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Foxtel sponsors leading Australian state league

Football Federation Victoria, the control body in Australia's second largest state, has announced that national pay-tv broadcaster Foxtel Digital has secured the naming rights to the 2007 Mens Victorian Premier League. "The Premier League, widely recognised as the strongest state league competition in Australia will now be known as the Foxtel Cup," FFV President Vasko Stojcevski announced. “Foxtel first joined FFV as a minor sponsor in 2005 and over the past two years, the relationship has blossomed. Foxtel has invested heavily to secure the rights to the Hyundai A-League, Socceroos matches and a wide range of international leagues and now our partnership should help further consolidate their standing within the football community." The 2007 Premier League will comprise 16 teams, including the Australian Institute of Sport.

Maradona to tour Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia

Argentine football hero Diego Maradona will tour Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand this year, his sponsor Elemco Overseas Corp, has advised newspapers. The 47-year-old, who led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title in Mexico, is now actively promoting his own brand of football called Showbol, a mix between futsal and soccer, played seven-a-side over two 25-minute periods on a 22m by 42m artificial pitch surrounded by an acrylic wall.

Luis Lestani, general manager of Elemco, said Maradona’s showbol team - which includes former Argentine players Matias Almeida, Sergio Goicoechea, Alejandro Mancuso, Patricio Campos, Sergio Zarate, Sebastian Rambert, Jose Borreli, Fernando Gamboa and Mackalisster - had confirmed dates in the three countries in May or June.

Lestani said Maradona, capped 90 times for Argentina, had also spoken of his interest in establishing a Maradona Football Academy in Malaysia.


UPDATE (6 March)

Diego Maradona is reported to have agreed to make an appearance at the MCG stadium in Melbourne, Australia when the Socceroos host Argentina in a friendly on 6 June. It would be his first visit to Australia since he played the 1993 World Cup qualifier in Sydney which resulted in a 1-1 draw. Football Federation Australia has invited him to be a VIP guest for the game. "We're really hopeful he will attend," an FFA spokesman said. "Obviously he's been pretty big supporting Argentina teams so we thought we should invite him."

Malaysia to host youth championship in August

Malaysia is reportedly hosting an International Youth Football Championship in Kuala Lumpur from 8 to 15 August 2007, Christopher Raj reported in the New Straits Times. Arsenal are amongst 16 clubs which will be taking part in the competition, the other clubs being Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Barcelona, Porto FC, Chelsea, Ajax Amsterdam, Boca Juniors, PSV Eindhoven, Flamengo, Paris St. Germain, Oatar, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and a Malaysian X11.

The Malaysian event appears to clash with the ASEAN U20 Youth Championships being played in Hanoi, Vietnam, in August. Teams will include Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and host Vietnam.

East Timor captain considers transfer to Australia

Alfredo Esteves, the football captain of Timor Leste (East Timor), the troubled young South East Asian nation, is currently vacationing with family in Melbourne, Australia and receiving inquiries from Australian football clubs. On the third year of a four-year deal in the United States with USL first division club Minnesota, he received wide publicity last year through the Asian Football Confederation for his starring role in Thunder’s 4-1 victory over Miami FC, a team which boasted Brazilian stars Romario and Zinho.

According to his Portugal-based brother and manager, Nuno Mousinho-Esteves, Alfredo is considering a transfer to the South East Asian - Australian region so he can be closer to his homeland. He captained East Timor's squad in the 2004 ASEAN Football Championship (Tiger Cup) but funds were not available to bring him back from the USA for the prequalifying rounds East Timor had to play in 2006.

"If Alfredo can move back, the importance this can have for East Timor is vital," Nuno told Asian Football Business Review. "Potentially its commercial and symbolic value will be enormous for East Timor people, especially the youth," he said.

Alfredo is scheduled to join football legends and UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors Ronaldo and Zinédine Zidane in an all-star line-up for the fourth Match Against Poverty on 19 March 2007 at the Stade du Vélodrome in Marseille, France. The match will focus attention on the Millennium Development Goals, re-affirmed by the leaders of 191 countries at the UN Summit in 2005, which seek to halve world poverty by 2015 by setting targets for rolling back hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.

Unless transfers have been arranged by that time Alfredo will return to Minnesota on 20 March to resume his professional career with the Thunder.

FA charges QPR and manager over China brawl

English Championship club Queen's Park Rangers has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association of England following an on-field mass brawl with China's Olympic team in a friendly earlier this month. The FA has also charged QPR assistant manager Richard Hill, who has since been suspended by the club, with violent conduct for his role in the fracas on 7 February which left China player Zheng Tao with a broken jaw. "The charge alleges that the club failed 'to ensure that its players and/or officials conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refraining from violent and/or threatening and/or provocative behaviour,'" a statement from the FA explained. "Assistant manager Richard Hill has been separately charged with violent conduct. The club and Hill have until March 12 to respond."

Serie A broadcasting rights in five Asian markets

Broadcast rights for the 2007-2010 seasons of the Italian Serie A, managed in Asia by the Media Partners & Silva joint venture with Dentsu, have been allocated by tender in Hong Kong, China, Macau, Vietnam and South Korea. According to Soccer Invester, Vietnam Advertising purchased the 130-game package for Vietnam, Teledifusao de Maca for Macao SAR and in Hong Kong SAR Now Broadband TV (PCCW) will broadcast a minimum of 130 matches on its new Mega Sports Channel while I Cable TV will broadcast 60 matches. In China, CCTV secured the broadcast rights of a package of 60 matches and Hi Sun Technology secured the new-media rights, while the main package is yet to be awarded. MediaCorp purchased new-media rights in South Korea.

European leagues want say on all football decisions

The new president of UEFA, European football's governing body, Michel Platini, is holding talks with delegates of the Association of European Professional Football Leagues which is headed by English Premier League chairman Sir David Richards. The EPFL represents 15 leagues from across the continent with another seven due to join later this year. Europe's top clubs have long urged the major leagues to demand a greater say in how UEFA and the world body FIFA are run and although threats of a breakaway and a breakaway European club competition have been played down, the EPFL is campaigning, on behalf of its leagues and clubs, for a much bigger say in how football is run at international level.

"With the influence of the G14 on the wane since UEFA's decision to bring the major European clubs in house with the formation of the European Club Forum, the EPFL's influence as a pressure group has been growing in recent months. Now, with the [English] Premiership flexing their financial muscles following the new three-year TV deal, which starts this summer, the EPFL are preparing to seize a much bigger say in how football is run at international level," David Bond commented in The Telegraph.

"The stakes have also been raised by Platini's election a month ago. He has pledged to reduce from four to three the number of automatic [UEFA] Champions League places which are given to Europe's major nations such as England, Italy and Spain. At the same time, [English] Premier League concerns remain over the Independent Sports Report by Portuguese government minister Jose Luis Arnaut. The [English] Premier League claims the report has been hijacked by UEFA and is being used to establish them as a European regulator for the sport."

Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, the EPFL's general manager, plays down talk of an impending split with UEFA: "There is no scenario of confrontation. What we need and what we are asking for is enhanced co-operation, possibly through full membership. We are aware of the problems clubs are facing and we have the expertise and know-how when it comes to running professional football. That's something that must be preserved at all costs - subsidiarity and autonomy."

But the EPFL is reported to be asking for seats not only on the UEFA executive committee but also on FIFA's - in order to ensure European league and club influence and representation on all key football decisions.

Oman sacks coach Macala after Gulf Cup loss

The Oman Football Association has sacked national team coach Milan Macala after reviewing his reports on the team’s performance in the Arabian Gulf Cup, which Oman lost to hosts UAE in the final. Temporary control of the side has been given to local Hamad Al Azani. AFCMedia noted that the Czech took over Oman’s reins in 2002 and guided them in three Gulf Cups, finishing runners-up in the last two biannual events. He also led them to their maiden AFC Asian Cup appearance in China 2004 and was also instrumental in getting them a berth in the AFC Asian Cup 2007.

AFC workshop to help clubs 'smoothly host' games

A two-day Asian Football Confederation workshop for 28 AFC Champions League clubs and 24 AFC Cup teams is underway at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to AFC Media, delegates are discussing competition regulations, the commercial platform and its management, media management, event management, the AFC Administration System and finance to "help them smoothly host" home-and-away matches.

“Behind any competition of this scale, involving group and knock stages played in all corners of our vast continent, immaculate planning is essential if we want to consolidate our learnings of the past years and provide an even greater platform for our clubs, media and fans,” AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam said. “This is our second workshop in this direction and we want to build on past experiences to take the 2007 season to greater heights.”

Nobel laureate backs Bangladesh women's football

Sudeep Pakrashi of Kolkata's Express India applauded neighbouring Bangladesh's transformation of women's football led by Quamran Nahar Dana and Lily Aziz. "The Bangladesh Women’s Football Association was formed in 2003. And ... Nobel laureate and Asia’s biggest sensation these days, Md Yunus, has vowed support to the four-year-old body on the financial front," he wrote. The BWFA kick-started separate Under-19 and U-17 teams with as much as half the players representing the Muslim community.

Accompanying the U-19 team visiting Kolkata for the Indo-Bangla Games, Dana told Pakreshi that, “initially, it was really tough for us to convince Muslim girls and get them involved in the game of football. Amidst that, we used to constantly face threats from a fundamentalist group, asking us to stop. The situation has changed a lot now. When we started, we saw good responses from six districts. Today, it’s gone up to 10. We have participated in two editions of Asian Football Confederation conducted international U-17 championships. What we need however is the support on the financial front for ground infrastructure and organisation.”

And in a bid to push their new projects, the BWFA consulted Yunus. “I already an informal discussion with Mr Yunus regarding the development of women’s football in Bangladesh. As he is always sympathetic towards efforts to development women’s football, Mr Yunus has promised to organise necessary financial support. We are optimistic that he will provide patronage for women’s soccer in Bangladesh. He was the man who brought Zinedine Zidane to this country. He is also organising a trip to France for the junior boys’ team, slated to be announced soon,” Dana explained.

The BWFA is looking to start a national soccer tournament in Bangladesh this year, featuring 10 U-19 district teams. For this effort, too, the association is looking forward to the Nobel laureate’s support.

HAGL Academy to promote Arsenal in Vietnam

Construction of the new Vietnam football academy of V-League club Hoang Anh Gia Lai, assosiated with English Premier League club Arsenal, will begin 5 March. The HAGL-Arsenal Football Academy – two stadiums and buildings for trainees’ accommodations – will be located in the Ham Rong District, Gia Lai Province in the central highlands. Arsenal will send officials to attend the ground-breaking ceremony to sign a pact of strategic cooperation to train youth, trade souvenirs and transfer players, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

Doan Nguyen Duc, HAGL chairman, said his players will wear shirts similar to Arsenal’s to promote the name in Vietnam and Arsene Wenger, Arsenal coach, reportedly confirmed he would send specialists and supply training methods for HAGL to build the institute. Under the plan, youths will spend seven years training at the institute.

US judge stops FIFA from using Swiss arbitrator

A US judge has stopped FIFA, football's world governing body from pursuing arbitration against MasterCard Inc in Switzerland, dealing a blow to FIFA in a dispute over its sponsorship deal. Last April, FIFA handed Visa the rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. MasterCard, which had been the tournament's official credit-card sponsor for the past 16 years, sued FIFA for breach of contract, arguing that it should have had first refusal for future tournaments. In December US District Judge Loretta Preska ruled that FIFA improperly awarded sponsorship of the next two World Cups to Visa and ordered FIFA to grant MasterCard advertising and sponsorship rights to the tournament for the period from 2007 to 2014.

The Federation Internationale de Football Association subsequently activated other terms of its agreement with MasterCard to litigate the case again before an arbitration panel in Switzerland. During a hearing in Manhattan on Monday, Preska enjoined FIFA from pursuing the Swiss arbitration. She also asked MasterCard not to seek any counter claims against FIFA in arbitration until a US appeals court has ruled on her decision. FIFA appealed Preska's earlier ruling in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York, and a lawyer for FIFA said it would also appeal the latest decision.

"We are delighted the judge has ruled in our favour," MasterCard General Counsel Noah Hanft told Reuters after the hearing. "They cannot retry those issues in Switzerland."

AFC's Mony to attend opening of new B.League

Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Dato Paul Mony will lead a three-member AFC delegation to Bangladesh for the launching of the new, professional B.League on 2 March and the opening game between Abahani and Muktjoddha Sangsad at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. The other delegates are AFC development officer Imteaz Rahman and football writer Chetan Kulkarni. The Bangladesh Football Federation is organising the event which will include a concert by star singer Ayub Bachchu.

In the B.League clubs, will have to deposit seven percent of their gate money within three days of each matchday to the BFF. However for the inaugural game, the BFF has retained ticket rights. "As the BFF will spend a lot of money to make the memorable event colourful, we will have the rights of ticket selling," BFF General Secretary Anwarul Hoque Helal told The Daily Star. "We will give them [the home club, Muktjoddha Sangsad] a portion of the gate money," he added without elaborating.

Home teams will also get four advertisement billboards at the ground on matchday for their own sponsors.The BFF is providing one Nike Aero 90 football, the official matchball for the tournament, for practice to each club, and will extraunits to clubs as required.

Report says big European clubs get rich from Asia

In their next session, Members of the European Parliament will be considering a report on football drawn up by Ivo Belet of the European People's Party. It supports an independent supervisory body to monitor the financial activities of European clubs. It also wants the European Commission to draw up guidelines on the amount of subsidies and (state aid) that clubs can receive. The report also says Europe must act to ensure that the "essence" of football is not hijacked by "fraudulent practices and obscure investors" and that that football cannot operate under the usual rules of market competition as football clubs need rivals of a similar level to offer fans exciting games.

According to a European Parliament news release, the report comes as football at the highest level continues to grow in popularity and wealth. Revenue from TV deals and commercial franchises have made some of Europe's clubs hugely wealthy. It emphasises that "the growth in popularity of European clubs in Asia - particularly after the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea - has opened up lucrative new TV and merchandising markets for the big clubs."

Singapore SingTel League Cup won by Woodlands

Singapore's Woodlands Wellington FC clinched their first major trophy with a 4-0 victory in the final of the S.League's pre-season competition, the inaugural SingTel League Cup on Sunday. Lucian Dronca opened the account for Woodlands after 19 minutes before Akihiro Nakamura, Park Tae Won and Abdelhadi Laakad completed the rout. Runners-up Sengkang Punggol finished the game with 10 men, lost their manager in recent weeks and are reportedly suffering financial woes.

New stadiums upset US NFL competitive balance

The United States National Football League, the governing body of the professional version of the indigenous American gridiron code, has been assumed to be the model for ensuring competitive balance of competing clubs through salary cap and player drafts. But the management of several small-market NFL teams are warning that the league's competitive balance is being threatened by tremendous growth in revenues that have resulted — in large part — from that level playing field.

"Even though the NFL has a salary cap, the equal ceiling teams can spend for players, the current formula for determining the cap is helping to create the disparity," Mark Curnutte observed for The Cincinnati Enquirer:

Teams in top-third NFL markets, such as Boston, Washington, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago and New York, generate revenues on average of $256 million, according to Enquirer research. Teams in the middle third, such as Baltimore, Tampa and Seattle, have average revenues of roughly $199 million. In Cincinnati, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Jacksonville and Buffalo — the league's smallest markets — average per-team revenues are about $177 million.

The average per-team revenue is $211 million, and each team is responsible for paying 57.5% of its revenues toward player costs, according to the collective bargaining agreement ratified 30-2 by owners in March 2006. And though each of the 32 teams share equally in the league's national television and sponsorship contracts — about $102 million per team — big-market teams are generating unshared revenue at such a pace that it is causing the salary cap to rise faster than small-market teams can handle.

The higher rate of growth in unshared revenue generated by teams with new stadiums in larger markets has created disparity. A little more than a decade ago the revenue gap between NFL teams in big and small cities was less than $10 million. Now it's more than $100 million. And the problem with unshared revenue — such as money from luxury box revenue, stadium naming rights, marketing and sponsorships and local media — is that it all goes into the league-wide tally that is used to determine the salary cap.

For example, the Bengals received $5 million for the naming rights to the Cincinnati football stadium but in New York, the Jets and Giants expect to get a deal worth $25 million for their new shared stadium. The Indianapolis Colts get an average of $34,000 annually for a luxury box but the New England Patriots get $100,000 to $300,000 for suite rentals.

"The new stadiums have produced a discrepancy between the top-revenue and bottom-revenue (teams)," Bengals President Mike Brown told Curnutte. "That has put the teams in the large markets in prime position. They are doing very well. But the teams in the smaller markets, they are struggling because their cap costs have gone up while their revenues have not kept pace."

The salary cap is $109 million for 2007. In 2005, it was $86 million. In addition, each NFL team is required to make a mandatory player benefit payment of $21 million each year. The unofficial cap for this season is $130 million. The average non-player expenses for an NFL team are almost $50 million. The Bengals are paying roughly 68% of their revenue on players. Big-market teams are paying an average of 47%. For the Washington Redskins, the NFL's top-revenue team that has broken the $300 million mark, that percentage is even smaller. Large-market teams have additional money to spend on coaches, scouts and facilities. For example, in 2004, Jacksonville spent $3.31 million on assistant coaches while the Redskins spent $5.22 million, according to the NFL Coaches Association.

The issue is expected to come to a head at the league meeting this March after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged that the issue must be addressed between owners and the union. "One solution — a reduction in the players' take — is unlikely," Curnutte commented. "More plausible is additional revenue-sharing among owners. A pool of $100 million in supplemental revenue-sharing is supposed to be available this calendar year."

Arsenal 'not aware' of Malaysian joint training plan

An announced Malaysia-Arsenal FC joint-venture to train the South East Asian country’s young footballers has been questioned after a denial was received by the Malay Mail newspaper from the English Premier League club. “I am afraid we are not able to provide you with answers to your questions or an official club comment, however, I can confirm that the club does not know about the proposed arrangement and furthermore, we have no involvement in any such project,” an e-mail response from the communications department of Arsenal stated.

Upon further investigation, the newspaper discovered the only discussion on the subject was held at Arsenal’s state-of-the-art training centre in Hertfordshire, between a five-man recce team from Kuala Lumpur and the centre manager, Sean O’Connor, just before the Cabinet Committee on Sports Development’s announcement on the proposed stint on 8 February. Football Association of Malaysia General Secretary Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad confirmed to the newspaper that the only formal contact between the two parties took place when the high-powered group was taken for a tour of the training centre recently.

Ibrahim, who was a member of the five-man team, said the Sports Ministry were in a better position to explain because the proposed stint was part of the Government’s agreement with the powerful European football bloc of G-14, which among others, was to pave the way for Malaysian teams to train with members of the pressure group. Ibrahim said the arrangement was mooted because of the centre’s proximity with the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre in Brickendonbury, which will be converted into a high-performance training centre. "We spoke to the training centre manager, O’Connor, about the idea and he told us to discuss with the Arsenal management,” said Ibrahim.

Ibrahim believed FAM technical director Robert Alberts, the driving force behind the Arsenal Soccer Schools in Malaysia, and an agent representing the interests of G-14 and the Malaysian Government, had been given the mandate to negotiate with Arsenal.

