2006 has been football's "cleanest" year yet.

Tourism Malaysia dumps Chelsea for Man United

Tourism Malaysia has signed up as a sponsor for Manchester United, strengthening the football club's ties with tourism in the region. The announcement marks the beginning of Man Utd's second year of partnership with AirAsia and a year-long collaboration with the tourism arm of Malaysia as sponsors of the Trafford Training Centre in Carrington. AirAsia and Tourism Malaysia will work together to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2007. Tony Fernandes, group chief executive of AirAsia (does not fly to the UK but operates flights across South East Asia) said the partnership "presents vast branding opportunities not only for us in Malaysia but also to drive enthusiasm amongst fans, especially in Thailand and Indonesia as well as other countries that we fly to, where football also shares an equally strong foothold."

The £2 million deal marks the end of Tourism Malaysia's previous association at Stamford Bridge. "Manchester United have more fans in our part of the world than Chelsea and we feel this sponsorship deal offers us the best chance to promote Malaysia worldwide," said Malaysian tourism minister YB Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor. "There are Manchester United fan clubs in Malaysia and so many people who like to watch their games. "This package is better for us in a commercial sense and we will strive with United to make it work for the benefit of all parties."

The immediate spin-off will be a stop-off by Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils as part of a planned pre-season tour of Asia next summer. United's intended visit, their first to Kuala Lumpur since 1995, will help mark the 50th anniversary of Malaysia's independence, with chief executive David Gill admitting it should solidify United's support base within south-eastern Asia.

"We have always had a huge following in that region for main reasons; history, heritage and achievement," he said. "The success of the Premiership has also been an important factor and it will be good to have the chance to visit the region again. As with all our tours, we will not just turn up, play a game and leave again. It will be a genuine attempt to project ourselves to supporters who very rarely have the opportunity to see us live."

Simon Stone of PA Sport reported that although discussions are ongoing over the exact tour itinerary, with negotiations hampered slightly by the calendar for next year's Asian Cup, Shanghai would seem an obvious destination, as would South Korea, particularly as Sir Alex Ferguson appears to be lining up another signing to join Park Ji-sung at Old Trafford.

"The world has changed in terms of where you get players from now and we are currently looking at another young Korean boy we are hoping to bring over quite soon," revealed Ferguson without giving away the player's identity.

Brazil agrees to assist India's football development

At the invitation of Mr Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Mr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, accompanied by a high level delegation, paid an official visit to Brazil from 11-14 September. During their bilateral meeting on 12 September, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to work towards a qualitative upgrading of the broad-based bilateral relationship between the two large democracies that share a multicultural and pluralistic ethos and common developmental aspirations.

An important outcome of the meeting was the decision of the two governments to cooperate in promoting exchanges in the field of football and training of Indian players and coaches.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air-India One, the special flight taking the delegation to Brazil, Prime Minister Singh said he was hopeful that more coaches from Brazil will make the eastward journey to make India a competitive football nation. "Brazil's credentials as a football power are well-known and [All India Football Federation president and Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister] Priyaranjan Dasmunsi has asked me to raise this matter with the government of Brazil, he said as reported by Syed Firdaus Ashraf.

The AIIF subsequently expressed its gratitude to the Prime Minister for taking up the development of football in India and signing the MOU to that effect with Brazil.

Brazil agrees to assist in training of Indian football

The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, has signed a nine part agreement with Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, which includes a scheme for Brazil to assist in the training of Indian footballers and coaches. Part of a broad cultural memorandum, the agreement states the two countries will "cooperate in promoting exchanges in the field of football and training of Indian players and coaches."

Just before landing in Brasilia, Singh told accompanying media: "Brazil’s credentials as a football power are well known. Priyaranjan Dasmunsi (the president of the All India Football Federation) has asked me to raise this matter with the government of Brazil even though this does not happen to be a subject between two governments." Dasmunsi, who is also the information and broadcasting minister, had earlier talked to the Brazilian envoy in New Delhi to seek his help in getting coaches and training for Indian footballers.

Agent claims to raise 100m pounds to buy players

Pini Zahavi is masterminding a £100 million transfer fund that will set off a revolution in the world transfer market, according to Soccer Investor. The global transfer strategy is called The Hero Fund and Zahavi is to target the best emerging players and acquire control of them. "The fund is not quite complete but we are aiming to raise around £100 million in order to buy shares in players. They've asked me to find the players and act as advisor to the fund. We will look mainly for young footballers who can develop and eventually play at the highest level. Some players will stay at their clubs and some will move," Zahavi confirmed.

Although reports suggest that the new scheme is being funded from Russia, Zahavi insisted the scheme "is being organised by some guys in London. The plan is absolutely legal. Already around 80% of players in South America are partly owned by investors as well as the clubs they play for." There will be concern in English football at having agents deciding when and where a player will be transferred. It is believed the Hero Fund gives Zahavi "sole discretion" on how the funds are used and when players are bought and sold.

On Friday River Plate, of the Argentine First Division, announced that they had sold stakes in five of their most promising players to unnamed investors for £6.8 million. According to the Independent, Zahavi is thought to have brokered the deal worth £6.8 million. Such ownership arrangements - similar to the one that saw Media Sports Investments move Argentine stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to English Premier League club West Ham, are not illegal - either in South America or Britain. The players involved at River are Gonzalo Higuain, 18, Augusto Fernandez, 20, Juan Antonio, 18 and Mateo Musacchio, 16 and Fernando Beluschi.

Indonesia to introduce 'Super League' in 2008/09

The board managing Indonesia's professional club competitions, the Indonesia League Committee (BLI), has announced changes to the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons following guidelines issued by the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI). According to BLI Chairman Nirwan Bakrie, 36 team will be included in the 2007/08 Premier Division (usually 28 teams) split equally between East and West zones. The eight teams to be promoted from first division are Persebaya Surabaya, Persma Manado, PSSB Bireun, Pelita Jaya Purwakarta, Persikabo Bogor, Perseman Manokwari, Persiraja Banda Aceh and Persis Solo. Bakrie advised that 40 teams will compete in First Division (usually 36 teams) split into eight zones.

However, a new division, the Super League, will be introduced in 2008/09 with only 18 teams playing in one zone. The Premier League will be retained but divided into six zones. PSSI General Secretary Nugraha Besoes confirmed that the Super League teams will be invited from the 2007/08 Premier League on a criteria basis. The teams must have a home ground or own stadium, a home base or main office and minimum cash reserves (amount to be decide later); be able to fully contract non-amateur players (at market value) and be able to make guarantees for their own players (the regulation will decide by BLI); and to have professional management. Nugraha said remaining Premier League clubs will also be required to have a professional manager.

In the PSSI structure, the BLI will organise the Super League (professional), Premier League (professional) and First Division (semi-pro). The Amateur League Committee (BLA) will organise the Second Division (semi-pro) and Third Division (amateur) and the U-23, U-21, U-18, U-15, U-14 and U-12 football festivals.