Previous Articles: International event on 3rd-party player ownership | Korea's LG pours money into European football | English FA and Player's Agents still in dispute | Sanjeevan Balasingham appointed to FIFPro Asia | One EPL player's salary equal to half gate income | Yeung still processing Birmingham City deal in HK | US military criticised for donating soccer balls | Australian anti-doping tribunal suspends Lazridis | Ghotbi on Asian Cup and South Korean players | Indian regional club aims for national respect | Breaking News: [HOME]

Asian Cup ticketing details disclosed for Bangkok

Tickets for the 2007 Asian Cup Group A games in Thailand will reportedly go on sale from 20 April at all Thai Ticketmaster branches. The Asian Football Confederation's top-flight competition is co-hosted by Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam from 7-29 July and Group A features Thailand, Iraq, Oman and red-hot cup favourites, Australia. However the announcement was made today by The Nation newspaper without reference to the Asian Football Confederation or its marketing company, World Sport Group, neither of whom have disclosed the prestigious event's "licensed and authorised ticket vendors".

Earlier this month the AFC warned fans looking for Asian Cup tickets to beware of "certain unauthorized websites" which were "illegally selling tickets" for the AFC event despite the fact that "NONE of the AFC Asian Cup 2007 tickets for the four venues are yet available for sale." In comparison, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has already made registrations available for tickets for next year's final rounds of the UEFA European Championships being played in Austria and Switzerland between 7-29 July 2008.

Last week a representative of the Asian Football Confederation told Asian Football Business Review that an announcement about tickets for the eight venues in the four countries could not be made until sometime in April because ticketing systems and prices had to be aligned. Given the logistics of working with four football associations and eight venues and the huge interest in the event, this is understandable. However, The Nation disclosed that tickets for the group-stage are priced at Bt100, 200, 400 and 700, while the first Knock-out Round and the Quarter-Final to be played in Bangkok will be sold at Bt150, 250, 500 and 800.

Liverpool, Portsmouth and Fulham in Hong Kong

Celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China include the third edition of the English Premier League's promotional post-season Asian Trophy. According to Martin Hong Po-kui, chairman of the Hong Kong Football Association, EPL clubs Liverpool, Portsmouth and Fulham and the winner of the Hong Kong FA Cup will participate in the television-sponsored event at Hong Kong Stadium from 1 July, the week before the commencement of the Asian Football Confederation's prestigious Asian Cup tournament.

Worawi revamps FA of Thailand's council members

Worawi Makudi, the new Football Association of Thailand president, has appointed seven honorary council members who will act as managers for the many national squads as well as an 18-member executive board that includes 11 new faces ranging from businessmen to military personnel. "I decided to have two committee councils - the executive board and the honorary council - mainly because the person in charge of the national side will solely focus on the team and will not involve himself in administrative matters. From now on, we will run the organisation like FIFA or the AFC [Asian Football Confederation]," Worawi told The Nation. He also revealed that his predecessor Vijit has been appointed as honorary life president of the organisation.

Vietnam and Japan build trade before Asian Cup

With the Vietnam Football Federation getting ready to host the national men's team of the Japan Football Association during the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation's prestigious Asian Cup in July, their governments have just completed the second round of talks for an Economic Partnership Agreement. Trade between the two countries is expected to rise to US$17 billion in 2010 from nearly $10 billion dollars last year. Vietnam exported nearly $6 billion worth of goods to Japan last year, mainly crude oil, coal, textiles, garments, seafood, and farm products.

Vietnam hosts Group B of the Asian Cup, which includes Japan and the two oil-rich Arab Gulf states of Qatar and UAE. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism expects to double the number of Japanese tourists to 500,000 in 2007.

Celebrations for Indian football club's 60th birthday

Chennai's Nethaji Sports Club has celebrated its 60th anniversary. Started by "three simple football lovers" the Indian club received rich praise from important guests from around the country. All India Football Federation Secretary, Alberto Colaco, said what impressed him most about the club was that it had a vision for the future. Earlier, the club's coach Z. Mohammed Amjad gave a power-point presentation on the club's past, present and future. Special mention was made of the club member K. Sankar, the FIFA assistant referee and the only Indian to have done duty at a World Cup (Korea-Japan 2002).