Zinedine Zidane praises Asian footballers in Europe

French football star Zinedine Zidane praised Asian football's "big step forward" on Saturday as he dazzled more than 10,000 fans at a charity match in northern Thailand. Zidane said players like Japan's Shunsuke Nakamura, with Scottish league-leaders Celtic, were helping to inspire a generation. "Asian football is in the process of making a big step forward," Zidane said before taking the field with two teams of South East Asian players. "When you see players like Nakamura who are playing in Europe ... they are bringing something positive to Asian football. It is also good for future players who are here among us today, who could make this step forward and play in a big European team."

More than 10,000 fans turned up for the match, which raised 260,000 baht (US$7,750) for the Keuydaroon charity for children with HIV/AIDS, AFP reported. Zidane walked on the pitch to cheers and applause, hand-in-hand with 11-year-old HIV sufferer Ton.

See also: Adidas backs Zindane in Thai charity match for HIV (20 Feb)

Gamba Osaka wins Japan's Super Cup for first time

Brazilian goalscorer Magno Alvez scored the first hat-trick in the competition's history to fire Gamba Osaka to a 4-0 victory over Urawa Red Diamonds to win Japan's Super Cup for the first time on Saturday. It was sweet revenge for Osaka, who lost to Urawa in the Emperor's Cup final. They also lost their J-League title to Urawa in the final game of last season. "It was really good that we defeated Urawa at last," said a relieved Osaka coach Akira Nishino after the official season opener.

NZ Soccer accepts A-League franchise license

Unanimously agreeing to accept a licence for the 2007-08 A-League offered by Football Federation Australia, the meeting of New Zealand Soccer board members agreed it should be for the remaining three years of the initial five-year licence. The parties presumed to be interested in the sub-license, Auckland and Wellington/Manawatu, have until 5pm on Monday to provide details to NZ football's ruling body. "They must be back to us on Monday with a full business plan," said NZS chief executive Graham Seatter told Terry Maddaford of the NZ Herald. "Part of that business plan will tell us how much money they feel is needed to run the club, what guarantees they have and prove to us they can successfully fund it. They must show us their budgeting is for the remaining three years of the licence."

Seatter agreed there was probably the need for at least NZ$2 million up front to kick-start the venture. They can count on A$1.3 million from the FFA as their share of the annual television rights. "They might come to us with a plan which says they can get by with less than the $5 million ... touted as a minimum. We would need to be satisfied that is possible. We won't be left holding the baby. But, I hope to be in a position by the end of next week whereby I can go to Ricki Herbert [as coach] and say he is in the market for players and can begin the recruiting process," he said.

Eight ASEAN teams in 3rd Brunei King's Cup

The draw for the second ASEAN U-21 Youth Football Championship being held from 3-12 March at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Brunei excludes Laos and Indonesia because of their involvement in the U-23 2008 Olympic qualifiers. However eight member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will compete for the Brunei King's trophy last won by Thailand. Hosts Brunei Darussalam are in Group B with Myanmar, the Philippines and Cambodia while Group A comprises Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Heineken backs UEFA Champions Cup Asian tour

The UEFA Champions League trophy will tour Asia for the first time over the next six weeks, visiting five countries to celebrate Europe's premier club competition - while also highlighting the huge interest in football in that region. The UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour - presented by sponsors Heineken - kicked off in the Japanese capital Tokyo and will also take in Jakarta (Indonesia, 1-4 March), Hong Kong (China, 16-18 March), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia, 22-25 March), and the Thai cities of Bangkok (30 March-1 April) and Pattaya (6-8 April).

"The UEFA Champions League is a truly global competition these days, attracting the world's best players, and football is hugely popular in these countries," said Michele Centenaro, UEFA's head of club competitions. "By creating initiatives like the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, we are making the UEFA Champions League more accessible to local football fans and enabling them to share in the magic of Europe's best club competition."

In each country, the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour will be launched to the media and fans. The trophy will then be the centrepiece of a display in the city centre, supported by five pillars containing competition memorabilia, statistics and video footage giving local fans the opportunity to find out more about the tournament and be pictured with the silverware. According to recent research, interest in football is actually higher on average in Asia than in any other continent, including Europe.

Shunsuke Nakamura, the Japanese star who has helped Celtic FC reach the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the first time, said of the competition: "It's been a great experience so far and was one of the reasons I joined Celtic."

Japan requests Kazu to keep playing for record

Japan's football authorities are pressuring ex-international Kazuyoshi Miura to keep playing to challenge a global record. Miura turns 40 later this month and the striker who scored 56 goals for his country is currently turning out for Yokohama FC in the Japanese second division. Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi has called on the ex-Genoa 1893 and NK Dinamo Zagreb player to pass the mark set by England legend Sir Stanley Matthews and play beyond the age of 50. "I'd really like Kazu to pass Matthews," Kawabuchi said, as reported by Paul Saffer for UEFA, adding that he wants to see him back in the Japan team. "I'd like him to aim for that."

A-League's Perth Glory gets new local ownership

Football Federation Australia today announced that a Perth-based consortium led by mining entrepreneur Tony Sage, leading financial services director Brett McKeon and property developer John Spencewill assume the ownership of the licence to operate Perth Glory FC, the exclusive A-League franchise in the booming Western Australian market. “It is very important to have people involved in Perth Glory who are committed to the success of new football and who are well known in the Perth business community,” FFA Chairman Frank Lowy said welcoming the new ownership group.

The timing of the transition will allow for ample planning and strategies to be implemented to ensure the club is well prepared for their third Hyundai A-League campaign and beyond. Head Coach Ron Smith and Assistant Coach David Mitchell, who will both remain at the club, have met with the new owners to update them on the recruitment process of players for the 2007/08 season.

FFA Head Operations Matt Carroll praised the efforts of the Perth Glory players and staff for their support and professionalism, especially to current Chief Executive Officer Michelle Phillips who oversaw the operations of the club on a day to day basis since the FFA took over the club's management in May 2006. Phillips, who is employed by the FFA, will assist in the hand-over process to the new management and is holding discussions with the FFA on other opportunities.

One of the key priorities laid down by the new owners is to re-engage WA sports fans, and in particular the local football community, with Perth Glory FC. “Each of us in the partnership is competitive by nature and that’s the attitude we will bring to the club. West Australian’s are passionate about their sport and by providing exciting and competitive matches we are confident we can see the support grow,” Brett McKeon said on behalf of the new board.

Suwon Bluewings to face Chelsea and LA Galaxy

South Korean K-League club Suwon Bluewings has been invited to participate in a tour of the United States around mid-July which will also feature English Premier League champions Chelsea, local Major League Soccer powerhouse LA Galaxy and Mexican club Tigres. "Chelsea recently notified us of its plan to play in the four-team friendly event," Oh Keun-yeong, Suwon’s Senior Director of Marketing and PR, was quoted as saying by The Korea Times. Suwon kick off their K-League campaign on 4 March against Daejeon Citizen.

Saatchi CEO to head Man United's commercial unit

The chief executive of major advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi UK has been appointed the new group commercial director of English Premier League club Manchester United from mid-April. Lee Daley, 43, will oversee all the club’s commercial plans, from sponsorship to media, financial services and marketing. The appointment means that the board of Manchester United Ltd will consist of: Joel Glazer (joint chairman), Avram Glazer (joint chairman), Bryan Glazer, Darcie Glazer, Edward Glazer, Kevin Glazer, David Gill (chief executive), Michael Bolingbroke (chief operating officer) and Lee Daley (group commercial director).

Daley, who reportedly pipped former British Airways commercial director Martin George to the post, said: “Manchester United is one of the great loves of my life. To work for them is a unique privilege ... The challenge is to push the club from a brand point of view and give fans, who may never actually set foot inside Old Trafford, the chance to experience being a Manchester United fan, while obviously increasing the profits. My experience in the industry that I have worked in for 20 years, and the direction that I was pushing Saatchis, will be invaluable as we drive Manchester United through emerging media such as mobile and the internet."

Chief executive David Gill has predicted a “dramatic increase” in turnover from the £165.4 million to last June. Expanded ground capacity, next year’s new TV deal and a drive to sell the club in China, America and India should increase sales of United shirts and memorabilia.

Thongsuk Sampahangsit appointed Thailand coach

The Football Association of Thailand has announced the appointment of Thongsuk Sampahangsit as national team coach less than two days after Chanvit Phalajivin confirmed his intention of quitting the job for a V-League club assignment in Vietnam. ''We have three staff coaches and Thongsuk was the most senior so he has got the job,'' FAT President Vijitr Getkaewsaid said of the former Thai Farmers’ Bank FC coach. ''He will be supported by the two other staff coaches Sompol Chomchue and Nipol Malanont,'' he said. ''It should all go smoothly.''

Thongsuk said he would not be reinventing the wheel and continue with the squad and techniques followed by his predecessor. ''We are hosting the AFC Asian Cup and face tough matches against Australia, Iraq and Oman. I will not be making any major changes … the players are well behaved and listen to what the staff coaches tell them. After 10 years of working with Chanwit, I think I'm ready for the job," The Nation newspaper quoted him as saying.

Jamaica U-23s win HK Lunar New Year Cup

Hong Kong's Lunar New Year Cup has been won by Jamaica after the Caribbean island's Olympic team beat China's 5-4 on penalties in the final on Wednesday. Team China coach Ratomir Dujkovic was disappointed but hoped his team will have more luck at next year's Beijing Olympics. "We have to get this behind us and look forward to the future. Hopefully we will get more luck. Luck played a major part tonight," Dujkovic told AFCMedia. Earlier, Australia U-23s also needed penalties to overcome Hong Kong in the match for third place. The Olyroos led the hosts 2-0 through Nathan Burns and Bruce Djite before conceding to Festus Baise and a Keith Gumbs penalty, but made amends by scoring all five penalties.

China's Sun Xiang in UEFA Champions League

China international player Sun Xiang earned his place in the UEFA Champions League history books when he became the first Chinese player to appear in the competition for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven against English Premier League club Arsenal. "I wasn't nervous. Every training session is like a match for us, so it was no different ... My mother was here and my brother was watching back in China. I have spoken to her and she was very happy for me. I know a lot of people were watching at home. It is good for the game in China to have players in the biggest competitions," Sun said.

State may back Melbourne Victory to meet Galaxy

Australia A-League 2007 Premiership and Championship club Melbourne Victory is seeking to arrange off-season fixtures with big-name European sides to help it prepare for its title defence next season and to keep the commercial and spectator momentum generated by its championship cup win in front of a record home ground crowd of 56,000. "It's very important that we keep the interest levels going," Victory chairman Geoff Lord told Michael Lynch of The Age. "The momentum from the finals and the grand final has been fantastic. I have to pinch myself to think that its worked out as well as it has. Even if we finish bottom for the next 20 years we have at least had a game where we got 50,000 people and it was brilliant."

Asked whether he would be interested in seeing his side take on LA Galaxy, the USA Major Soccer League club that has signed England-star David Beckham, Lord said: "They are one of a number of clubs we would like to come out here, but nothing is confirmed at the moment. No proposal about them has come specifically to me. We want to play some high-quality games in the off-season and we are looking at attracting teams from Europe — one from Italy, one from Greece, and one from the UK."

Peter Abraam, CEO of the state of Victoria's major events corporation described Melbourne Victory "as big a drawcard in its home city as Australia's Socceroos" and said his organisation, charged with facilitating top-line events, is keen to be involved in staging Victory matches against high-flying international opposition.

Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in Alma TV Cup

Uzbekistan will start preparations for the AFC Asian Cup 2007 by participating in the four-nation Alma TV Cup in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, next month. Coach Rauf Inileev has called up 25 players for the 7-11 March tournament in which the Uzbeks face Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and hosts Kazhakstan. Inileev has named 11 Pakhtakor and six overseas players in the squad including 23-year-old midfielder Ilyas Zeytulaev who recently moved from Italian Seria B Genoa to Vicenza.

AFC pressures UAE to have professional league

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the UAE Football Association General Assembly has called for the early introduction of a professional league to maintain the country's status in international football and has appointed FAGA member Hamad Bin Brook to conduct a study on its implemention. Addressing the FAGA extraordinary meeting following UAE's historic first championship in the Arabian Gulf Cup, Shaikh Abdullah warned delegates that "the league which is played now could have been useful 30 years back, but not now ... If we do not turn to a professional league, the Asian Football Confederation will ask us to play in the amateur tournaments."

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Public Works, said that UAE could have just six clubs or more in the professional league and "no club will be forced to turn professional, if some clubs wants to stay amateurs, they can." Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and the Al Ahli club board chairman, said "some first division clubs will form companies in future and the number of foreign players will be increased - in keeping with the Japanese experiment in the league which helped them to develop their standards in a big way," Sayed Alir reported for Gulf News.

Tropical Townsville wants NZ's A-League license

The far north Queensland city of Townsville could have a team in Australia's A-League as early as next season after Football Federation Australia gave New Zealand Soccer until 1 March to take up the league's vacant licence caused by the cancellation of the New Zealand Knights franchise. If NZS fails to come up with a suitable alternative before the deadline it is expected that FFA will need include a new Australian team to meet Pay-TV programming obligations. Tropical Football Australia project director James Gage has been in Melbourne for the past week to meet with FFA officials about the possibility of Townsville stepping in to take the vacant licence for the 2007/08 season. "They sounded us out as to where our bid was and the possibility of finalising the bid if something happened," Gage told Josh Alston of the Townsville Bulletin. "I've had talks with prospective board members and we've come down (to Melbourne) with views on entering next year. "We've made it quite clear we will move heaven and earth to take advantage of that option."

Townsville's bid has been further boosted with support from New Zealand legend and Oceania player of the century Wynton Rufer who travelled to Melbourne with Gage. Should Townsville be granted the vacant licence, Rufer tops the list of coaching candidates. "We would do whatever we could (to join the A-League in 2007/08), but we may need some assistance in the area of availability of players," Gage said. "Other teams have already started their recruitment and swapping of players." But since Rufer joined the push for a Townsville team five A-League players have contacted TFA to express interest in joining the club.

See also: New A-League franchises appeal to regions (16 Nov 06) and Changchun Yatai enters tropical Australian event (15 May 06)

Adidas backs Zindane in Thai charity match for HIV

French international midfielder Zinedine 'Zizou' Zidane will return to the field for a charity match in Thailand, which will be held at the Chiang Mai Municipal Stadium on 24 February. Zidane will play in the full-time 'Adidas Impossible Match' for the first time since his retirement and he will also hold a football clinic for local children before the game. The Nation reported it will be a competition between the Predator team, spearheaded by the French legend, and the F50 team led by former Thai star striker Piyapong Pew-on. The special match also features Thai national players Tawan Sripan, Terdsak Chaiman, Dassakorn Thonglao, Niwet Siriwong and Kosin Hatairatanakul and guest players from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Adidas will donate a total of 1,000 balls to Chiang Mai for developing the sport in the province. Proceeds will go to the Kua-Daroon foundation, a charity taking care of HIV affected children.

Pakistan FA President praised by women's football

Robina Irfan, Chairperson of Pakistan Football Federation's "Women Wing" has hailed the concrete steps taken in boosting football in the country and giving encouragement by announcing prize money for players. “PFF under the leadership of Faisal Saleh Hayat is striving hard for giving a new identity to football in the country,” she told APP. “I truly believe that we are making a great leap forward in football,” said Robina who is also member of the Islamic Federation of Women Sport's Medicine Committee, adding that Futsal was introduced to Pakistan via women's football and the first-ever Pakistan women's team toured Jordan last May. She called the PFF President’s work on women's football “a milestone” and hoped that Pakistan will build up a strong national women team to compete in 16th edition of Asian Women's Championship.

Chelsea's losses slow as sponsorship income rises

Chelsea FC, which reported record losses for a football team the past two years, said its deficit narrowed in fiscal 2006 as owner Roman Abramovich spent less on players and sponsorship income lifted revenue. The London team, which won the English Premier League for the second straight season in May, had a pretax loss of £80.2 million ($156.5 million) in the 12 months to June 30 compared with £140.4 million a year earlier. Sales rose 2.3 percent to £150 million, including the first year of a £10 million/year shirt-sponsorship contract with Samsung. "These figures demonstrate that the business is moving in the right direction with increases and growth in all the major income streams," Chief Executive Peter Kenyon said in a statement on the club's website. "With increasing sponsorship income, television revenue, and ongoing success on the field, these positive trends are projected to continue."

Melbourne Victory records first A-League double

The Australian A-League saw a night of records in only its second season as Melbourne Victory stormed over Adelaide United in the Championship Cup Grand Final and clinched the A-League's first ever Premiership-Championship double. Led by a red-hot Archie Thompson, Victory won 6-0 to send a monster Telstra Dome crowd of 55,436 fans, an Australian record domestic game attendance, into delirious celebration. In one of the greatest individual performances in Australian soccer history, Thompson scored five goals in the whitewash as a constant roar thundered around the stadiuma nd was a unanimous choice for the Joe Marston medal, awarded to the Grand Final's best player. Captain Kevin Muscat called it a great end to a great season. "To our boys, what a night we're going to have tonight," he yelled. "It's been a tremendous year."

The Foxtel broadcast of the game was viewed by the second biggest audience ever to watch a Pay TV program in Australia. More than 234,000 people tuned in. Melbourne viewers watched the football in greatest numbers, 101,500, with almost 73,000 watching in Sydney, over 41,500 in Adelaide and just 3,300 in Perth. The national audience was nearly 20 percent above the 197,000 viewers who watched Sydney FC win the inaugural competition in 2006.

Adelaide United makes its first venture into the 2007 Asian Champions League against Chinese champion Shandong Luneng at Hindmarsh Stadium, South Australia on 7 March. By finish second to Melbourne Victory in the today's Australian cup final it also qualifies for the 2008 edition of the ACL.

Barclays pull out of London Olympic sponsor deal

Organisers of the London Olympics may struggle to hit their £750 million target for sponsorship funds for the 2012 Games. "Barclays, which sponsors [English Premier League] football for £60 million over three years, pulled out of an Olympics deal worth a reported £100 million in December," David Harrison reported in The Telegraph.

Football highlights sponsorship Dos and Don'ts

Sponsorship is one of the fastest-growing marketing disciplines and it can be the hook upon which a host of other activity can be hung. It drives advertising campaigns, creates reams of media coverage and can even help build new areas of business for brand owners. "Sponsorship, in short, is an excellent way to get your brand noticed. Coca-Cola provides a good example," Richard Gillis discussed in Brand Republic. "As the most famous brand in the world, its £15 million sponsorship of the Football League must do more than just generate media exposure. The rights allow Coca-Cola to use platforms such as online, digital and user-generated content to talk direct to its customers. The sponsorship is the starting point of an ongoing conversation between the brand and a large and influential constituency: English football fans."

As the uses of sponsorship broaden, the contract between sponsor and rights holder becomes more complex. Traditional elements such as branding opportunities, hospitality and ticketing remain in place. However, sponsors are demanding greater flexibility to use a property in areas such as retail point of sale, digital marketing or even staff motivation and training. The people responsible for sponsorship must therefore liaise closely with other areas of the business to fully flesh out the possibilities. 'When it comes to evaluating a sponsorship, wastage is often a major concern,' says Steve Martin, chief executive of M&C Saatchi Sponsorship, who estimates that about 75% of the value of rights are wasted. 'The feedback asks why the marketing department bought it. If you had asked the right questions to the right people within your own business beforehand, it is a problem you could avoid'.

With mass TV audiences seemingly a thing of the past - in 1998, 250 programmes were watched by more than 15 million people in the UK; by 2004, this figure had fallen to four, according to MindShare - sponsorship has become one of the few ways to reach a big, diverse audience. Sadly for brands, this has come at a price, with the cost of rights to major sporting events rising rapidly. FIFA, for example, has sold its top-line partnerships for the period up to the 2014 World Cup for between £150 million and £220 million. The reason prices are rising to this extent is the simplest rule of economics: supply and demand. Despite inflated figures, more and more brands are seeking to associate with these events, creating the danger of clutter. Take the 2006 World Cup as an example. This summer's festival of football was supported by 15 top-line sponsors. Can you name them all? More to the point, can you name any of them?

SPONSORSHIP DOS AND DON'TS

Do identify your key objectives. Are they media exposure and brand awareness, hospitality, goodwill and sales generation, PR or brand positioning?

Do ensure the contract with the rights-holder meets the objectives. Invest in a legal specialist to work on it.

Do involve personnel from your marketing, sales, corporate affairs and PR departments in your business plan.

Do invest in research and evaluation to assess the sponsorship's impact.

Do develop a relationship with the governing body or rights holder. Aim to work together as partners.

Don't undertake a sponsorship programme unless you have enough money to cover the legal work, hospitality, PR, promotion, and in-house/agency support team.

Don't lose focus of your objectives. Avoid being seduced by the sexiness of sponsorship or by working with high-profile events and celebrities. It is primarily a business relationship.

Don't just pay the money and run. Ensure an activation team is in place either in-house or at an external consultancy.

Building a new club: Melbourne Victory's success

Melbourne businessman Geoff Lord's decision three years ago to throw in A$500,000 for a 50 percent stake in a brand new national football club licence in the just as new Football Federation Australia-sanctioned A-League has come up trumps. It its second only season Melbourne Victory FC as won the 2007 national league premiership, qualified for the 2008 AFC Champions League season and faces up for tomorrow's cup final on its home ground against Adelaide United as red-hot favourite. The club's on-field success is matched by its average home game crowds of around 30,000 at Telstra Dome and the likelyhood of breaking even in the current financial year.

Another indication of the value of the business is the swelling corporate support for the club. The corporate coterie attached to club known as Victory in Business has grown its membership from 16 to 700 in the last 12 months. Moreover, the club's revenue line is set to grow in 2008 following the renegotiation of key sponsorships such as Samsung which has signed on as the naming rights sponsor for another year in a deal that is likely to inject A$750,000 into the club's coffers.

"This might sound like a funny thing for a businessman to say but we're not actually trying to maximise the profitability of the club, although we want to continue to maximise the cashflow so we can put it back in the game," Lord told George Lekakis of the Sunday Herald Sun. "The club has taken a position that the biggest stakeholders in the club are the people -- the members and the supporters."

He is continuing to push for an extension to the Victory's five term of exclusivity in Melbourne, Australia's second biggest city and is concerned about rumours of an application from a section of the city's Greek-speaking community reportedly associated with Victorian Premier League club South Melbourne. "I know there are moves by some ethnic groups to apply for a club licence but I think that it shouldn't be allowed," he said. "It would be against the spirit of the new competition which is aiming to de-ethnicise the sport by ensuring that clubs are ecumenical."

According to George Lekakis, Melbourne Victory has raised an additional A$5 million of equity capital from a broad group of 20 local businessmen including he owner of Metricon Homes, Mario Biasin, MaxiTrans director Jim Curtis, the chief executive of JM Financial Group Harry Cator and local millionaires Joe Mirabella and Michael Catalano. Although still the largest single shareholder, Lord's stake has diluted to 20 percent.

Terrorist bomb claims life of Iraqi League footballer

An Iraqi first division club player who suffered serious injuries and first-degree burns in a terrorist bomb explosion in Bagdad has died. Al Sena midfielder Ihab Kareem was left battling for his life after being injured in an explosion which claimed over 80 lives at the Al Shourjah commercial area of the Iraqi capital. Kareem, who has also represented the Iraqi U-17 side, was out shopping with Al Sena team mate Ahmed Naser in a sports apparel shop when the blast ripped through the shopping area. Naser lost a leg and continues to be in a critical condition. Kareem, who moved to Al Sena last year after eye-catching stints with Al Shorta and Talaba, underwent a series of surgeries at the Al Kendi Hospital but succumbed to his injuries. "Al Sena will kick off its Iraqi League [Central Group] campaign against Al Quwa Al Jawiya today under a pall of gloom behind closed doors at the Shaab Stadium," AFCMedia reported.

See also: Iraqi league splits central zone for better security (13 Feb)

Thailand to play Netherlands in June friendly

Thailand will play the Netherlands in a friendly to prepare for the 7-29 July AFC Asian Cup. Worawi Makudi, the secretary-general of the Football Association of Thailand, said the Netherlands will be led by player-turned-coach Marco Van Basten and the match will take place on 6 June following which the team will leave for a training camp in Germany from 8-24. June. Makudi also confirmed that Chanvit Phalajivin will continue as Thai coach. ''He is not going to Vietnam,'' Worawi told the

Three new Australian football documentaries

Three Australian football documentary appear in the latest Australian TV Drama and Documentary Catalogue published by the Australian Film Commission:

Footy Chicks (52 mins) produced by Michaela Perske and directed by Rebecca Barry: The possibility of sex with a footballer is a fantasy for many women and a reality for some. Footy Chicks explores the scene off the footy field – a colourful world of sex, male bonding, and the women who pursue the players. It can be a fun, alluring and sometimes dangerous game. Contact: Red Ithaka Productions Australia. E: michaela@redithaka.com.au

Johnny Warren's Football Mission (55 mins) produced by Ian Collie and directed by Stephen Oliver: For half a century Johnny Warren was synonymous with soccer in Australia. His often lonely mission to bring the beautiful game into the mainstream of Australian life eventually made him one of the great characters of our sporting culture. Contact: SBS Content Sales. E: fiona.gilroy@sbs.com.au

Rise of the Roos (82 mins) produced by Terry Toaldo and Nick Zorbas: Traces the two-year campaign by the Australian football team to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.Contact: SBS Content Sales. E: fiona.gilroy@sbs.com.au

Indian professional league 'can kick-off' in October

The proposed Professional Football League of the All India Football Federation might see the light of the day by October 2007. “After our meetings with the parties concerned and weighing the issues at hand, we strongly feel that India can kick-off its professional league by October 2007,” Jean Michael Benezet, technical advisor to the FIFA, told Aditya Kumar of Express India. “We have a five-year-plan for the league. It would be conducted in a phased manner. Right now very few teams satisfy the criteria of a professional club side, so we have to make certain concessions to accommodate more teams in the league. But we believe that by 2012 we would have a fully-functional professional football league in India,” Benezet added.

The FIFA technical advisor, along with David Borja, FIFA Development Officer, Asia-Oceania, met officials from top clubs from India during their five-day tour in the country. According to FIFA norms, a professional side should have a qualified and devoted set of technical, administrative, medical and coaching staff. Among facilities, they should have a clubhouse, an administrative office, a developmental side (U-19, U-21), an academy, a youth programme and should have control over a full-time practice and playing ground.

“We are not expecting clubs to fulfill the norms immediately. Instead we would give them a time-frame, where gradually they can proceed towards a professional set up. A country like India should have at least 16 teams in the top league and that is precisely the number we are targeting for 2012,” said Benezet, a former French international. “India needs to restructure their competitions. The quality has to go up, and from what I have seen in some video clippings, the players are far better than what the ranking shows. It simply means you have to work on the organisational structure; the quality of play will improve automatically if the conditions of play improve,” he said.

AIFF secretary Alberto Colaco is confident. “We have a clear-cut goal, a plan in place and the backing from top bodies like FIFA, Asian Football Confederation, the Deutsche Fußball Liga and the Japanese federation. So we are positive. All we need is some patience from the people,” he said.

See also: FIFA checks professionalism of Mumbai clubs (12 Feb)

McDonald's backs big Philippine football promotion

"Soccer is perfect for Pinoys. After all, there are no height requirements in soccer," Rod Nepomuceno, managing director of Crush Communications, which is spearheading a football project with McDonald's and SM Supermalls in the Phillippines told the Sun Star. McDonald's, the biggest quick service restaurant in the world and SM Supermalls, the biggest mall chain in the Philippines, joined forces last year to bring football closer to the people through a unique campaign called Soccer Mania. The seven-month interactive event series culminates in an Indoor Soccer Tournament in the Mall of Asia in May 2007.

"McDonald's is going all-out to support the game of soccer in the Philippines," declared McDonald's VP for Marketing, Margot Torres. "We really think that soccer's time has arrived and McDonald's will make sure that the sport is continuously promoted. This is consistent with McDonald's thrust worldwide as we are a major sponsor for both the Olympics and the World Cup. McDonald's believes in the promotion of a balanced, healthy active lifestyle, especially among kids," she said.

"Soccer can be learned and appreciated inside the mall. We believe that this is the best way to start a relationship with the game. Once people get to appreciate the different elements of the sport, eventually, they'll begin to like it - and hopefully, people will start getting into it, initially as an active lifestyle exercise and then, eventually, as a sport they can excel in," Nepomuceno explained, adding that Soccer Mania is not a league. "What we want is for people, especially young kids, to try out soccer-related exercises, games and challenges. We want them to witness how the game is played through game demos and clinics. And we will conduct this in a place where they usually hang-out - SM malls. We will have interactive games like Beat the Goalie, the Juggle Challenge, the Dribble Race, Kick-a-Prize and Soccer Clinics. And people will have a chance to win a lot of cool prizes along the way," he said.

Other sponsors include Philippine Star, Solar Sports, Magic 89.9, NU 107, Gerflor Taraflex, Chalk, Pink, MetroActive, Metro Him Magazine, Digiprint, the Makati Football School, Union FC, Getzmo.com, Hotel del Rio and the NCRFA.

Iran's Esteghlal Tehran out of Champions League

The Asian Football Confederation has disqualified Esteghlal Tehran FC of Iran from participating in the 2007 edition of the AFC Champions League for failing to fulfil player registration regulations.The club failed to submit their Preliminary Player Registration forms by the 11 February 2007 deadline set by AFC thereby breaching Article 30 (F) (i) which provides an automoatic penalty of disqualification from the competition In this situation, the team will be deemed to have lost all their matches by a score of 3–0. The AFC has decided to leave the competition format unchanged and Group B will now comprise Pakhtakor (Uzbekistan), Kuwait Sports Club (Kuwait) and Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia).

Northern Mariana Islands women train in Guam

The Northern Mariana Islands Football Association women's team has received assistance from East Asian Football Federation neighbour, Guam Football Association. NMIFA Women's League coordinator Brenda Schultz and her squad spent the weekend playing their passion at a whole new level against the Guamanian national team three times thanks to the efforts of GFA women's chairperson Cheri Stewart. Playing on a different pitch with a foreign system, the Northern Mariana Islands ladies struggled to find their identity on the field and Schultz said that there were other obstacles as well. “We were completely awestruck by several of their [Guam's] talented players! It was a rigorous game as we were not used to playing on a regulation sized field. We were trying to learn how to work together. I don't know about the others but I felt like it was chaos as the only people I've ever been on the same team with were far away from me on the field,” she told Saipan Tribune.

Celtic's Shansuke Nakamura drives Japan Pay-TV

Scottish Premier League club Celtic are understood to have earned £2 million from last summer's trips to Poland, the US and Japan, and their Japanese midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura continues to prompt overseas interest. "Before he arrived in Glasgow 18 months ago there were 100,000 television subscribers for the Scottish Premier League in Japan, and that figure has since risen to 1.2 million," Ewan Murray reported in The Guardian.

Playing card company to sponsor China's women

China's women's football league will be sponsored by a playing cards manufacturing company, the Chinese Football Association has announced. Shanghai-based company Yao Ji has offered to sponsor all five major women's competitions in China, the CFA Cup, Super Cup, Super League, National Championship and the All Stars Game.

Sportfive contracts EPL broadcast rights for Japan

The international sports rights agent Sportfive has won the exclusive contract to market the English Premier League to the Japanese TV rights market for the next three seasons. The company's Asian offices already market Spain’s Primera División and Italy’s Serie A, as well as the TV rights to the UEFA Euro 2008.

Pakistan shock in Olympic qualifiers second-leg

Pakistan caused the biggest upset in the preliminary qualifying round for the Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 when they shocked nine-man Singapore 3-2 in the second leg at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore for an aggregate 5-3 victory. Pakistan coach Muhammad Rasheed gave full credit for the astounding victory to teamwork. “I am happy that the team showed resilience in the later stages of the match,” he told AFCMedia. Pakistan Football Federation President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat announced a cash reward of Rs 1 million (approx USD 16,500) to the team while general secretary Muhammad Arshad Khan Lodhi announced a cash prize of Rs 500,000 (approx USD 8,200).

In Kolkata, India had goalkeeper Subrata Paul to thank for a neat 4-1 win over Myanmar on penalties after the second leg ended a goal apiece at the Salt Lake Stadium, tying the aggregate score 2-2. Paul stopped two shots to earn India in the second round. Having clinched the first leg 1-0, Thailand ran riot against Turkmenistan for a huge 5-1 win at the Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok. Australia’s progress to the second round might have been a foregone conclusion after their 11-0 first leg win over Chinese Taipei but only a solitary goal separated the two sides in the second leg at the Chungshan Stadium in Taipei.

Uzbekistan wrapped up an aggregate 6-1 win against Tajikistan at the Central Republican Stadium in Dushanbe after their 4-1 first leg victory. Yemen made sure of second round qualifying action with a 1-1 draw in the second leg for an aggregate 3-2 win over Palestine (first leg 2-1). In the one-off tie between Vietnam and Afghanistan played at the Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh, the hosts won 2-0. Hong Kong wrapped up an aggregate 3-1 win over Bangladesh despite losing the second leg at home in the Chungshai Stadium 1-0.

The 24-team second round qualifying, which has been split into six groups of four each, runs through 28 February to 6 June 2007, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the Final round which will be played in three groups of four teams each. The Final home-and-away round will be held from 22 August until 21 November 2007, with the three group winners representing Asia at the Beijing Olympic Games. China have automatic qualification as hosts.

Asian Olympic Qualifiers Second Round Groups

Group A: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Pakistan
Group B: Japan, Malaysia, Syria, Hong Kong
Group C: Oman, Lebanon, Vietnam, Indonesia
Group D: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Australia
Group E: Iraq, DPR Korea, Thailand, India
Group F: Korea Republic, UAE, Uzbekistan, Yemen

A-League license offered directly to NZ Soccer

Football Federation Australia has offered New Zealand Soccer a licence to have a Hyundai A-League club in New Zealand. Two groups had shown interest in operating an A-League club out of New Zealand, a group from Auckland, which has withdrawn, and a group from Wellington/Manawatu which did not meet the requirements of the FFA. The FFA has offered to grant the licence to NZS and if required permit a sub-licence, on agreement of appropriate terms. The FFA has given NZS until Thursday 1 March 2007 to decide if they wish to accept the offer.

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that a franchise from North Queensland was ready to answer an SOS from the FFA if a New Zealand bid fell through. However, FFA Operations Manager Matt Carroll said New Zealand remained the FFA's strong preference to hold the final licence. "We are encouraging them to make it happen. Maybe the Wellington bid is not quite where it should be but we are prepared to listen," Carroll told NZPA.

Japanese women finish pre-Olympic training camp

Nadeshiko, the Japanese national women’s football team has finished its training camp in Cyprus after defeating Scotland 2-0 and Norway 1-0 and drawing with Sweden 2-2. The team will continue preparations at home for the two-legged playoff in March against Mexico for a berth in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in China during 10-30 September. Three Asian teams, hosts China, Asian runners-up Australia and third-placed team North Korea, are already confirmed.

Malaysian coach complains about foreign strikers

Malaysian coach Norizan Bakar believes the quality of his national team strikers is poor because Malaysian football clubs rely heavily on foreign imports, depriving local talent of chances of playing and improving. "During the ASEAN Football Championship our biggest problem was scoring, and this is due to the lack of exposure given to the local players,” he told the New Straits Times. "Every Super League and Premier League team has a foreign striker and therefore local strikers are not given the opportunity. If every state can be limited to one foreign striker, defender and midfielder each, it will be good. The local players can learn from them," he said.

German coach to boost Bahrain women's game

The Bahrain Football Association has recruited renowed German coach Monika Staab to boost its women's game. Staab, 48, will be in Bahrain on loan for at least five months and her task is to establish a women's league and strengthen the sport by introducing a proper competition structure. The BFA has also invited a German team, FFC Hannover, to play in a friendly tournament with Bahraini teams Al Najma, Al Rifa and a high-school select Al Bayan in a seven-a-side competition to give Staab a chance to look for players.

"This tournament is a wonderful opportunity for our players to gain experience and confidence", Shaik Ali Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, BFA vice-president and head of the newly formed women's department, told AFCMedia. "This is the first time we have foreign guests in women's football and hopefully there will be more women's teams from Europe coming to Bahrain in the future for training camps and or games."

Soccer NZ complains about A-League deadline

Soccer New Zealand CEO Graham Seatter says Football Federation Australia's deadline for the two New Zealand groups bidding for an A-League franchise was just too tight for one and there's no guarantee the other will succeed. A Manawatu-Wellington group is New Zealand's last hope of having a team in the league after the FFA revoked the New Zealand Knights FC licence in December. Seatter told Radio NZ he was disappointed to hear the Auckland group had pulled out as they'd seemed pretty positive ahead of a meeting on Monday with potential investors.

India, Iran, Qatar nominate for AFC Asian Cup 2011

The first step in the host selection for AFC Asian Cup 2011 has commenced with three West or South Asian countries, India, Iran and Qatar, formally announcing their intention to bid, following a 9 February 2007 deadline set by the Asian Football Confederation. The next stages of the bidding process are:

1 March 2007 - The List of Requirements (LOR) will be dispatched to the Member Associations which have declared an interest in hosting the AFC Asian Cup 2011
1 April 2007 - Deadline for the Member Associations to either confirm or withdraw their candidature in writing to AFC.
12 April 2007 - AFC to dispatch the Organising Association Agreement (OAA) to the Member Associations which have confirmed an interest in hosting the AFC Asian Cup 2011
21 June 2007 - Deadline for the definitive bid. Member Associations to submit a signed OAA and all bid documentation to AFC to arrive at AFC House by this date, in compliance with the terms of the OAA, the List of Requirements and the other annexes.
28 July 2007 - The AFC Executive Committee will make the final decision designating the Host Association of the AFC Asian Cup 2011

Zibo is fifth city to join AFC's Vision China program

China's Zibo city in Shandong province has entered the Asian Football Confederation's Vision China program. With a population of over over four million and claiming to be the birth-place of modern football, Zibo is the fifth Chinese city to join Vision China after Wuhan, Qingdao, Nanjing and Chengdu. Its inclusion in the football development program follows a visit by a high-level AFC delegation last September. The next step will be a joint AFC-China Football Association assessment visit to Zibo from 10-12 March.