AIFF vice president, C.R. Visswanathan, who is also the president of the Tamil Nadu and Chennai Football Associations, complimented club President Govindarajan, a co-founder with Vadivelu and Kanakasabai. The Hindu Sports Editor, Nirmal Shekar, described Govindarajan as a remarkable man with an amazing passion for the sport. Visswanathan announced a personal donation of Rs 60,000 to mark the club's 60 successful years. He wanted the amount to be used for starting a Nethaji-TRG endowment fund through the Chennai Football Association.

Brenden Menton, acting director, Vision Asia conveyed his compliments and also of the President and Secretary of the Asian Football Confederation. Noting the club's progress, he said, "it makes us start our work here with lot of hope in our hearts."

Controversy as India moves to professional league

Indian petroleum giant ONGC, the sponsor of the current National Football League for the last three years, is reportedly upset with the All India Football Federation for not being consulted on decisions impacting on the development of professional football in India. The company is particularly offended by not being invited to particiapte in the recently-formed Professional Football League Committee headed by AIFF vice-president C Viswanathan along with four delegates representing state football associations. “We thought we would get representation on the PFL panel. Apart from us, a representative from Zee Sports will also be invited into the committee. The corporate houses who have supported the NFL and the AIFF financially should have been invited into the PFL committee for their suggestions,” a senior ONGC official told Newsline.

The PFL committee has scheduled its first meeting for 2 April in New Delhi and the newspaper has learnt that, as part of a bid to introduce the Indian Professional Football League within two seasons, the committee wants National Football League clubs to stop fielding senior teams in state football leagues from the coming season. The committee is also planing to ask the state associations to instruct their respective NFL clubs to field their junior teams in state football.

Four Asian nations miss World Cup registration

A new record number of teams have entered the preliminary qualifying stages for the 19th FIFA World Cup, which takes place in South Africa in 2010. Including the host country, 204 national associations have submitted entries to the tournament, five more than the previous record set for the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. According to FIFA there are now 207 member associations of the world football fraternity although this number is expected to rise to 208 provided Montenegro's application to become a member is approved at the FIFA Congress in May.

Surprisingly, the only football associations not to submit entries to the flagship competition are the Asian Football Confederation-affiliated Philippines, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam and Laos.

Asia has four guaranteed places at the next World Cup. However the fifth-best Asian team will meet the winner of the Oceania Football Confederations' qualifying tournament, the South Pacific Games, in a play-off for a further place in the finals.

Uzbekistan's new football HQ and artificial pitch

FIFA President Joseph S Blatter and Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam have officially inaugurated the Uzbekistan Football Federation’s new headquarters in Tashkent. The new headquarters, ‘Football House’, also includes an artificial pitch and both were built under FIFA’s Goal project. The FIFA and AFC Presidents also laid the foundation stone for the National Training Centre which will be ready by 2008. “It will help us to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in future,” said Uzbekistan FF President Mirabror Usmanov.

During their visit to the Central Asian country, Uzbekistan ’s President, Islom Karimov, presented Blatter and Bin Hammam with Uzbekistan ’s highest civilian honours for their significant contribution to the development of football. Blatter was bestowed with the Dustlik Order while Bin Hammam was awarded the Shukhrat Medal.

European clubs still most wealthy and target Asia

Football's most powerful clubs rose in value by an average 15 percent in the past year as France's Lyon climbed the most and Manchester United retained its No. 1 status, Forbes magazine reported. Ten English Premier League clubs featured in the top 25 along with four from Italy and Germany, two from Spain, France and Scotland and one Dutch club. Half the English teams, whose league is the world's most-watched, have changed ownership since 2003 and two have held takeover talks this year.

"A big reason why these teams are attracting suitors is their growth potential in all of Asia, but China is the key," Salvatore Galatioto, president of New York-based Galatioto Sports Partners, said in the release. "You have great brands with these soccer teams that have not been fully exploited."