Iraqi league splits central zone for better security

The Football Associatoon of Iraq has split the Baghdad (central) group of the Iraqi League into two zones to restart the current season there by 15 February. The league was originally divided into three geographical groups (North, South and Central) but while the North and South groups started playing last December the matches in the Central group were delayed due to the security situation.

Following the subdivision draw, Al Zawra has been slotted with Al Talaba (students), Naft, Kahraba and Al Adala in one pool with Al Quwa Al Jawiya (Air Force), Al Shorta (Police), Al Sena and Al Jaish (Army) in the other. The former will play at Karbala, 100km south of Baghdad, while the latter will play at the Shaab Stadium in Baghdad behind closed doors.

Australia opts out of 2011 AFC Asian Cup bid

Football Federation Australia has opted not to submit a formal bid for the staging of the 2011 Asian Cup by Thursday's deadline after the Asian Football Confederation circulated a proposal that the 2011 event should be staged in a country in either West Asia or Central and South Asia. The earliest Australia can now realistically hope to stage the tournament is 2015, when it is scheduled to be held in either East Asia or ASEAN, the latter of which Australia is currently a guest member. The Australian decision preempeted the formal ratification of the proposed rotation policity at the AFC Congress in May.

We'd love to host the Asian Cup. It's very much on our radar and we're continuing to discuss it informally with the AFC," the FFA's head of marketing, communication and strategy Geoff Parmenter told Reuters. "(But) If the allocation process for 2011 is rigid and we can't bid then we'd certainly be interested in 2015."

The AFC's director of communication Clare Kenny said the announcement of the host nation for the 2011 Asian Cup is expected to be made on the eve of this year's final in Jakarta. The list of nominations would not be revealed until after Thursday's deadline, she added, although Bahrain, India and Iran have all publicly indicated plans to bid. Qatar has expressed interest in bidding for 2015, although it is in West Asia.

FIFA plans regional sports medical centres in Asia

The world football body FIFA is planning to set up regional medical centres in Asia to help players get pre-competition assessments and medical care. “We are aiming to establish FIFA Regional Medical Centres for state-of-the-art medical care and to disseminate advancements in the sports medicine field. Though, it is not possible to build hospitals, we will give accreditation to institutions who have the best facilities and experience in dealing with sports injuries,” the Head of FIFA’s Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC), Dr Jiri Dvorak, told AFCMedia on the sidelines of the FIFA Futuro III Football Medicine Course and Doping Control Workshop in Kuala Lumpur.

“Asia is a huge continent and our final aim is to have centres in each country but to begin with we want to start with a few centres in bigger nations. Korea Republic, Japan and a few more countries have already expressed their interest,” he said.

Malaysia’s Deputy Health Minister Dato Dr Haji Abdul Latif B. Ahmad expressed his desire to have a FIFA Regional Medical Centre in Malaysia and Football Association of Malaysia General Secretary Dr Ibrahim Saad said a centre would create better awareness of sports medicine. “The professional players here consider the role of sports medicine as very minor and this still has low priority for them. If we get the centre, it will give a new outlook and would help us ward off the frightening injuries to our young players,” he said.

The FA of England announces broadcast tender

The Football Association of England (The FA) has recruited Coca-Cola marketer Simon Freedman to become its new head of marketing. He takes over from Ed Coan, who has overseen the marketing department on a consultancy basis since 2005 and will report to group commercial director Jonathan Hill. While at Coca-Cola UK, Freedman was responsible for the marketing strategy of the brand’s football sponsorship activities including the £15 million sponsorship deal in place with the Football League.

It’s understood that Freedman’s role will cover the new Wembley Stadium, relationships with major brand partners, Nationwide, Carlsberg, McDonald’s and E.ON, as well as negotiations over the 2008 to 2012 television and digital rights to the FA Cup and England home matches. “We did not have a central marketing department prior to two years ago, and we’ve come a long way in that time. With a growing team and a fully-fledged design studio we needed a full-time appointment and are delighted to have secured Simon, with all the relevant experience he will bring,” Hill commented.

The FA has already issued an invitation to tender for the audio-visual rights of the FA Cup and England home matches. The 15 new live match packages are the most ever offered by The FA for these properties and will be complemented by additional packages for highlights, near-live services, video-on-demand and clips for both mobile and internet use. The new deal will cover the four-year period starting from the 2008/09 season. Packages include the FA Cup, England matches, Community Shield, Youth Cup, FA Trophy and FA Vase. All interested parties should contact The FA’s commercial and broadcast manager James Elliott by email James.Elliott@TheFA.com to request a copy of the tender.

South Korea's Red Devils drop sponsorship deals

The Red Devils, an fans' organisation supporting the South Korea national football team, announced it will no longer accept financial support from companies and will cut back on large-scale rallies which require bigs sums to organise. Any money will be donated to worthy causes, the Red Devils said. The decision was in response to criticism that the 100,000 member group has commercialised its activities. "We can't stand the criticism over commercialism. As a result, we are trying to return to a time when it was operated in a small way, " Secretary Kim Jung-yun told the Korea Times.

The Red Devils signed a sponsorship with the KTF, a mobile phone company, prior to the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

China's EPL fans must now pay US$24 per month

China's 30 million English Premier League fans will now have to pay 188 yuan (US$24) per month or 1,880 yuan for the entire year to watch matches starting from August. The 40,000-subscriber-strong, WinTV run by state-owned Guangdong Provincial Television, won the broadcast rights over six other bidders by an offer of US$50 million for three seasons, Song Zheng, Tiansheng's CEO, said as quoted by Beijing-based Star Daily.

"We cut the quoted price by half of what the commission wanted, which was US$100 million. But our offer was still US$15 million higher than ESPN, our closest rival," Song said.

When ESPN held the 2001-2006 rights it subcontracted broadcasting in China to Central Television Station and other free-to-air domestic TV stations and Song admits "it's hard to change Chinese audiences' behavior." However the company is "still confident in our future market," he said.

"The fans will have to endure the pain of the change. Let's say goodbye to cheap Premier League," he later told the US magazine, Variety. WinTV will also provide coverage on mobile devices and the Internet along with live TV. "Fans can enjoy the games in various convenient ways," he said. "There's only one premise - pay."

Olympic qualifier win not top target for Afghanistan

An Olympic qualifier win over Vietnam is not the main goal but displaying Afghanistan’s aspiration to play football, the country’s coach, Sung Jea Lee, said on arrival in Hanoi. The U-23 teams are scheduled to play Tuesday with the winner going through to the next round. Originally scheduled for last Wednesday, the game was postponed after Afghanistan failed to turn up because of flight problems.The Korean coach told Vietnam Net his players had trained for two months but the harsh climate in the country had hampered their drills. “We did not play a match last year and our last match was in late 2005 in the South Asian Football Championship in Pakistan,” he said.

Vietnam coach's job safe during kidney transplant

Vietnam's national coach Alfred Riedl has been told his job is safe despite his team failing to reach the ASEAN Football Championship final. Tran Quoc Tuan, General Secretary of the Vietnam Football Federation said Vietnam's bronze medal finish in Bangkok last month was a creditable achievement since the team was missing 10 players through injury or suspension. "The team's bronze medal is not an insignificant achievement, especially when the national team has not had its best players," Tuan was quoted by the Viet Nam News.

Riedl, 57, is in Austria undergoing a long-awaited kidney transplant and will take around two months to recover. "I've needed this operation for a while now and I'm very happy to have found the donors," he said earlier. "I hope to be back in April to prepare the team for the AFC Asian Cup." The former Austria Vienna, FC Metz and Standard Liege striker has been hugely popular in Vietnam after he took the team to silver medals in the 1999, 2003 and 2005 South East Asian Games. His contract is due to expire in March 2008.

Chelsea FC announces 2008 tour of China

English Premier League club Chelsea used the occasion of a reception it hosted for the visiting Chinese Olympic football squad to announce it will be touring in China in 2008. "We will take our first team and play games on the mainland," Business affairs director Paul Smith said. Welcoming Team China players and officials, representatives of the Chinese Embassy and the Mayor of London's office, plus members of the Chelsea side that played China back in 1979, he praised the Chinese youth as "excellent guests" and quipped, "we hope we have been hosts of a similar calibre because next year the process will be reversed,"

He added that while Chelsea wanted to forge links between the club and China, it would also aid development of the Chinese game. "This is a long term project and Team China is a work in progress. Hopefully we are witnessing the development of the team day-by-day."

Team China manager Li Xiaoguang said his side had learned a lot from its time with Chelsea. "As we all know, the United Kingdom is the home of the modern football game," he said. "As we have had the chance to train in Chelsea Football Club, our players have had the chance to broaden their horizons and improve their levels. "We have laid a wonderful foundation for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games."

Liverpool 'brand' to target Japan and rest of Asia

The new American owners of the English Premier League club Liverpool see Asia as a great expansion market. "Liverpool is the number one brand in Europe. If you go to the Far East, where Manchester United has historically been the number one brand, Chelsea has recently become quite popular," George Gillett told the Canadian newspaper National Post. "They have a global branding concept which involves playing a number of games in the Far East. In that part of the world, Liverpool is number two and growing. We have had conversations with management in the last several months and I believe you will see Liverpool playing some friendlies in Asia. I think you'll see Japan first in this coming year and then others beyond that."

Gillett also recognises the power of sponsorship, coming from the Asian continent. "There's a unique opportunity because the market is demanding it. If you look at the new sponsors in the Premiership within the past five years, more than a third of them are from Asia," he said.

The owners are also bringing their USA experience to the club's branding strategy. "We have looked at the possibility of branding in a different way, in that investments in soccer clubs in emerging parts of the world is part of our strategy. There is a strong consciousness within the Liverpool family about the worldwide aspects of the sport. When you see the number of people who watched the World Cup, it was something like 2.3 billion people," Gillette explained.

"You have the Texas Rangers in baseball, which is hugely popular in the Far East, the Dallas Stars, the Montreal Canadiens, Liverpool and our family's involvement with Nascar. You've got four unbelievably popular sports with growing international interest. If we get a hard-hitting marketing team that could provide potential sponsors with that array of opportunity, that's something I don't think has ever been put together before."

Iran's Teymourian starts for Bolton Wanderers

Iranian international Andranik Teymourian, 24, made his first start for English Premier League club Bolton Wanderers in its 2-1 defeat of Fulham. He is the first Iranian to start in the Premier League and was recruited by Bolton after his performance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

IFAB to review rule changes, goal-line technology

The International Football Association Board, the official "guardians of football's Laws of the Game", will discuss various possible amendments to the Laws when the body convenes at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester for its 121st Annual General Meeting on Saturday 3 March. The IFAB is composed of representatives from the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland along with FIFA, with the four British associations holding one vote apiece, while FIFA has four votes. A proposal requires a three-quarter majority (i.e. six of the eight votes) to be approved.

The agenda for this year’s meeting includes FIFA’s proposed revision of Law 4 to prohibit players from displaying political, religious or personal statements on their equipment, with transgressions to be handled by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. This code applies to every match and competition organised by FIFA. Beyond this scope, it also applies if a match offi cial is harmed, if the basic compulsory equipment of a player contains political, religious or personal slogans, and, more generally, if the statutory objectives of FIFA are breached, especially with regard to forgery, corruption and doping.

A further submission from the world governing body proposes that a yellow card be shown to any player who covers his or her face with a mask while celebrating a goal. This proposed amendment was motivated by the potentially increasingly common practice of players wearing masks during matches, which could tarnish the image of the game.

Among the items for discussion are protocol for dealing with injured players, rhe Adidas/Cairos new goal-line ball technology, Italian Football Federation new goal-line technology, FA Premier League new goal-line technology, pitch side monitors, video evidence,sanctions to be imposed on any player who intentionally strikes an opponent with a ‘flying elbow’ and the colour of artificial pitches.

AFC nominates ten Asian leagues for upgrading

Asian Football Confederation President Mohammed bin Hammam is driving plans to upgrade ten of the region's top leagues to make them more commercially viable and attractive to fans. A Professional Leagues Ad Hoc Committee headed by Japan Football Association President Saburo Kawabuchi is probing the overhaul which was sparked by the failure of AFC nations at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where only newcomers Australia made it past the group stage. The AFC determined the bad results were due to poor competition structures in Asia and a decision to revamp the leagues was proposed, along with changes being considered for a new format for the AFC Champions League, Asia's premier club competition, from 2009.

The study is evaluating the current league and club infrastructure of 22 countries and aiming for at last ten countries - Australia, Japan, China, South Korea, Singapore, India, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar - re-launching their leagues during 2009-2012 and meeting all minimum requirements by 2012.

"This project is very big and will take a lot of hard work and dedication," Kawabuchi told AFP. "But I am putting this as top priority for the Japan Football Association to assist in making it a success. "We are seriously cooperating with the AFC to improve this special project which has been designed to raise the level of football in Asian clubs."

Bin Hammam, who is expected to be re-elected to the AFC presidency in May, gives the English Premier League as an example of what he would like to see Asian football leagues strive for. "There are different things to be learned from many leagues around the world," Bin Hammam said. "We look mainly at some of the European leagues, and particularly the commercial success of the FA Premier League. And within Asia, we have looked at our best practices. The J-League demonstrates many positive elements that other leagues around Asia can learn a lot from."

The AFC chief also put the focus on the business aspect of football, with investors keen to make more money and players wanting a better professional environment to improve their skills. "We are creating a football industry where we can invite business people to invest in Asian clubs," said Bin Hammam. "We believe that the future is in Asia, and there are big clubs comparable to those in Europe [but] we need to ensure that they have the right structure in place to benefit from investment from within or outside Asia. The overall motivation behind the program is the need and ambition to ensure that Asian football is managed professionally, within a commercial infrastructure, and is providing entertainment for the fans," he told AFP.

"Today, football can be, and must be, managed as a business commodity while still protecting the integrity of the sport. So within the AFC region there are many opportunities to re-develop the national leagues, and also our AFC continental club competitions, to ensure we are competitive and progressive," he said.

See also: AFC targets transparancy for professional leagues (7 Feb)

Servecast to host global football media conference

Servecast, a provider of audio and video webcasting solutions for sports and media companies, is hosting a media conference at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on 7 March. According to Soccer Investor, the conference will address critical issues facing sports clubs, organisations and broadcasters with respect to their new media strategies. Through its proprietary Media Studio platform, Servecast provides access to a fast growing global broadband audience for high value content such as News and Sport thereby generating additional revenue streams for content owners.

The conference is centred on the new media landscape for sport and TV, online video search engine strategies, the emerging role of mobile video and the opportunities of integrating online gambling. The event has attracted seven clubs from the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. All four of England’s representatives – Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal – will be in attendance along with defending champions Barcelona, Internazionale and Scottish title-holders Glasgow Celtic. The FA Premier League and the Bundesliga are among the leading European football leagues being represented.

Kuwait FA board sacked because of Cup failures

The Kuwait Football Association board has been dissolved by Dr Fuad Al Falah, chairman of the Public Authority for Sports and Youth Affairs, and replaced with a four-man interim committee led by Jawad Maqseed and Abdulhamid Mohamed as general secretary, Wael Sulaiman Treasurer and Ayad Salem. An ordinary session of the KFA's general assembly will be held within 30 days to elect a new board." According to AFCMedia, "this move by the Kuwaiti authorities comes after a run of bad results for the Kuwait national team as they failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup last year and then the AFC Asian Cup 2007 Finals." Kuwait was bumped out of the Asian Cup by Asian Football Confederation newcomers, Australia.

Court gives FIFA power to punish clubs over racism

Speaking on the 50th anniversary of the African Football Federation, FIFA president Sepp Blatter, said a Swiss federal tribunal had given the world football governing body the right to severely punish clubs which tolerate racism."The (Swiss) federal tribunal said FIFA has the right to give financial fines, has the right to deduct points, has the right to relegate a team and disqualify a team," he told Reuters in Khartoum. "This is a force that the federal tribunal has given to FIFA and with that we can apply in the future all the necessary measures to intervene."

FIFA checks professionalism of Mumbai clubs

Mumbai's top two city clubs, Mahindra United and Air-India, got a "thumbs up" for their good footballing facilities from the visiting FIFA officials, David Borja, FIFA Development Manager and Jean Michal Benezet, Technical Advisor FIFA. “I haven’t seen them but the footballing set up of both the teams look impressive. We also had a meeting with Air-India in the morning and I can say that they are good,” Borja told Express India after the inauguration of Mahindra United Club House in Kandivli.

The two officials were in the city to inspect the preparedness of the clubs before "giving them the nod" for licensing to the new professional league. Club licensing is a FIFA initiative wherein clubs have to fulfil certain criteria, such as football infrastructure, appointment of professional technical and administrative personnel, legal criteria regarding players' transfer and payments and finance, before participating in FIFA and Asian Football Confederation events.

The two FIFA officials agreed the current National Football League was an important platform to assess the clubs and their set-up and acquire feedback on the ills that hamper their progress on a professional level. Benezet emphasised the need for increasing the number of clubs taking part in the NFL. "Ten clubs is too small a number. After increasing the number of clubs in the professional league, the next step can be a Super League, apart from club competitions at different levels," he said. He also threw light on strengthening of the National Football League second division. "The first division should be important but the second division teams too will have to prepare themselves and perform so that they can move to the next professional level,” he said.

The visiting football delegation also intends to meet management of all NFL clubs playing in the First Division and also six teams from the Second Division. Clubs in Goa, Bangalore, Kolkata and Delhi will be under scanner too, according to All India Football Federation Secretary Albert Colaco.

Details for International Football Arena Beijing

International Football Arena Ltd is bringing its symposium to the Grand Hyatt Beijing, China, on 15-16 May 2007 to focus on the Chinese market with an international perspective. The event has garnered support from the Asian Football Confederation, Titan Sports newspaper and the Western Returned Scholars Association of Chinese Overseas, the largest non-governmental organisation in China. However the number of participants is limited to 250.

Topics for discussion on the first day include models is best suited for the Chinese Professional League; European Clubs in China; Beijing 2008 Olympics and the benefit for Chinese football; the future of Chinese sports business; the FIFA Women’s World Cup China 2007; and women’s football in the spotlight. The second-day Forum China topics include the Swiss youth development program and its results; German Bundesliga licensing procedure; Club relationships in Asia (Bayern Munich - Urawa Red Diamonds, Japan); sports medicine; sports law; and China and the World Cup 2018.

Confirmed speakers include: Umberto Gandini, Organizational Manager, AC Milan; Mohamed Bin Hammam, President of the Asian Football Confederation; Mary V. Harvey, FIFA, Director Developmen; Danny Jordaan, CEO, 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa; Peter Kenyon, CEO, Chelsea FC; Tim Leiweke, President and CEO, Anschutz Entertainment Group; Tumi Makgabo, Communication Manager 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa; Christian Seifert, CEO, German Bundesliga; Maozhen Su, Coach of China Olympic team; and Jilong Zhang, Director Beijing 2008 Sports Department, Vice President Chinese Football Association (CFA).