Club (Country), Current Value in US$ million, One-Year Change

1. Manchester United (England) 1,453 +6%
2. Real Madrid (Spain) 1,036 +2%
3. Arsenal (England) 915 +9%
4. Bayern Munich (Germany) 838 +9%
5. AC Milan (Italy) 824 -10%
6. Juventus (Italy) 567 -18%
7. Inter Milan (Italy) 555 +10%
8. Chelsea (England) 537 +6%
9. Barcelona (Spain) 535 +22%
10. Schalke (Germany) 471 +45%

International stars visiting Indonesia for Asian Cup

Former international football stars will visit Indonesia to promote the forthcoming 2007 AFC Asian Cup group round and quarter final in Jakarta and Palembang and Cup Final in Jakarta. Football Association of Indonesia General Secretary Nugraha Besoes told the PSSI website that the visits will "increase football lover’s spirit especially to our national team that will fight in Asian Cup” and National Team Committee administrator Demis Djamoeddin also promised they would "increase the 2007 Asian Cup spirit.”

Argentine football hero Diego Maradona will be in Jakarta on 26-28 May as part of a South East Asian tour sponsored by Elemco Overseas Corp. 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.

French football star Zinedine Zidane will visit between 6-9 June. He recently praised Asian players like Japan's Shunsuke Nakamura, with Scottish league-leaders Celtic, for "bringing something positive to Asian football." In February Zidane participated in a chairty game in northern Thailand which raised Bt260,000 (US$7,750) for the Keuydaroon charity for children with HIV/AIDS.

South Korea and Manchester United star Park Ji Sung will visit in 6-8 June.

Malaysia launches Futsal-based Reality-TV series

Malaysian state-owned television broadcaster, Radio Televisyen Malaysia, has launched a Futsal Reality-TV program, "Jaguh Futsal RTM". The 13 episode show will feature 16 teams with 12 players each. Four players will be dropped progressively until each team only had eight players. The winning team will receive RM30,000 and the runner up RM10,000. The tournament, which is being organised with the assistance of the Football Association of Malaysia, will last for four months, Bernama newsagency reported.

Indian communist football cup to kick off in Kerala

The Chief Minister of the Indian state of Kerala, V S Achuthanandan, will kick off the Nayanar Memorial International Gold Cup football tournament at the Municipal Jawahar Stadium on 8 April. Organised by the E K Nayanar Memorial Trust and headed by Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, the event is reportedly the first-ever international tournament in the name of a Communist leader. The CPM, which leads Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front, claims the event is designed to "regain the lost glory of Kerala in soccer". Teams from Ghana, Nigeria and Pakistan are participating with one from Bangladesh on standby.

See also: Indian communists launch regional football cup (23 Jan)

Kuwait coach believes Pakistan football improving

Kuwait head coach Vladimir Petrovic Pizon is convinced the standard of Pakistani football has greatly improved. “It was unfortunate that Pak team could not capitalize on the chances they received in the match against Kuwait who won 3-0 in an Olympics Games Group A second round match,” Vladimir told the Associated Press of Pakistan. He said the Pakistan team was unlucky not to have scored through skipper Zahid Hameed when Kuwait was 1-0 up, while Pakistan’s back-four Muhammad Shahid, Muhammad Ahmed, Haji Muhammad and Samar Ishaq had put up fine defence.

Pizon believes there are still some hurdles that need to be overcome for football to blossom in Pakistan, where the AFC President's Cup tournament will played in May. “What’s lacking is a sense of professionalism, while some obstructions make it difficult for players from the region] to adapt abroad,” he said. “For footballers in Pakistan, the game remains a form of entertainment and they don’t see the need to move towards a more professional attitude,” he said, adding that the use of European and Latin American coaches could help the game improve further, “but only they are given enough time to work and plan properly."

Match Day 3 of Asian U-23 Olympic 2nd round

After Match Day 3 of the Asian second round qualifying for the Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008, only Japan and South Korea remain with a perfect record. The top two teams from each of the six groups will advance to the final rounds which will be played in three groups of four teams each between 22 August and 21 November 21 to decide the three Asian teams to accompany hosts China.

Group A: Kuwait beat hosts Pakistan 3-0 and Bahrain beat Qatar 4-2. Group B: Japan beat Syria 3-0 and Malaysia beat hosts Hong Kong 1-0. Group C: Oman beat Vietnam 3-1 and Lebanon beat hosts Indonesia 2-1. Group D: Australia beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 and Iran and Jordan played out a goalless draw. Group E: North Korea beat hosts India 2-0 and Iraq drew with Thailand 1-1 in a game played in Jordan. Group F: South Korea beat Uzbekistan 2-0 and UAE beat hosts Yemen 2-1.