More details from Antje Hembd, Project Manager IFA Beijing 2007. Email: office@international-football-arena.com

Dong Tam Long An FC wins Vietnam's Super Cup

Vietnam's V-League champion Dong Tam Long An (DTLA) won the Super Cup for the first time by beating the Vietnam Cup winner Hoa Phat Hanoi 2-0. Both goals were scored by Nigerian Tshamala Kabanga in the 75th and 89th minutes. The winners received VND250 million (US$15,600) and Hanoi $4,400. DTLA became the first team in Vietnamese football history to win all three trophies after earlier winning the V-League in 2005 and 2006, and the Vietnam Cup (or National Cup) in 2005.

Indonesian Premier League kicks off for 2007

After a one-week postponement, the last season of the Premier League as the top division in Indonesian football commenced on 10 March. The Liga Djarum (named after domestic tobacco company which is in its last of four seasons as the professional competition's major sponsor) has 36 teams split into western and eastern zones. According to Football Association of Indonesia criteria, up to 18 of the clubs will be invited to join the inaugural 2008 season of the new Indonesian Super League.

Owning own grounds 'advantages' English clubs

The purchase of English Premier League club Liverpool for £220 million by Americans George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, owners of USA National Hockey League franchises, "is the most spectacular so far in an American invasion of English football that has also seen Malcolm Glazer buy Manchester United, Randy Lerner take over Aston Villa, and Arsenal consider an alliance with the sporting magnate Stan Kroenke," wrote Cole Moreton of The Independent. "The Russian Roman Abramovich owns Chelsea and West Ham has gone Icelandic but Americans are now interested in every vulnerable club, including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City," he added.

Why? Like most English clubs, Liverpool FC has been pulling in fans for more than a century. "This track record of sustained popularity and high levels of interest" makes English clubs attractive to investors, according to the financial analysts Deloitte, which last week published a list of the richest sides in Europe. Premiership teams are the most profitable by far, making a combined £1.3 billion last year - and that will rise, thanks to a new TV rights deal. Now each week 1,500 hours of Premiership action are broadcast to 200-plus countries.

All football clubs get their money from ticket sales, TV, merchandising and sponsorship. The big advantage English clubs have over foreign rivals for US money is that they own their grounds. Juventus, for example, one of the sexiest brands in Italian football, rents its stadium and relies on broadcasting rights for nearly 70 percent of its income. That's not a solid investment. The American model is to build a new stadium on the tightest possible budget, pack it with fans and other users and sell the name for a fortune. Tom Hicks allowed American Airlines to rename the home of his ice-hockey team, the Dallas Stars, for £100 million. Anfield is old and always full, but part of the deal is a new stadium to hold 60,000 people. Mr Gillett won't rule out selling the name Anfield "if naming rights are worth one great player a year".

Who owns the rest of the EPL (for now)?

Arsenal - Danny Fiszman, diamond merchant (UK)
Blackburn - Walker Trust, backers unknown (UK)
Bolton - Eddie Davies, thermostat maker (Isle of Man)
Charlton - Richard Murray, TV production (UK)
Everton - True Blue Holdings and Bill Kenwright, theatre impresario (UK)
Manchester City - John Wardle and David Makin, JD Sports owners (UK)
Middlesbrough - Steve Gibson, haulier (UK)
Newcastle - Freddy Shepherd, marine and offshore services (UK)
Reading - John Madejski, hotels and publishing (UK)
Sheffield United - Kevin McCabe, property (UK)
Tottenham - Joseph Lewis, currency trader (Bahamas)
Watford - Lord Ashcroft, finance (Belize)
Wigan Athletic - Dave Whelan, JJB Sports shops (UK)

India considers psychologist sessions for referees

Indian officials conducting the national-level seminar for referees are considering with the idea of including sessions with psychologists and dieticians. “In a game where stakes are so high, one has to be fit in every aspect to do justice to the job. So, we are thinking on the lines of taking help of psychologists and dieticians in such seminars. That would help increase the concentration level of the referees,” M.G. Suvarna, a former international referee, told The Telegraph.

The organising officials were also of the opinion that instead of conducting such seminars for a short period, it should be held over a stretch of 10 or more days. “Conducting such seminars for a longer duration would help brush up the knowledge of referees even better,” Milan Dutta, a member of the Asian Football Confederation’s Referees’ Commission who was the course coordinator, said.

Al Ahli wins Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal Cup

Al Ahli FC ended its two-year title drought in style on Friday by beating former Asian club champions Al Ittihad 3-0 in the Final of the Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal Cup. Watched by over 30,000 fans at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, the Jeddah derby saw Al Ittihad reduced to nine men on the hour mark even as Malik Moad (4), Kaio (68) and captain Khaled Badra (80; penalty) struck for Al Ahli.

Arsenal marketing deal with MLS' Colorada Rapids

Arsenal have become the latest English Premier League club to begin exploiting the American market for football with a partnership with Stan Kroenke's Major Soccer League club Colorado Rapids. The Denver-based franchise is expected to include a name change to include 'Arsenal' and perhaps even adopting Arsenal's historic maroon strip as its new team colours. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger warned, however, that he would resist any attempt to take his players on publicity-seeking summer tours of the USA. He described the partnership as a "technical co-operation" which would allow Arsenal to have their pick of players and also give the chance to, in his words, "extend our brand".

Wenger said he had been given assurances by the Arsenal board that this was not the prelude to another American takeover in the Premiership and joked that "there are enough Americans in the league now". However, the Arsenal manager was adamant that Arsenal's newly discovered interest in self-promotion would not extend to the kind of pre-season tour of America that Manchester United and Chelsea have undertaken in recent years. "I don't like the pre-season tours, but I must say the club has become so popular that we have a lot of proposals now to do it," he told Sam Wallace of The Independent. "I hope I can resist as long as I want because it is a lot of money that is offered."

Ex-skippers praise Pakistan's win over Singapore

Former national skippers have hailed the Pakistan U-23 football team’s performance in beating Singapore in an Olympic preliminary qualifying round match and said it was the result of the tangible steps taking by Pakistan Football Federation in recent years for the revival of the game. "The way Pakistan showed stubborn display against formidable Singapore is unforgettable considering the fact that Pakistan’s last win in a similar event was way back in 1963 when Pakistan defeated Iran 1-0 at Lahore,“ Ghulam Rabbani, captain of the Pakistan team which played against Burma (now known as Myanmar) in 1961 told APP. “PFF President has announced a cash incentive which aims at rewarding players for their achievements,“ he said adding, “such incentives will generate new spirit in players”.

Malaysia discusses London training with Arsenal

Malaysia's RM70 million High Performance Sports Training Centre in Brickendonbury, Hertfordshire, England is expected to be completed by April following the completion of a hostel for athletes and a football pitch, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told Bernama newsagency.

"The renovation will not exceed 10 million pounds. It is a forward base for long-term and short-term training or transit," he said, adding that the national junior football squad will likely be the first team to use the facilities in April should negotiations between the Football Association of Malaysia and the English Premier League club, Arsenal materialise. "The national junior squad will stay and train at the training centre," he said.

AFC Futsal Cup 2007 qualifying groups redrawn

The Asian Football Confederation has has redrawn the groups for the AFC Futsal Championship 2007 qualification round following the withdrawal of Macau, Cambodia and Myanmar.The remaining eight teams have been split into two groups of four each. Lebanon, Chinese Taipei, Maldives and the Philippines in Group A while Iraq, Indonesia, Korea Republic and Guam are in Group B. The new dates for the qualifiers are 1-5 March and all the matches will take place in Taipei Xinzhuang, in Taiwan.

Four places are at stake in the qualifying round and the top two teams from each group will progress to the tournament proper for which 12 teams have automatically qualified. These are defending champions and hosts Japan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, China PR, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Tajikistan, Thailand and Turkmenistan.

10-team Kyrgyz League season starts 21 April

The Football Federation of Kyrgyzstan has approved 21 Aprul as the kick-off date for the 2007 Kyrgyz League. Ten teams will compete within two round-robins concluding in October. Last year's league champion, Dordoi-Dynamo, will also play in the third edition of the AFC President’s Cup in Lahore in May.

Shanghai United buys-out, merges with Shenhua

Shanghai United has announced the US$ 20 million buy-out of local Chinese Super League club rivals Shanghai Shenhua. According to AFCMedia, the two clubs will merge and play in the CSL and the AFC Champions League as Shanghai Shenhua. However the China Football Association has not yet given its approval so far to the merger while the AFC is yet to receive the player registrations from Shanghai Shenhua for the upcoming edition of the AFC Champions League.

“We started discussing this deal not long ago. Some of the media also knew about it,” Shanghai Shenhua Manager Wu Ji Nan said. "We are working hard to convince the CFA to grant a special transfer window for us to release redundant players. "We hope no one is out of a job as a result of the merger."

Shanghai Shenhua finished as runners-up last season behind runaway winners Shandong Luneng while Shanghai United, owned by business magnate Zhu Jun, were seventh in the 15-team standings.

Vietnam national teams receive US$ 150,000 grant

Vietnam's men’s and women’s national football teams will get around US$150,000 to prepare for a South East Asian tournaments and the Olympic qualifiers this year, The money will be used to organise training sessions and send the teams to a series of international competitions to sharpen their skills, the National Committee for Sports and Physical Training told Thanh Nien newspaper. The women will play the 24th South East Asian Games in Thailand, the Olympic qualifying round slated for 17 February and the South East Asian Football Federation Cup in Myanmar. The men’s Olympic team will play in the Bach Viet Football Tournament and the Agribank Cup before arriving in Thailand for the SEA Games.

New Cambodian FA leader promises development

Football Federation of Cambodia's newly-elected President, Lieutenant General Sokha Sao, has promised to make more efforts to raise the level of football in his country. “We want to ensure Cambodian football is on par with other Asian countries and we have chalked out a plan to stress on the development of youth football. Our first priority will be to strengthen the cooperation between all the concerned stakeholders. In recent months, we have started a new program to use football as a tool to educate children in the western provinces,” Lt Gen Sao told Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam.

“We would also like to put in place a better club structure, and support school football. We will host three events in 2007, including the Prime Minister’s Cup, first division and second division leagues. Our plans include the building of more football fields near capital Phnom Penh and would also like to host some competitions apart from playing hosts to coaching and refereeing courses,” he added.

Seven Team China stars sent home after UK brawl

Seven internationals with the Team China Olympic squad have been sent home early from the Chelsea training centre as the mass brawl with English Championship club Queens Park Rangers players dominated Chinese media on Friday. "Despite apologies from the visiting party on Thursday, the majority view in the Chinese media was that both parties were to blame for the fight," commented Nick Mulvenney of Reuters.

Shanghai Shenhua striker Gao Lin, whose attack on an opponent at the west London club's training ground sparked off the trouble, will be joined on the plane by six other players from Shenhua, Dalian Shide and Shandong Luneng clubs Sina.com reported. The Chinese Football Association told the internet news portal that the clubs had already requested the release of these players to help preparations for the new Chinese league season and the Asian Champions League.

"Equal brutality," read the banner headline in the People's Daily, Beijing News had "Olympic team purging, Gao expelled", while the Beijing Times put the blame on the CFA with their "The father should be blamed for the son's fault". In an editorial entitled "It's only a game", the Sports ministry paper China Sports Daily called for perspective. "Now it's happened, we should forget about it. It was not a war, and need not be regarded as seriously as a diplomatic issue. Soccer will continue, friendlies, will continue ... How to prevent this is something that really needs to be worked on."

AFF/WSG back talking to Thanh Nien for AFF Cup

It has taken nearly 18 months and one ASEAN Football Championship (formerly Tiger Cup) played in Singapore and Bangkok without a naming rights sponsor, but World Sports Group, representing the ASEAN Football Federation, is now back to talking to Vietnam's pro-football newspaper, Thanh Nien.

In October 2005, six months after Singapore's Tiger Beer company announced it would not extend its 10-year relationship with the much-loved competition, Thanh Nien had submitted a proposal to take over the US$2 million sponsorship.

Leaders of the Vietnam Football Federation said they were "strongly in support and have confidence in Thanh Nien newspaper" because of its "experience, economic potential and prestige" in sponsoring Vietnam's own U21 national football championships for nine consecutive years and the Vietnam Football Development Company revealed it would contribute about half of the necessary sponsorship funds.

Thanh Nien chief Nguyen Cong Khe said companies and agencies in Vietnam would join hands for the event. "Vietnam Airlines, tourist companies, hotels, restaurants, and sports agencies will certainly come to our aid," he said. In the event of the Vietnamese proposal being accepted, he said, the VFF would be responsible for taking care of transportation, food, accommodation, security, and healthcare services for officials, footballers and the organization board and Thanh Nien responsible for communications, advertising and procurement of sponsorship for the event.

However the Vietnamese partners were warned by then Asian Football Confederation general secretary, Peter Velappan, that the event could not be permanently based in Vietnam, insisting that countries in ASEAN take turns to host it. In March 2006, the AFF then announced that the tournament was renamed the ASEAN Football Championship and would take place in Januaruy 2007.

Thanh Nien has now announced it is re-entering negotiations with the AFF to become the main sponsor of the next ASEAN Football Championship in two years time. "The AFF appointed its exclusive commercial partner, World Sport Group, to hold talks with the Vietnamese side," reported Vietnam Football Federation’s general secretary Tran Quoc Tuan on Wednesday. “AFF Chairman Tengku Ahmad Rithaudeer agreed to send his associates to Vietnam after February 17 to carry out discussions on the cooperation,” he said.

See also: US$2M sponsorship still sought for ASEAN Cup (17 Oct 05)

Global Top 20 clubs's revenue now over €3.3 billion

The Deloitte Football Money League shows the total revenue of the world’s Top 20 clubs is now over €3.3 billion. Spanish Liga A club, Real Madrid remained ahead of the competition with total revenue of € 292m while rivals Barcelona were this year’s biggest movers, up four places to second place. “The two clubs have had contrasting strategies, with Real focussing on driving commercial revenue from recruiting its Galactico players and Barcelona having a more balanced revenue profile. With both the Spanish giants predicting revenues of over €300m in 2006/07 we may well see the same two clubs at the top of the Money League in 2006/07,” Dan Jones, Partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, commented. English Premier League club Manchester United, which headed the first eight editions of the Deloitte Football Money League and remains the most profitable club football operation in the world, is the highest of eight English clubs in the top 20 .

The global Top 20 is entirely populated by European clubs with English clubs occupy eight of the positions, Italian clubs four positions, three from Germany, two from Spain, and one club from each of Scotland, France and Portugal.

Developments in the broadcast market have underpinned many of the changes in the Money League, and these give some pointers to the composition of future surveys. “Revenue from the new French broadcasting deal has seen Olympique Lyonnais move up to their highest Money League position of 11th, while Real Madrid and Barcelona’s announcement of new deals should see them challenge at the top of the table in coming years. The Premier League’s recently concluded broadcasting deals may see English teams contribute half of the top 20 clubs in 2007/08,” Alan Switzer commented.

The report did warn,however, that spiralling television deals would be unsustainable if media firms decide they will no longer fork out hundreds of millions for the right to screen matches.It said Italian clubs could also suffer if the government forces clubs to share TV cash rather than negotiate individual deals with broadcasters.

List of World's richest clubs

1 Real Madrid 292.2 million euros
2 Barcelona 259.1
3 Juventus 251.2
4 Manchester United 242.6
5 AC Milan 238.7
6 Chelsea 221.0
7 Inter Milan 206.6
8 Bayern Munich 204.7
9 Arsenal 192.4
10 Liverpool 176.0
11 Olympique Lyon 127.7
12 AS Roma 127.0
13 Newcastle United 124.3
14 Schalke 04 122.9
15 Tottenham Hotspur 107.2
16 Hamburg SV 101.8
17 Manchester City 89.4
18 Rangers 88.5
19 West Ham United 86.9
20 Benfica 85.1

Souce: The Football Money League report

AFC rules on coaching criteria, refs, suspensions

In its second last meeting before the XXII Asian Football Confederation Congress convenes on 8 May, the AFC Executive Committee ratified a series of important decisions made by its standing committees earlier in the week:

Technical Committee: From 2010 onwards, all participating teams at AFC competitions must fulfill the criteria that the participating team coaches must have a minimum AFC ‘B’ Certificate qualification. If the coaches are non-Asian, their qualification has to be the equivalent of the AFC ‘B’ certificate (minimum). These criteria will apply in all cases, except in professional national leagues and in the AFC Champions League where participating clubs must conform to the criteria of the professional leagues and clubs, and/or in cases where it is decided that a higher coaching qualification is needed

Referees Comnittee: Approval of the criteria and procedures of appointment of Elite Referees to matches for 2007 and the nomination of the top 16 referees and 16 assistant referees for the AFC Asian Cup 2007.

Finance and marketing Committee: The suspension of all Member Associations with outstanding annual subscriptions with immediate effect. With relation to outstanding levies and fines, all Member Associations who have received their third reminders will be suspended with immediate effect. Reinstatement is immediate upon payment. The effect of any suspensions includes the ineligibility to propose candidates for nominations for the 2007 AFC elections, and Committee members from the suspended Member Association (s) will not be allowed to participate in AFC committee meetings unless financial obligations have been paid.

FIFA reschedules Afghanistan-Vietnam U-23 game

FIFA, the world football body, has rescheduled the preliminary qualifying round for the Olympic Beijing 2008 U-23 tootball tournament between Vietnam and Afghanistan to 14 February 2007. The one-off tie was scheduled to be played on 7 February but the visitors failed to turn up for the game due to flight problems. FIFA, after discussions with both the national associations, decided to postpone the game rather than cancel it.

China's U-23 team brawls with QPR in friendly

The Team China (China PR's Olympic U-23 team) friendly match with English League Championship club Queen’s Park Rangers was abandoned after a brawl in the second half. The English club was leading 2-1 at the time. Zheng Tao was knocked unconscious during the fracas and rushed to hospital as was captain Chen Tao. According to an AFCMedia match report, "Queen’s Park got off the mark in the 10th minute but Gao Lin equalised just after the second half resumed. The English side restored their lead soon after and a rough tackle on Gao at this juncture saw tempers fraying."

"That's the style of English soccer," team coach Ratomir Dujkovic told the Beijing sports daily Titan. "But no matter what they do, it shouldn't be a reason for fighting. I am really disappointed. It is not acceptable." Chinese striker Gao Lin, who was involved in the initial incident that sparked the fight, is being sent back to China, Titan said. Footage of the fight aired Thursday by Hong Kong's Cable TV showed Gao throwing downward punches after being picked up by a Rangers player. Both players fell to the ground, then others joined the fight.

English-based newspaper the Ealing Gazette reported on its Web site that match referee Dermot Gallagher would file a report with the English Football Association. The newspaper quoted fans who said it was "absolute mayhem" in a game spiced with punches and kung-fu kicks.

Dujkovic.told his team they were "football players, not boxers" and said the English "ferocious playing style" was no excuse for responding with violence. “When we are facing such physical challenges, we should try to avoid and protect ourselves but not this way. The whole team is the victim of such violent behavior. I never expected to see this kind of thing. We came here to train, not to fight. I am very disappointed, very."