Standings:

Group A: 1. Kuwait 7, 2. Bahrain 6, 3. Qatar 4, 4. Pakistan 0
Group B: 1. Japan 9, 2. Syria 6, 3. Malaysia 3, 4. Hong Kong 0
Group C: 1. Oman 6, 2. Vietnam 6, 3. Lebanon 6, 4. Indonesia 0
Group D: 1. Saudi Arabia 6, 2. Australia 5, 3. Jordan 2, 4. Iran 2
Group E: 1. North Korea 7, 2. Iraq 5, 3. Thailand 4, 4. India 0
Group F: 1. South Korea 9, 2. Uzbekistan 6, 3. UAE 3, 4. Yemen 0

The next Match Day is on 18 April 2007

Vision Vietnam's Long An local league launched

Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Dato’ Paul Mony Samuel has congratulated the Vietnam Football Federation-affiliated Long An Football Association and the participating clubs on the launch of the Long An Provincial League. The 13-team one round league, an outcome of the Vision Vietnam program, kicked off with a match between Vinh Hung and Duc Hoa at the Vinh Hung Stadium.

“Provincial League is the clubs’ foundation. Nowadays, more and more clubs in the world are concentrating on the grassroots and youth development project. Gone are the days when you spend millions to buy players. Clubs are the cornerstone of any competition and the cradle for developing the next generation of players. And at the same time, a well organised Provincial League can assure the success and future of clubs," he said.

New A-League Kiwi club gets Phoenix nickname

The new New Zealand club accepted into Australia's 8-team A-League will be known as Wellington Phoenix. Owner Terry Serepisos, who reportedly fronted less than A$1 million in a compromise, three-year franchise payment to Football Federation Australia, said adding "Phoenix" to the New Zealand capital city's name "symbolises the fresh start, the rising from the ashes and the incredible Wellington support that has come out." A concept logo featuring the bird and the words has been revealed, with the Wellington colours of yellow and black prominent.

The Phoenix was a bird in ancient Egyptian mythology that lived in the desert for 500 years and then consumed itself by fire, later to rise renewed from its ashes. The Wellington Phoenix FC replaces the failed New Zealand Knights FC in the A-League which itself replaced the failed Auckland Kingz FC in the previous Australian National Soccer League.

Juventus now sponsored by agriculture equipment

Fiat SpA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become the 'official sponsor' of Italian Serie B club Juventus in all competitions for three years from 1 July 2007. At the end of last year, the Libyan government's Olinvest BV, owner of the Tamoil petrol station chain, ended talks on a revamped sponsorship deal following Juventus' match-fixing convictions and relegation from Serie A. The MOU foresees a fixed payment for Juventus of 33 million euros plus a variable amount determined by sporting results in national and international competitions. In the first season, 2007/2008, Juventus shirts will carry Fiat's heavy machinery brand New Holland. Fiat is 30 percent-controlled by IFIL SpA, while Juventus is an IFIL unit. Tamoil's original five-year, 110 million euros sponsorship deal was signed in March 2005 when Juventus was dominating Serie A.

New FIFA-funded football HQ for Turkmenistan FA

FIFA President Joseph S Blatter and Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam have officially inaugurated the new headquarters building of the Turkmenistan Football Association in Ashgabat. Turkmenistan Tourism and Sport Committee chairman Deryageldy Orazov as well as Turkmenistan FA President Aman Yusupov attended the ceremony.

“This opening ceremony means you have fully implemented the Goal-1 and Goal-2 projects. I want you to complete the hat-trick soon by achieving Goal-3,” Blatter told his Central Asian hosts. “I am very pleased that there is close coordination between the national football association, state sport organization and the government in Turkmenistan which is important for the development of football.”