Assistant coach Jia Xiuquan told Sina.com that, in the future, the coaches will "put more effort in to strengthening the management of the players and will definitely avoid similar things happening again. Again, I apologise to the domestic fans who love and support the team."

Ma Xiaoxu gets OK to transfer to Swedish club

The China Football Association reportedly has given the green light to Ma Xiaoxu's move to Sweden's domestic women's league champions Umea IK. The club revealed it had agreed a six month deal with Ma starting 20 February in which she could earn 5,000 euros per month. The 18-year-old sensation was last year's Asian Women's Player and Youth Player of the Year, the first woman in history to win the latter award. "It is good news. The transfer will help her improve. The CFA will let her go abroad," a CFA official, Yang Yimin, told Biejing sports newspaper, Titan.

However there is still concern that if the CFA and Ma's domestic club Dalian Shide go through with the deal. Ma's overseas spell will clash with the China PR national team's preparations for the FIFA Women's World Cup, which takes place from 10-30 September in China. "I still have no time to think about the conflict with World Cup preparations. Actually, the club still has not informed me about the deal. I do not know when to apply for the visa," Ma told China Daily.

Dates for 2007 UMBRO International Cups

The annual UMBRO Internation Cup tournaments will be held in Manchester, England, between 25 July - 5 August 2007.

2007 Youth Tournament (24-28 July) Boys U11 to U19
2007 Girls Tournament (24-28 July) Girls U14 and U17
2007 Mini Soccer Tournament (28 July) Boys: U8, U9, U10 (6 v 6)
2007 Mini Soccer Tournament (28 July) Girls: U12 (7 v 7)
2007 Women's Open Age Tournament (21-22 July)
2007 Men's Open Age Tournament (4-5 August)

Further information from www.umbrocup.co.uk or www.womenssoccertournaments.com

V-League's Nam Dinh insures its players' legs

Footballers at Vietnamese V-League club Nam Dinh have had their legs insured for the 2007 season, Thanh Nien newspaper reported. The club signed a contract with PetroVietnam Insurance company to insure the legs of all 87 footballers and coaches from the U17 squad to the senior team. Do Thanh Xuan, director of Nam Dinh sports department, said the insurance will ensure players receive adequate medical treatment in case of injury, up to a maximum of VND50 million (US$3,125). The premium costs are covered by an unnamed club sponsor.

See also: V-League's Nam Dinh gets fertiliser sponsorship (28 Jan)

Asian Football Confederation MOU with England FA

The Football Association of England (The FA) has signed a new four-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Asian Football Confederation to support the development of football in the Asian continent. The new accord will continue the work of The FA’s International Development Program in Asia which has benefited from The FA’s technical expertise since 2000 after the first co-operation agreement was signed.

The MoU, which runs until 2010, will focus primarily on education and training - specifically for tutor training, technical development and youth development - together with research and information gathering and equipment donations. All of the proposed FA activities have been identified to complement the AFC’s own Technical Development Plans and FIFA Strategic Development Plans.

"This is another big step in the AFC's cooperation with other football bodies to develop the game in our continent," said AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam. "The FA has vast experience in tutor training and youth development and we are confident that our association (with the FA) will help Asian football develop further," added the AFC chief, whose brainchild Vision Asia, a revolutionary football development program, is being successfully implemented in several Asian countries, including China and India.

FA Chairman Geoff Thompson looked forward to a promising period of cooperation. "We value the personal interest and input from the President, Mohamed Bin Hammam, in ensuring that the FA-AFC Co-operation Agreement has been mutually beneficial. The sharing of expertise and experiences has undoubtedly contributed to the development of coaches, referees and administrators in Asia, and most certainly to the personal and professional development of our own tutors in England," he said.

To kick-start the 2007 programme of events, The FA's Jamie Houchen and Les Howie travelled to Kuala Lumpur to deliver an FA Learning Workshop aimed at developing the AFC’s elite instructors.

PetroViet sponsors V-League Song Lam Nghe An

PetroViet Nam Finance Company has signed a VND7 billion (US$434,000) per year, three-year sponsorship contract with Vietnam V-League club Song Lam Nghe An. PVFC will also use its relationship to find smaller sponsors for SLNA to cover an additional VND2 billion ($124,000) per year. According Vietnam News, SLNA will take the name PVFC-SLNA Football Club.

New Singapore pre-season cup for S.League clubs

The inaugural SingTel League Cup tournament, which kicks off on 15 February will see eight S.League teams - Sengkang Punggol, Balestier Khalsa, Gombak United, Albirex Niigata FC, Korean Super Reds, Woodlands Wellington, Tampines Rovers and Home United - compete for the gleaming new Japanese-designed trophy and a total cash prize of S$35,000. The cup winner will walk away with a prize cheque of S$20,000 with the runners-up and second runners-up taking home cash prizes of S$10,000 and S$5,000 respectively. The semi-finals will take place on 20 and 21 February with the grand final scheduled to take place on Sunday 25 February at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

"This is not merely a pre-season tournament," said Winston Lee, Chief Executive Officer, S.League. "It is another important tournament in the (local football) calendar and will also give the fans a chance to watch their favourite players and teams in action. We are delighted that SingTel have come onboard as the title sponsors of the League Cup."

Four S.League sides, SAFFC, Young Lions, Geylang United and Liaoning, have chosen to opt out of the tournament due to their pre-season commitments, said Football Association of Singapore Director of Competitions Quah Kim Song. But he also expressed hope that the competition "will expand and include all twelve clubs" in next year's edition. "We had originally wanted this to start in 2008 but with SingTel's generous backing and support, we were able to push the launch forward to this year. We hope this will continue to be a regular fixture in the local football calendar," he told the competition's website.

"SingTel is proud to bring this inaugural football to Singapore's vibrant football scene," said Quek Peck Leng, SingTel Executive Vice President of Consumer. "Through interactive technology sich as 3G and mobile blogging, SingTel has allowed fans to get closer to their favourite players and clubs. It therefore is a natural progression for us to introduce the SingTel League Cup to local football fans."

Surprises in Asia U-23 Olympic prequalifying round

Late goals from Mubashar Hussain and Farooq Shah saw unfancied Pakistan shock Singapore 2-1 at their Jalan Besar Stadium in the first leg of the preliminary qualifying round for the U-23 Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008. In Central Asia, Uzbekistan ran out 4-1 winners against Tajikistan and a late goal from Chakrit Buatong saw Thailand edge Turkmenistan 1-0 and gain an away goal advantage for the return leg. In Yangon, India drew 1-1 with Myanmar while improving Hong Kong destroyed Bangladesh 3-0 at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka. Indonesia scraped past Maldives 1-0 at the Gelora Bungkarno in Jakarta. In West Asia, Yemen shocked Palestine 2-1.

The Afghanistan team couldn't fly to their match in Vietnam because of bad weather and must wait until FIFA decides whether they will forfeit their opportunity to qualify or if they will be granted a rematch. FIFA previously decided that the return match in Afghanistan would not be played due to security fears in the capital Kabul.

Australia were hot favourites to roll over Chinese Taipei at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide and an 11-0 win before 1,459 fans raised no eyebrows. Australia will now travel to Taiwan for the second leg next Wednesday with the 20-man U-23 squad announced as Leigh Broxham (Melbourne Victory), Mark Bridge (Newcastle Jets), Nathan Burns (Adelaide United), Robert Cornthwaite (Adelaide United), Adam D'Apuzzo (Newcastle Jets), Spase Dilevski (Queensland Roar), Bruce Djite (Adelaide United), Ben Griffin (Queensland Roar), Ben Kennedy (Newcastle Jets), Vince Lia (Melbourne Victory), Adrian Leijer (Melbourne Victory), Mark Milligan (Sydney FC), Stuart Musialik (Newcastle Jets), Steven O’Dor (New Zealand Knights), Kristian Sarkies (Melbourne Victory), Nikolai Topor-Stanley (Sydney FC), Tando Velaphi (Perth SC), Dario Vidosic (Queensland Roar), Danny Vukovic (Central Coast Mariners), Ruben Zadkovich (Sydney FC)

The return leg of the preliminary rounds will all be held on 14 February with the overall winners of each match-up joining the second-round qualifying groups as follows:

Singapore or Pakistan will join Group A (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar), Hong Kong or Bangladesh will join Group B (Japan, Malaysia, Syria), Indonesia or Maldives and Vietnam or Afghanistan will join Group C (Oman, Lebanon), Jordan or Kyrgyzstan and Australia or Taiwan will join Group D (Iran, Saudi Arabia), Turkmenistan or Thailand and Myanmar or India will join Group E (Iraq, North Korea) and Uzbekistan or Tajikistan and Yemen or Palestine will join Group F (South Korea, UAE).

Following the playing of the second-round qualifying groups between 28 February and 6 June, the top two from each group will advance to the final round of Asian qualifiers from 22 August to 21 November to determine the three teams who will join host Team China as Asia's representatives at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008.

Japan press pack track Nakamura around Scotland

Shunsuke Nakamura's popularity is souring in Japan since he guided his Scottish Premier League club Celtic into the last 16 of the UEFA Champions' League with a stunning free-kick winner against Manchester United. Facing Celtic in a Scottish Cup fourth-round tie, Livingston FC captain Steven Tweed admitted to Phil Gordon of The Independent that the one thing more daunting than facing a Nakamura free-kick: was facing a Japanese press pack.

The 34-year-old defender spent two and a half years in the J-League with Nakamura's former team, Yokohama F Marinos. "Sport is huge in Japan. All the Japanese players in Europe have their own press corps. The same ones who used to follow Junichi Imamoto when he was at Arsenal and Fulham have now gone to Turkey since he moved to Galatasaray," he explained.

Referring to Nakamura as the golden boy of Japanese football, Tweed said he'd had a great season. "His two goals against United sealed that popularity and if the one at Parkhead took Celtic through, it was his free-kick at Old Trafford that is probably more iconic for the Japanese because they are so caught up in Manchester United. The average Japanese could probably tell you more about David Beckham than someone in Manchester."

American Liverpool FC eyes revenue growth in Asia

Whenever an English football club is bought by a foreigner and expections of big income flows are hightened, eyes first turn to Asia, it seems. After meeting George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, the new American co-owners of English Premier League club Liverpool, coach Rafael Benìtez gushed: “Liverpool is a club that can improve and grow by keeping the ideas that have made us strong and making improvements where needed. For example, how many club shops do we have around the world? We should be doing more in areas such as Asia, or even Spain, where we are very popular. There’s a big difference between the commercial side of a club like Liverpool or Real Madrid. The name of Real Madrid has made a lot of money over the years.”

The Times noted the connection: "Commercial revenue is not only about selling shirts in Asia and other overseas markets but of attracting lucrative sponsorship contracts. [Manchester] United’s shirt-sponsorship deal with AIG is worth £14.1 million a year; Liverpool’s long-running association with Carlsberg is worth an estimated £6 million a season. Liverpool’s contract with Carlsberg expires in the summer and the club hoped to replace it with a far more lucrative sponsorship deal. Gillett and Hicks will have their business contacts working on the project, which could be combined with sponsorship rights for the new stadium, as Arsenal did with Emirates," Oliver Kay wrote.

World Bank checks impact of Vietnam football graft

A World Bank investigation into an international football betting scheme using public funds from a Vietnamese building agency found the bank’s project money was not misused, an official said. "We have made a number of suggestions to the government about how procurement processes can be improved and some of the weaknesses we did find in the financial arrangements of the project," said Jim Adams, World Bank vice president for the Asia Pacific region. The probe began last June after the multi-million-dollar scandal was disclosed at the transport ministry's Project Management Unit 18 (PMU-18). The World Bank had disbursed around $80 million to PMU-18 for about 1,000 different projects, an AFP report quoted Country Director Klaus Rohland as saying at that time. He had threatened to cancel the credit and ask Vietnam for a refund if the WB funds were found misused, according to the report.

The scandal rocked the country last year and led to the resignation of the transport minister. Several senior officials, including a deputy transport minister, were arrested. The lid was blown off the scandal when the police arrested PMU-18 Director Bui Tien Dung in January 2006 for gambling, an illegal act in Vietnam. He reportedly bet some US$2 million on European football matches using PMU-18 money. Vietnamese police last month wrapped up their investigation in the case, charging the former deputy transport minister and the PMU-18 director each on four counts. Other PMU-18 officials also faced charges. According to Thanh Nien newspaper, the police have filed the report with the Supreme Procuracy.

Year of African Football leads to World Cup 2010

The African Union has declared 2007 to be the International Year of African Football (IYoAF) to kick start 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa and the 50th Anniversary of the Confederation of the African Football. Dr Djibril Diallo, Director of the United Nations New York Office of Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), represented the sport-related activities of the agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system at this historic launch in the presence of Heads of State and Government and leaders of 53 Member States of the African Union.

This year will see a rolling program of activities in AU Member States with a view to sharing the pride that a FIFA global event will be held for the first time on their continent. The initiatives are meant to create a new consciousness with regard to the contribution of football, and sport in general, at the national level and in local communities to support AU programs especially in the areas of education, health, development and peace.

UNOSDP, under the leadership of Adolf Ogi, the former President of Switzerland and the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General for Sport for Development and Peace, is the key UN entity representing sport for development and peace on behalf of the UN system. Hence the collaboration with the AU for IYoAf falls within the purview of the new United Nations three-year Action Plan, which was adopted unanimously by the General Assembly on 3 November 2006 by its resolution A/61/10 cosponsored by 78 countries. The IYoAF will be a key component and context for the Action Plan for the African region.

Initiatives that will be launched in consultation with AU through the various country offices of the United Nations in the coming three years, making for a breakthrough in the concept of Sport for All. These will go beyond the game of football to include other sports as well to bring about long lasting benefits for the continent. Partners and stakeholders will be mobilised to make this collaborative venture between the AU, UN, Member States, the public sector, academia, media and representatives of civil society, who will be empowered by their youth.

The origins of football on the Korean peninsular

Robert Neff in Ohmynews:

According to popular belief, football was first introduced into Korea in June 1882 when the British warship, HMS Flying Fish, arrived at Chemulpo (modern day Incheon). Allegedly, while Admiral Willes was concluding the British-Korean treaty, several crew members of the HMS Flying Fish went ashore, played soccer, and then left the soccer ball with a group of Korean children. During the 2002 World Cup, this story was often repeated as a fact. Sports Illustrated wrote: "Incheon is said to be the birthplace of soccer in Korea. A group of children imitated crewmen from a visiting British warship playing kick-about in 1882. The sailors left a couple of leather soccer balls behind when they left."

[However]

According to The Independent, Korea's first English-language newspaper, football was introduced in late November 1896 when Korean students at the Royal English School in Seoul were taught how to play football by an unnamed "foreign friend of the school." The following month, the editor of The Independent enthusiastically wrote: "The boys go at it with such vim and earnestness that they have won the praise and admiration of their instructor. It was a pleasure to see them in their natty uniforms, with their faces flushed, chasing after the leather sphere with such agility and in such a whole-souled manner, appearing as if their lives depended on the game."

Reverend Arthur B. Turner, an energetic Englishman well known for his prowess in football and cricket, springs to mind as the possible "foreign friend of the school," but Sergeant Boxwell, a member of the British Legation's guard who taught drill and ceremony at the school might also have been this anonymous soul.

Undoubtedly in the months to follow, the students had many matches among themselves, but the first international and public match took place on Saturday afternoon, 26 March 1897, in a field near the East Gate. Crew members of the British warship, HMS Narcissus, challenged the students and their coach to a friendly game of soccer ... While the names of all the participants of both teams are readily available, it is the Korean team that we are primarily interested in. The team was made up of Reverend Turner and several other Englishmen, but more than half the players were Korean. One particular player, Song Keung-san was noted for his excellent ability which "would not have disgraced an English public school boy."

The game was "well fought," but in the end, the Korean team was victorious with their single goal. The newspaper noted that it was "the first match in which any Koreans have played." But it wasn't the last game. On D16 December 1897, another game was held near the East Gate and once again the Korean team won both the match and praise from the "considerable number" of "enthusiastic spectators" who braved the bitterly cold weather to cheer on the Korean students. The final score was 6:2 but, as the newspaper editor noted "the most prominent feature of the game was the plucky way in which the Koreans tackled their stronger and heavier [English] opponents."

While there apparently is no evidence or questionable evidence at best, that the history of soccer began in 1882 with the coming of the British navy to Korea, there is no question that the first soccer matches between Korean students and English sailors were played in 1897. Matches that ... were won by the Koreans.

Denmark beats Australia in London friendly

Australia's Socceroos suffered a 3-1 loss in their first international match for 2007 against former European Champions Denmark before a crowd of 12,476 at Loftus Road, London. Australian coach Graham Arnold was without the services of eight key players from the initial squad of 20 including, Michael Beauchamp, Mark Bresciano, Jason Culina, Craig Moore, Lucas Neill, Mark Schwarzer, Mark Viduka and Luke Wilkshire. Defender Brett Emerton captained the senior side for the first time having skippered the U-23s at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Denmark fielding a near full strength team, raced to a three goal lead through a double from Jon Dahl Tomasson either side of a strike from Werder Bremen midfielder Daniel Jensen.

2007 Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport

Be Active 2007 will be held in Adelaide, South Australia, between 13-16 October 2007 and incorporates four concurrent events: the Australian Conference of Science and Medicine in Sport, the Sixth National Physical Activity Conference, the Fifth National Sports Injury Prevention Conference and the 2007 Recreation and Sport Development Conference.

For further information visit www.sma.org.au/ACSMS/2007.

South Korea beats Greece in London friendly

Lee Chun-soo scored a late goal Tuesday to help South Korea beat Greece 1-0 in an international friendly. Lee sent a hard free kick past the diving Antonis Nikopolidis in the 78th minute in a front boisterous, pro-South Korea crowd at Craven Cottage, the London home of English Premier League team Fulham. Lee, who plays for Ulsan in the K-League, scored a similar goal against Togo in the first round of the World Cup. "He wanted to show everybody he could play," South Korea coach Pim Verbeek said.

South Korea: Kim Young-dae, Kim Jin-kyu, Lee Young-pyo (Kim Chi-woo, 46), Kim Sang-sik, Kim Nam-il (Kim Jung-woo, 58), Lee Ho, Lee Chun-soo (Oh Jang-eun, 90), Seol Ki-hyeon, Oh Beom-seok, Park Ji-sung (Yeom Ki-hun, 81), Cho Jae-jin (Kim Do-heon, 76).

Greece: Antonis Nikopolidis (Costas Halkias, 46), Yiourkas Seitaridis, Takis Fyssas (Loukas Vyntra, 46), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Vangelis Mantzios, 83), Giorgios Anatolakis (Yannis Goumas, 46), Angelos Basinas, Kostas Katsouranis, Giorgios Karagounis, Fanis Gekas (Ioannis Amanatidis, 46), Giorgios Samaras (Stelios Giannakopoulos, 46), Angelos Charisteas.

Brazil's Clube dos 13 signs MOU with Singapore

Clube dos 13, which represents the interests of the 20 major football clubs in Brazil, has signed an agreement with the Singapore Sports Council and Football Association of Singapore to explore working opportunities and football development with the island city state. Brazil's ambassador to Singapore Paulo Alberto da Silveira Soares told the Straits Times that Singapore had been chosen as it had had close ties with Brazil in the past, in areas such as the shipyard industry. "With our help who says Singapore cannot make it to the World Cup finals in 2010 or 2014?" he said.

The Brazilians will be exploring the possibility of bringing in star players from its member clubs to play an exhibition match, the two sides will propose courses, clinics, club attachments and seminars and both parties will study the exciting possibility of bringing Brazilian football teams and Brazilian football players for the purpose of participating in the S-League or Singapore domestic or regional football competitions.

Dr Fábio André Koff, President of the Clube dos 13 said,“ We are here on a mission of friendship and co-operation to help develop world class players and to help them in Asia, to possibly embark on an international career. There are many areas of expertise that we would be happy to share with our partners in Singapore and in Asia.”

The Clube dos 13 was founded in 1987 by the representatives of the 13 leading football teams in Brazil, to represent TV broadcasting rights and other marketing rights of the Brazilian National Championship. Its members now include Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo, Vasco, Fluminese, Botafogo, Grêmio, Internacional, Cruzeiro, Atlético Mineiro, Bahia, Cortiba, Goiás, Sport Recife, Portugesa, Vitoria, Guarani and Atlético Paranaense.

Mr Oon Jin Teik, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Sports Council said,“This MOU signing with Clube dos 13 marks a new chapter in the development of the sport of football in Singapore. For the first time, Singapore football has been invited to work with an entire professional league. This alliance will see us reaping benefits in the areas of broad-based participation, excellence development for players, coaches and officials, as well as football and league management. I believe this exposure ultimately helps us in strengthening our sports knowledge component which will go towards developing strong commercial working models for team sports in future.”

The SSC is Singapore’s lead agency tasked with developing sports in Singapore. Its vision is to create a Sporting Singapore where sports is a way of life. SSC aims to develop sports champions and create enjoyable sporting experiences for Singapore through the three strategic thrusts of cultivating a sporting culture, achieving sports excellence and creating a vibrant sports industry. It is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Zainudin Nordin, Deputy President, Football Association of Singapore, said, "We have been invited and we are looking at how we can work that out as soon as possible. We will also see what are the areas, the clubs that we want to visit."

Chief Executive Officer of Singapore's S-League, Winston Lee said the collaboration involves various aspects. "On the pitch, we will have football clinics, coaching clinics, players' attachment schemes and teams' attachment schemes. 'Off the pitch, we're looking at the commercial aspects. We will also look into the sharing of expertise in administration and football management. Brazil are the top country in football. Naturally, we want to align ourselves with the best," he told the New Paper.

ASEAN regional footbal league being reconsidered

An ASEAN regional football league is yet again being discussed following the completion of the ASEAN Football Championship (formerly Tiger Cup). ASEAN Football Federation Hnourary Scretary - and Asian Football Confederation General Secretary - Paul Mony said the concept, first mooted seven years ago, was being reconsidered. "The discussions are at an exploratory stage," he reportedly told Singapore's Today tabloid. "The feasibility of such a league is still being worked out and factors like cost are being studied."

The AFF has 11 South East Asian members: Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, Brunei and East Timor.

hummel drops Aston Villa, keeps sponsoring Tibet

Nike will replace hummel as English Premier League club Aston Villa’s technical sponsors from the 2007/8 season. The deal will see Nike supply Villa's playing and replica kit in addition to a full range of branded sportswear and accessories. "Aston Villa is a major club with a fantastic history and a massive fanbase. We're delighted they will be joining the Nike family, which already includes national teams such as Brazil and the Netherlands and clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Celtic and FC Barcelona," Jim Allaker, vice-president and general manager of Nike UK, said.

In comparison, the Danish company has an unusually eclectic global marketing policy with even its links to Aston Villa, particularly strong in the 1980s, only renewed from the 2004/2005 season. In Asia, for instance, hummel shirts are worn by Yokohama FC in the J-League, by Gwang-Ju Sang-Mu and Busan I-Park in the K-League and, remarkably, the national team of the rigidly Communist-controlled Peoples Democratic Republic of Korea.

Even more interesting is the company's continuing sponsorship of a Tibetan football team, including its "first ever national team game" against the autonomous Danish realm of Greenland at Vanløse Stadion in the outskirts of Copenhagen in July 2001. "The Tibet playing jersey later became a hit worldwide when celebrities such as Bono from U2, known Buddhists Richard Gere and Maxi Jazz and others wore the tops in support of the Tibetan cause," the company's website reports.

"In the small country nestled among snowy mountains the will to fight is still going strong. The impossible has suddenly become possible. And the wish for a national team is no longer merely a dream … The Tibetan national football team has become a reality. And by supporting the Tibetan national team, hummel gives this new team a chance in an old world," it explains.

The Peoples Republic of China regards Tibet - and the football bodies it is a member of, FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation and East Asian Football Federation, acquiesce - as merely one its provinces with no right to a national football team. Despite a history of separate governance to China, Tibet is treated differently to the PRC's two autonomous Special Administrative Regions, Hong Kong and Macau, which are both full members of the football community. Neighbouring Taiwan, governed by the Republic of China (founded in 1910), is also regarded by the PRC (founded in 1949) as its integral territory but football bodies allow it to participate in international events if it uses the name "Chinese Taipei".

Fang Xuan, a dedicated forum moderator of China Daily's website Olympic discussion board, challenged hummel's Tibet connection by mail. "As you know, the Tibet is internationally recognised as an undisputed territory of the People's Republic of China. I think this mistake on your website, intentionally or not, have hurt not only the Chinese national feelings but our attitudes towards your brand," he remarked. "I believe Hummel is a brand big and old enough to be clear of its international responsibility. I sincerely hope you would correct the content timely to avoid the spreading of the negative influence," he warned. "As the 2008 Olympic comes near, the sports market in China is swelling soon accordingly. I wish you would reap your success in my country."

There is no indication on the discussion board that hummel replied to the complaint. And hummel's website remains defiant.

AFC targets transparancy for professional leagues

Meeting under the chairmanship of Captain Saburo Kawabuchi, President of the Japan Football Association, the Professional Leagues Ad Hoc Committee of the Asian Football Confederation has further considered the criteria required for re-launching professional leagues and clubs across the Asian continent. The initial study is focusing on evaluating twenty-two countries and the current league and club infrastructure, with a view for at last ten countries to re-launch their leagues during the period of 2009-2012, with the aim to have met all the minimum requirements by 2012. A key objective is to ensure commercial success through having a transparent business infrastructure in each national league.

“We are responsible to fans to deliver a higher standard of football in Asia. There is no reason why we cannot be as good as Europe. We have as strong economies in Asia. We have the human resources and the talent. And we have the ambition. We aim to rebuild our football in the right way, and leagues and clubs are the best place to start,” AFC President, Mohamed Bin Hammam told AFCMedia.

English Premier League Trophy set for Hong Kong?

The third edition of the English FA Premier League's annual Asian Trophy will reportedly be played in Hong Kong, with the autonomous Chinese territory's improving representative team (surely not its local Cup winner as suggested by the South China Morning Post) facing up to Liverpool, Portsmouth and Fulham. The tournament will most likely be played in August, after the Asian Cup final. Previous editions have been held in Malaysia and Thailand.

Thailand reprimand for disruption of AFF Cup Final

The ASEAN Football Federation, the administrative body for South East Asian football, has decided not to take any action against Thailand for its protest walkout during the first leg of the ASEAN Football Federation Championship Final in Singapore. According to AFCMedia, the AFF reprimanded the Thai team and issued them a warning to refrain from such behaviour in the future. The Thais "were irked" by referee M Ravichandran’s decision to award a penalty to hosts Singapore and walked off the field. The match was delayed for 15 minutes before AFF officials persuaded the Thai team to return and resume action. Thailand lost that leg 2-1 and in the return leg a 1-1 draw ensured that Singapore retained the title.

Bangladesh Pro-League now kicks off on 2 March

The start of the inaugural Bangladesh Professional League has been postponed due to requests from a number of participating clubs. The 11-team league, which was scheduled to start on15 February will now kick off on 2 March. “The clubs and sponsors wanted some more time and they requested us to postpone the start and there was no choice but to accept their demand,” BFF General Secretary Anwarul Haq Helal told AFCMedia. Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra and Mohammedan Sporting Club (both from Dhaka), Chittagong Abahani and Mohammedan (Chittagong) and Khulna Abahani clubs had appealed to defer the league. BFF's marketing agent Leisure Sports Management of India had also requested a deferral to settle sponsorship issues.

Dehli SA 'risking loss' of AFC Vision India project

The Delhi Soccer Association is reportedly running the risk of losing its part of the Asian Football Confederation'sVision India Project. "The signals being sent out of Delhi Soccer Association's poorly-conducted, often-fractious Super League, underway here from January 17, are not being received well in the AFC corridors, and very soon Delhi could find itself staring at an unenviable 'withdrawn status'," Garima Verma wrote for India Times.

Last December the AFC director of national association and clubs development, Brendon Menton, said, “I won’t say the Delhi project has been disappointing, but it has been rather slow. There are valid reasons for it but that can be worked around. I hope the next year would be better than the last." Now, however, a Project Delhi Progess Report is said to claim that the "implementation part of the project is behind the schedule due to lack of proper coordination among various stakeholders."

"It was decided that DSA will allot each club a home ground and they themselves will organise the matches," Delhi's Vision program chief co-ordinator Syed Nasir Ali told India Times. Not only were the 10 clubs to get appearance money and prize money for winning each match but DSA also had to provide an appropriate insurance and proper refreshments to the players. "However, DSA officials ignored the proposals and went ahead with the super league in the old format — now the matches are being played to empty galleries," Garima Verma commented.

According to All India Football Federation sources, the deadline to implement this project is August 2007, the phase by which a revamped Delhi Soccer Association Elite League should get underway. India Times sources claim that what appears to be a last-minute derailment of the idea is a case of petty oneupmanship and infighting in the DSA. "The DSA is not planning at all. They are a divided body. This was not the time to hold a league in the first place, but no one seems to listen. They feel holding the league itself will solve the problem," said the source.

"We have to finish the league with the same sponsor we started with," reasoned DSA secretary NK Bhatia. "Moreover, the clubs are not financially strong enough for organising matches all by themselves." However one of the league sponsors, SAIL, is already the title sponsor of the Project . "It is not tough at all to find a sponsor in Delhi," countered a Project official.

"After having seen the glorious years of Delhi football when there used to be an entry ticket and still we played to packed galleries, we feel sad to see the wasted chance to reinstate that glory," said former India and Simla Youngs player Arunesh Sharma.

Brazilian players check out Indian opportunties

Some of the stars of Brazil's champion team Sao Paulo FC which is visiting India for the Super Soccer Series have discussed playing opportunities with Mohun Bagan's Brazilian star Jose Ramirez Baretto. "We spoke to Baretto about the options open here. But we didn't discuss the money part. If the offer is attractive, we'll surely play in India," Mateus Versolato Junior, the Sao Paulo goalkeeper, told The Hindu newspaper. "Technically, players from Brazil and Argentina are very good. They are very skilful. If some of your top clubs are able to rope in stars from these countries, it will do a world of good to your football," he said.

With nearly 80 matches every season, the Brazilian footballers are among the busiest in the sport. "Europe has just about 60. That's why the European players last longer, some even stretch it to 38 years. We are out by 34-35," he said.

Australia establishing National Player Registry

Football Federation of Australia is undertaking a National Player Register which will provide every every registered footballer in Australia with a new identification number which will belong exclusively to that player for the duration of their career wherever they play within Australia. All players must complete the FFA registration form and new players must show their birth certificate upon registering. While it is anticipated that the National Player Register will provide electronic online registrations in the very near future, this year each club will have to process all their players. It is esiimated that the new FFA form takes approximately 15 minutes to complete per player, so volunteers will assist officials on all four registrations days spread over two weekends.

Vietnam will not play Olympic return leg in Kabul

The return leg of an Olympic Games Football Tournament qualifying match between Vietnam and Afghanistan has been cancelled due to security fears in the Afghan capital Kabul, the Asian Football Confederation has announced. An AFC official told there would only be one leg in this preliminary round because of security concerns. Vietnam coach Alfred Riedl confirmed his team would not travel to Afghanistan. "The AFC said there was a security problem and we did not need to go there. We heard Bangkok would stage the match but then they decided against it so that is much better for us," Riedl told Xinhu.

2006 FIFA World Cup broke broadcasting records

Television coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup was the most extensive to date with 376 channels showing the event compared to 232 in 2002. What is more, the 2006 event was aired in a total 43,600 broadcasts across 214 countries and territories in 2006, generating total coverage of 73,072 hours – an increase of 76 percent on the 2002 event (41,435 hours) and a 148 percent increase on 1998. This means that if all the 2006 coverage were shown on just one channel, it would take over eight years to broadcast non-stop. The 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany had a total cumulative television audience of 26.29 billion (24.2 billion in-home and 2.1 billion out-of-home viewers). This is on a par with the 1998 event, which like 2006 was also staged in Europe, but a little below the 26.4 billion in-home viewers noted for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan. Unsurprisingly, the most-watched match was the final Italy v France (result: 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw) with a global cumulative audience of 715.1 million viewers.

This 2006 report was commissioned by FIFA's television partner, Infront Sports & Media, and compiled by Sponsorship Intelligence, a subsidiary of Publicis Group. It confirms the competition’s status as the world’s most popular event that has sustained robust worldwide viewing levels at a time when most programme genres are suffering a downturn in market share. FIFA has adopted a more rigorous approach as regards the compilation of TV figures and this report is consequently based on more audited data than ever before.

Asia was once again the region to contribute the highest share of television audience with its 8.28 billion in-home viewers accounting for 32.2% of the global total. However, the total cumulative audience fell by 25.7 percent in 2006. This decline in viewer numbers is not surprising when viewed in the correct context. The 2002 event was staged in two Asian territories (Japan and South Korea) and kick-off times for live matches were consequently during prime viewing hours across most of the region whereas live matches in 2006 were shown mostly after midnight. Secondly, China – which accounts for approximately one-fifth of the total global audience -- qualified for the finals for a historic first time in 2002 but failed to qualify in 2006.

These circumstances explain the nine percent fall in the global cumulative audience in 2006. By contrast Europe -- where the matches were broadcast during prime time viewing -- registered a 29.6% increase in viewers over 2002. While this undoubtedly reflects the more accessible timing of matches for the European audience compared to 2002, it nevertheless confirms the unparalleled stature of the event in this highly developed and media-saturated region.

The United States produced some very encouraging scores that underline football’s growing popularity in the country. The cumulative audience jumped 38.9% over 2002, coverage surged 221% to 1,889 hours and the number of broadcasters doubled to 13 in 2006. Univision’s broadcast of Argentina v Mexico was the most-viewed sports telecast in the history of U.S. Spanish-language television with 6.7 million viewers.

• TV coverage in 214 countries and territories produced 43,600 dedicated television broadcasts and generated over 73,000 hours of dedicated programming, a significant 76.4% increase over 2002.
• An increasingly fragmented TV market saw 2006 World Cup broadcasts on 376 channels, a vast increase over the 232 broadcasting channels in 2002.
• A cumulative audience, in-home and out-of-home, of 26.29 billion viewers with Asia contributing the highest share, with its 8.28 billion in-home viewers representing 34.2% of the global total. The largest single market contributor was China, which accounted for 3.98 billion viewers, followed by Brazil, Vietnam and Germany.
• Total hours of 2006 FIFA World Cup coverage increased over 2002 in all regions, most significantly across Africa, Oceania, Asia and Europe.

Infront Sports & Media was exclusively responsible for the worldwide marketing and sales of the broadcast rights to the 2006 FIFA World Cup and also handled the host broadcast. The group has delivered the most varied and extensive coverage in the history of the event. Infront has achieved these record results through “layering” different television offerings for the various markets worldwide. Distribution was handled on an open-market basis, offering viewers unprecedented variety and choice.

China U-23 beat by Chelsea, complain about pitch

China's 2008 Olympic team lost its first match against a Chelsea XI 1-0 on Monday while officials moved to quell complaints about the pitch at the English Premier League club's training centre. Reuters reported complaints from the U-23 side about the state of the facilities at the London club's Cobham centre, where they are training for two weeks. "The pitch isn't as good as we imagined," Zhou Haibin, a midfielder with Chinese champions Shandong Luneng, told Titan sports newspaper. "It doesn't matter if we eat or live a little worse. We come here to train. But now food and accommodation are good while the pitch is so bad."

Before the match at Brentford, a sometimes testy affair which was won by a free-kick from Spaniard Sergio Tejera, Chelsea released the following statement from an unnamed China team spokesman: "We have been training in Cobham for almost one week," he said. "We are so impressed by the great pitches and facilities provided to us in Cobham training centre. All young players are very excited about such experiences and the coaching staffs are interested in the various workshops etc. Every one of the team is satisfied with the training and life here in Cobham and would like to thank again everyone who has made efforts in turning this into reality."

Korean FA Chairman may run for FIFA Presidency

“People around me are encouraging me to run for the chairmanship of FIFA. I’m also thinking about it,” Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Korea Football Association, told Dong-A Ilbo. “Michel Platini, the former French football star, was elected chairman of UEFA a while ago. After Lennart Johansson, who led UEFA for 16 years, left, a new era has come. The international football world is also experiencing a drastic change,” Chung said, “I will not consider the FIFA chairmanship as a title with power. I will think first how I can contribute as chairman.”

He is targeting the 2011 election. The tenure of a FIFA chairman is four years. Member country votes will decide who takes the office. This year’s election, where chairman Joseph Sepp Blatter will try to be re-elected for the third time, will be held in Zurich, Switzerland on 30 May.

While Chung has been leading Korean football for 14 years, in 1994, he became a vice president of FIFA and has been serving there for 13 years. During this period, he has been considered progressive, emphasizing the financial transparency of FIFA. Meanwhile, Chung, whose tenure as chairman of the KFA ends at the end of 2008, announced that he would like to finish his tenure by participating in the World Youth Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games successfully, which will occur at the end of his tenure. Also, he made it clear that he will not take office as chairman of the KFA again.

Ladbrokes discussing betting with Vietnam Govt

The UK-based Ladbrokes betting firm has announced plans to invest US$60 million in Vietnam if the government legalises football betting by next year, Thanh Nien newspaper reported. The Vietnamese government is considering lifting a ban on betting to raise funds for sports training and infrastructure and to regulate the current illegal betting in football, particularly English Premier League games. Two Ladbrokes executives arrived in Hanoi this week for talks with Vietnamese authorities about possible cooperation.

John O’Reilly, its financial director, said his company could help Vietnam set up a fair, transparent, and useful betting system. That would help inform fans, punters, and officials about how and where profits from betting are invested. Christopher Bell, Ladbrokes’ president, said the system would ensure punters obey rules on how many times and how much money they could bet. The British government received tax revenues of US$6 billion last year from betting while Vietnam's draft law is thought to provide for a ceiling of VND450,000 (US$28) per match per punter

Indonesian government bans funds to football clubs

Indonesia's Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered regional governments to stop funding football clubs with immediate effect. Currently, only four of Indonesia's over 40 professional clubs are owned by private companies or state-owned enterprises (BUMD), all others are owned by provincies, municipalities and regencies. The Director of Regional Development Capacity and Work Evaluation at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Saut Situmorang, explained to Kompass newspaper that financing football clubs from regional govenment budgets (APBD) was a violation of central government regukations. "Helping the budgeting or financing of football clubs is not in accordance with the provisions of the law. If regional govenments want to support football clubs they must formulate a program and related service activites," he said, adding that those programs must be audited by the public's accountant, could not be "continual" and nor could the football activity tap into "social help" budgets. This required the compiling of a report on APBD responsibility in accordance with Home Affairs's regulations No 58 of 2005 and No 13 of 2006 regarding the Management of Regional Finance.

Separately, the State Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs, Adhyaksa Dault, said the APBD funds poured into football reflected what the regional leader thought would be well received by the local people. But the size of the funding was alarming. "There were areas with very low APBD but Rp 15 billion would be taken out to fund the football club," he`said. This was done even if the region did not have a football base, with the money used to pay for players coming from elsewhere. In the State Minister's opinion, Indonesian football will benefit from getting away from dependence on regional government budgets and by linking up with local businesses, private and state-owned. This will help create a competition more sustainable and clean from "match mafia", he said.

"Up until now the APBD funds used by Indonesian football clubs were rarely accounted for. In several areas, it was discussed by the regional House of Representatives but overall, the APBD funds continued to irresponsibility gush to football clubs from season to the season," Kompass commented.

In Bandung City in West Java, Persib FC Executive Director Edi Siswadi coordinated with city officials for a quick disbursement of the club's 2007 funding to "ease concerns of players". He told the club's supporters the city council had received the Ministry of Home Affairs's circular No. 903/187/SJ. asking if funds for the football club had been allocated from a social help budget or as a grant. "The funds for Persib in APBD 2007 was put in the grant fund so we do not have further problems," he said. Despite this, the club will continue to consult with the Public Audit Board (BPK) to identify the municipal sports service work unit (SKPD) which Persib is allocated to. Assessment of the success or otherwise of the designated sports service will be vital for any future municipal funding of Persib, Edi admitted, as his Premier League side could not easily find sponsors. He said it would have been better if the Ministry of Home Affairs had given clubs two years to adjust otherwise many could die once their APBD funds are interrupted.

The Head of the Centre of the Study of Education and Training (PKP2A) I LAN Bandung, Deddy Mulyadi, agreed that it was probably best if the funds were reduced in stages, before finally being cut off but said the freeing up of Rp 15 billion into local educational and the alleviation of poverty would certainly will give quite significant results. It would be best if governments did not have to think about football and management of the clubs handed over to the private sector, he said. This would be more professional and could also lead to a positive change in players' attitude once they understood they were responsible to the sponsor and the community and did not expect money to pour from the government. Deddy suggested that, apart from approaching sponsors from the private companies and state-owned enterprises, Persib should also look for fresh funds from the community.

In the Special Capital City province of Jakarta, football powerhouse Persija FC, believes the new regulation will not affect its financial stability despite it previously receiving about Rp 16 billion (about US$1.75 million) from the provincial government. "Take away the money from the city budget and Persija will still survive. We are a big club. We have companies and private parties lining up to sponsor us," he told Damar Harsanto of The Jakarta Post. The club, for instance, has recently signed a one-year sponsorship contract with the Diadora sports apparel and equipment company.

But Jakarta provincial legislator, Dani Anwar doubts the club's ability to compensate for the loss of government money. "It is not going to be easy for football clubs in this country to find their own sources of income," said Dani, who chairs the province's commission overseeing sports affairs. He said it was inevitable that Persija would receive money from the city budget, but the concern is ensuring the club manages the money professionally. Legislator Mansyur Saerozi, however, disagrees. He told the newspaper that Persija had enjoyed the "privilege of government financing" for too long, and that the administration should be fair and spread its financial support around to other sports. "Many sports have yet to benefit from budgetary allocations, most of which go to football clubs," he said.

The two clubs representing Indonesia in the forthcoming AFC Champions League also differ. Last season's Indonesia League champion Persik of Kediri, East Java, received Rp 15 billion from the Kediri municipal budget. Following the issuance of the government regulations on financing, the club is still receiving money from the city, only now it is called a grant. Last year's Copa Indonesia winner Arema of Malang, East Java, one of the four clubs not receiving APBD funds (the others being Semen Padang, Pelita Jaya Purwakarta and Bontang PKT) supports the rulings, saying they will force football clubs to be more independent.

However, Arema manager Satrija Budi Wibawa, said it will be difficult for clubs to find sponsors if the Professional League Board (BLI) of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) enforces a new rule that teams cannot accept sponsors that make the same products as the league own sponsors. "PSSI must involve clubs in negotiating with league sponsors so we can get good deals from our own sponsors," he said. Arema is in a dispute with the BLI over its decision to ban the club from putting its sponsor's logo on its shirts. Arema is owned and sponsored by cigarette manufacturer Bentoel, with a sponsorship deal worth Rp 15 billion.

The Indonesian league is sponsored by Djarum, one of the country's largest tobacco company, whose four-year contract, starting in 2004, injects about US$40 million a year into the competition.

The BLI will reportedly fine Arema and any other club breaching its new regulation Rp 100 million (US$10,990) per match and an additional Rp 50 million per match if the club puts another sponsor's logo on A-boards in the stadium. The BLI will also slash the points earned by the rule-breaking clubs.

"Soccer is the No. 1 sport in Indonesia, but the unprofessional management of teams and leagues makes the headlines more often than clubs' successes. There also are concerns about match fixing, unfair play and glaring leakages in the ticketing system, in addition to recurrent fan clashes, all of which soccer less than attractive for sponsors," Damar Harsanto commented.

Indian football put under the BBC Sport spotlight

Matthew Kenyon of BBC Sport in Delhi looked at a country of more than a billion people but with a national team ranked 157th in the world and commented that "the football equation in India does not add up." The problem, he noted, is that in a huge country, football is confined to a few regions. Calcutta (Kolkata), the former capital of British India, is the centre of the game. Goa has the bug, thanks to its previous rule by the Portuguese. "But elsewhere, football comes in a distant second to cricket."

"As cricket grew, interest in football declined," Novy Kapadia, Indian football writer, told him. "Fewer states were actively promoting the sport, so Indian football couldn't take advantage of the country's huge population, with the numbers supporting and playing the game dwindling. And there's been years of neglect in both infrastructure and youth development."

But there are plans to revitalise football in India. NK Bhatia, secretary of the Delhi Soccer Association, said his region has been chosen for a pilot project next month. "Football will be restructured at the grassroots level," he said. "We've already conducted coaching for our school teams, 45 teams participated at the ages of 10 to 13 and 13 to 16. And we'll conduct a college league, for youth development. After that we'll develop into a semi-professional league, and then into fully professional."

India's National Football League, which is only 11 years old in its current form, is getting a new boost from television. Zee Sports, a relatively new sports channel, has signed a 10-year deal with the AIFF to cover all Indian games and it plans to entice more viewers by offering a much slicker product. "Ten years is a long time for a football contract," said Gary Lovejoy, the Chief Operating Officer of Zee Sports. "The reason it is so long is that there is so much to do to develop the game here. There was little point in having Indian Football rights for just three years. We want to make Indian football look decent in the face of the high-quality production standards you get from the Premier League. We're now covering football with up to 13 cameras, whereas previously the rights holder in India had gone down to four or five cameras, which simply was not good enough."

INDIA'S NFL TEAMS

Mahindra United (Mumbai)
East Bengal (Calcutta)
Dempo Sports Club (Goa)
Sporting Club de Goa
JCT (Punjab)
Mohun Bagan (Calcutta)
Mohammedan Sporting (Calcutta)
Air India (Mumbai)
Churchill Brothers (Goa)
HAL (Bangalore)

Mahindra United are the current NFL champions

Singapore wins ASEAN Football Championship

The tiny island republic of Singapore has usurped Thailand to again become South East Asia's pre-eminent footballing power. In 2005, Indonesia, with a population of over 230 million, were humbled by Raddy Avramovic's men and at the Supachalasai Stadium, despite having the baying Bangkok crowd behind them, it was the turn of the Thais to perish at the hands of Singapore. A 3-2 aggregate win was sealed with a 1-1 draw when Khairul Amri scored the equaliser eight minutes from the end of a game that saw the hopes of Thailand's 70 million football fans dashed.

The 2007 ASEAN Football Championship win maintained a record run for the Singaporeans, who have now gone 17 games unbeaten in the competition, their last defeat coming in a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of bitter rivals Malaysia in December 2002. Fifteen of those have been under the command of Avramovic, who has also maintained Singapore's astonishing record of winning the tournament every time they have progressed beyond the group phase.

Avramovic's squad featured Mustafic Fahrudin, Serbian by birth, China-born Shi Jiayi, Nigerian duo Itimi Dickson and Precious Emuejeraye as well as Daniel Bennett, an Englishman by birth. The imports have complemented local-born stars such as Indra Sahdan Daud and Noh Alam Shah and under the control of Avramovic the mix has grown increasingly potent.

Taiwan's BenQ sponsors European Championships

UEFA has unveiled Taiwan-based electronic giant BenQ Corporation as the last of the ten major sponsors of European Championships to be held in Austria and Switzerland in 2008. BenQ, which was a technology partner of the last tournament in Portugal in 2004 will have global marketing and sponsorship rights in the category which includes mobile phones and digital still cameras. Since Euro 2004, BenQ reputation suffered embarrassment as a result of the bankruptcy of the mobile devices division it acquired from Siemens. The bankruptcy forced an early termination of a four-year shirt sponsorship deal between BenQ-Siemens and Spanish football club Real Madrid, worth an estimated US$143 million.

South Korea's Hyundai-Kia is another Asian major sponsor of the event.

Taiwan's Acer signs Barcelona sponsorship deal

Taiwan-based computer manufacturer Acer has entered into a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal of Spanish league leaders FC Barcelona. According to Paul Durman in The Sunday Times, the deal will give Acer exclusive rights to pitch-side advertising at Barcelona’s Nou Camp stadium and in its hospitality areas. Acer will also be given television exposure through post-match interviews with players such as Ronaldinho and will be entitled to use the players in its marketing. It will be the club’s official IT supplier and will have daily advertising slots on Barca TV. Barcelona is rare among leading clubs in resisting shirt sponsorship. Acer already sponsors Italian football club Inter Milan.

AFC President's Cup clubs grouped (without Nepal)

The eight-team club AFC President’s Cup, club tournament runs from 17-27 May in Lahore, Pakistan. The group stage runs between 17-22 May. The semifinals will take place on May while the Final is scheduled for 27 May. The group positions were allocated in the official draw held at Pakistan Football Federation House:

Group A: Transport United (Bhutan), Pakistan Army (Pakistan), Ratnam Sports Club (Sri Lanka), Regar-Tadaz (Tajikistan).

Group B: Nepal National League champion (TBC), Khemara (Cambodia), Dordoi-Dynamo (Kyrgyzstan), Tatung (Chinese Taipei).

Australia takes a scientific look at youth programs

Football Federation Australia is reviewing successful programs in other sports in Australia to create an advanced youth development pathway. "We recently conducted a full review into talent identification and junior development, which included a look at methods used by other sporting bodies within Australia," the FFA's head of operations, Matt Carroll, told Daniel Ramus of the Sydney Morning Herald. The FFA's review also takes the scientific side of the sport into account, a trend becoming popular within junior sporting bodies.

The FFA paid special attention to what's called the relative-age effect. "What's interesting about the relative-age effect is that the date used to differentiate age groups is January 1, and anyone born in that 12-month period plays in the same age-group," Carroll said."This favours the kids born early in the year, and acts as a disadvantage to those born later in the year. In that group of kids born later in the year, there could be a number of talented players that are hampered because they may not have the same weight or physical power that the players born earlier in the year have."

The FFA has also introduced regulations requiring every junior player in Australia to register with the federation."This initiative allows us to provide the clubs with tools to administer themselves and that's what we're thinking of before anything else. For our development to succeed, it has to start with the administration of our junior clubs," Carroll said.

Thailand assures Singapore of Cup Final security

Singapore's national football team has been assured by Thailand authorities that there will be strict security for tomorrow night's crucial second leg of the ASEAN Football Championship at Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok. Tension is high following the controversy which erupted in the first leg when Singapore won 2-1 following a penalty awarded against Thailand by Malaysian referee C. Ravichandran. According to Tor Chittinand in the Bangkok Post, a top-level meeting on the security situation was held at the Football Association of Thailand headquarters yesterday between Thai officials, members of the ASEAN Football Federation and the Singapore Ambassador, Peter Chang. FAT President Vijitr Getkaew said there would be more than 600 policeman at the event including 100 Tourist Police.

Thailand's coach, Chanvit Phalajivin said his team has "no choice but to go all out on attack ... 'It is also important our players remain calm. If we can control our tempers we will win.'' The Thai team has an added incentive in that the Thai Beverage Marketing Company Limited, producers of Beer Chang, has promised a bonus of two million baht for the Thai team if they win the title.

Singapore's players appeared at ease at training. Striker Noh Alam Shah, who was involved in the penalty incident on Wednesday, said he was not worried. ''We are not afraid at all and I think there will not be any problem with the Thai people, '' he said. ''The Thai players are our friends and I'm sure the referee won't be biased.'' Singapore's coach, Radojko Avramovic said he was confident his team would win the title. ''We are not under pressure and will play our normal game. We are not concerned about the first leg, that's over. We have to do well in the second match,'' he said.

Brazilians to Indians: Don't rely on governments!

The visit of World Club Cup champion São Paulo Futebol Clube to East Bengal's Kanchenjungha stadium for their 27 January 2007 Supper Soccer match gave a boisterous 26,000 strong pro-East Bengal weekend crowd an energetic taste of samba football while they thrashed the local team 3-0. However the visitors expressed surprised at the level of football potential in India. “There’s plenty of talent in India. You just need to groom them properly,” Antonio Carlos Silva, the Sau Paulo coach, told Parag Biswas of The Statesman. Marcelo Gouvea, Director of Planning and Development, offered to take away a few talented players from India to Brazil for training, but stressed that they should all be below 10 years of age while the club's President, Juvenal Juvencio, urged Indian sports administrators to send a delegation to Brazil to learn about the Brazilian tactical style.

Sau Paulo captain, Marcos Antonio Miranda Filho, laid to rest the myth popular in india that the development of football in Latin American countries was largely due to proactive role played by the government there. “The governments don’t do good things for football in Brazil,” he said. “Though Brazil, like India, is also a developing country and though its growth rate is almost seven percent below India’s, soccer has developed there mainly because of the love of the people for the game,” he said. He also revealed that they did not depend on governmental assistance but raised money through donations and sponsorships for the development of clubs and for the training of their players.

UAE players bring home dirhams, cars and camels

The team members of newly crowned Arabian Gulf Cup champions, United Arab Emirates, have received a financial windfall with a variety of cash and other prizes announced by the state and sponsors. UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced half a million dirhams (US$ 136,000) for each of the players while Ismael Matar’s performance ,as the tournament top-scorer and most valuable player award, "fetched him a million dirhams" from Sheikh Nasser Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. According to AFCMedia, Matar had already been "gifted by a fan with two expensive camels" after helping UAE qualify for the semifinals. Other sponsors pitched in with a total of 11 million dirhams in cash prizes while a car company gifted 26 cars.

Viet court to try further 14 for football matchfixing

A Vietnamese court will try 14 referees and football team officials next month on charges of match-fixing, state media reported. Nine referees and five coaches will stand trial in the capital Hanoi in March on charges of taking bribes to fix the score of V-League games during the 2004-2005 season. Seven of the referees are accredited by FIFA.

Vietnam Express named the referees accused of taking bribes as Le Van Tu, Truong The Toan, Pham Huu Loc, Hoang The Dung, Vu Trong Chien, Pham Cong Duc, Nguyen Quang Huy, Nguyen Tien Dung and Nguyen Huu Thanh. Another referee, Luong Trung Viet, is charged with mediating bribery. The four officials charged with giving bribes are head coach Nguyen Thanh Vinh, vice coach Vu Tien Thanh, assistant coach Tran Manh Cuong, all from East Asia Bank-Pomina Steet FC; and Le Van Cuong, director of Can Tho province’s sports department.

Thailand assures Singapore of Olympic security

The Football Association of Singapore has reportedly expressed concerns about its team's security at the second leg of the Olympic Games qualifying match in Pakistan later this month. According to an official of the Pakistan Football Federation, FAS wrote to FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation about their worries ahead of the first qualifying round game. "Yes they have expressed concerns. Parents of some of the players want to know what security arrangements and assurances we have for the match," Major Farooq Mir, director of the PFF told Reuters. He said the match originally scheduled in Peshawar had been shifted to Lahore because of logistical problems with the stadium. Peshawar, the capital city of the North West Frontier Province, was the scene of a suicide bombing last week in which 14 people were killed including the city police chief. Farooq said that Pakistan was waiting for word from FIFA and AFC on the match now going ahead in Lahore.

Australian friendlies against Uruguay and Argentina

Australia will host South American heavyweights Argentina and Uruguay in June to finish off their preparations for this year's Asian Cup. Australia will play Uruguay at Sydney's Olympic stadium on 2 June in a repeat of their playoff to reach the 2006 World Cup, before facing Argentina at the Melbourne Cricket Ground four days later. Australia, who will also play a friendly against Denmark in London next week, after considered the early favourites to win the Asian Cup.

Northern Marianas Islands youth enjoy Incheon Utd

Korean K-League club Incheon United visited Saipan last Monday to the delight of the officers and members of the fledgling, East Asian Football Federation-affiliated Northern Marianas Islands Football Association. NMIFA president and Marianas Visitors Authority chairman Jerry Tan hosted a lunch for them at the Fiesta Resort and Spa as his way of expressing thanks to the team for making time to visit. It is both organisation's hope to be able to host professional football athletes to train and stay on Saipan in much the same way they do in Guam.

"In the afternoon, the NMIFA Youth were treated to practice and drills executed by Incheon players. The youth groups aged 10 and under were thrilled to see the skill and footwork displayed by the elite athletes. It was easy to spot the Incheon United players finding their way through American Memorial Park as they were outfitted in grey and red Puma jerseys and young children flanked them to get a chance to dribble, juggle, or practice passing skills," the Saipan Tribune reported.

Fuji Xerox Printers Australia sponsors Lucas Neill

Fuji Xerox Printers Australia announced a sponsorship deal with international football star, Lucas Neill and naming-rights sponsorship of NSW State Premier League club Manly United, where Neill began his career. Under the agreement, Neill, will become an ambassador for the Fuji Xerox Printers brand with the company using Neill as the face of its marketing and promotional campaigns for 2007. Fuji Xerox Printers’ continued sponsorship of the MUFC will see the company participating in the local sports community at the grassroots level incuding the Lucas Neill Scholarship, an annual award for one MUFC under 16 player. The most talented player, identified by Neill and a panel of expert judges, wins a three-week trip to train with the youth academies of the English Premier League clubs in Blackburn, Liverpool and Newcastle in the UK and Charleroi in Belgium.