A-League Perth Glory attracts China sponsorship

Australian A-League club Perth Glory has signed Chinese steel company Delong Holdings as a joint major-sponsor for the 2007/08 season. The package, valued at A$750,000, is one of the most lucrative in Australian football and reinforces the commercial worth of Perth Glory and the Hyundai A-League. “Delong Holdings want to introduce their brand in Australia and believe Perth Glory is an ideal vehicle to drive that program,” said Perth Glory co-owner Tony Sage, who recently took control of the club in partnership with Brett McKeon and John Spence.

“They are committed to sport and the owner of Delong Holdings owns a football team in China and we have spoken about having matches each year in Perth and Beijing between Perth Glory and his team ... which would be a magnificent experience for our players and great preparation during the pre-season,” he added.

The Delong Holdings logo will feature prominently on the back of the club’s playing strip next season and they will be joint-major sponsor alongside long time Perth Glory supporter Western QBE Insurance.

Perth Glory also announced the appointment of Scott Gooch to the role of Chief Executive Officer. He comes to football after 6½ years with AFL club West Coast Eagles where he held the position of Relationship Marketing Manager during a time the Aussie Rules club experienced considerable growth.

“I’m very much looking forward to leading Perth Glory Football Club and am confident with the backing of our owners this club will have a bright future,” Gooch said. “Football in Australia continues to blossom and Perth Glory has the opportunity to further entrench itself in the WA sporting landscape. I believe the club can achieve, in a short amount of time, improved results both on and off the field,” he added.

Palestine coach Azmi Nasser dies of cancer

Palestine national football team coach Azmi Nasser has lost his fight against cancer and died at the Holy Family Hospital in Nazareth, Israel. The 50-year-old Nasser, an Israeli, coached Palestine to its highest international achievement to date, finishing third in the 1999 Arab Championship in Amman. He always emphasised to his players that they had to fight for respect on the football field. "When we played against the United Arab Emirates, Azmi said to us: 'look how contemptuous they are of you; let's avenge that contempt.' We won the game 1-0 and the next day the headlines in the Arab press read: 'The refugees beat the millionaires,'" Palestine captain Saeb Jendeya recalled.

Fadi Almadhon, a press officer for the Palestinian team, described how Nasser had worked over time for the team, taking care of its every need: "Azmi ran around 24 hours a day, going to the courts in Israel, to the military administration and to ministers to get exit and entry permits for the Palestinian players. The first time he held a training session with the team in Gaza, the players all turned up wearing different shirts and boots. Azmi asked the players: 'What's that supposed to be?' They answered: 'That's what we've got.' Azmi cut short the training session, headed to Sakhnin and returned with a full strip for the players, which he purchased with donations from local businessmen."

Nasser played for Israeli football clubs Ahi Nazareth and Hapoel Haifa in the 1980s. Former Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Shfaram star Zahi Armeli recalled Nasser's winning spirit as a player. "When I was with Maccabi Shfaram and we played Ahi Nazareth, Azmi told me 'we'll win 4-1 and I'll score a goal.' We were a top team and the favorites at the time, but Nasser got the result right and scored a hat-trick."

Nasser’s coaching career started in the early nineties when he coached a number of clubs including Ahi Nazareth with whom he won promotion to the Israel Premier League in 2003, Bnei Sakhnin, Akha Al Nasera and Al Ittihad Sakhneen. In 2003 he described Ahi Nazareth as a "very special cocktail" team. "We have all the kinds. We have Arab, Israel, Israel, we have Jewish, we have strange Brazilian, we have Hungarian, we have Ghana, we have black, we have white, we have blonde – we have everything here in this team. This is very special for this team," he said.

Nasser helped lay the foundations for the current Palestine national team in the 1990s when relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority were cordial prior to the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000. He coached the Palestine national team twice, first in the late 1990s and then for about a year starting in 2005 before he had to leave the job after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. He had to wait for special security clearance from the Israeli army before he could begin his second coaching tenure as the Gaza Strip was declared off limits to most Israelis after the uprising began.

The Palestine Football Association is a member of the Asian Football Confederation representing the Palestinian Authority's territories of West Bank and Gaza. Neighbouring Israel is a member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), having been pushed out of the AFC by Arab and Muslim-majority members.

Man United to compete head-on with Asian Cup

The 2007 Asian commercial tour of English Premier League club Manchester United will reportedly commence in Japan against the Urawa Red Diamonds on 17 July, followed by FC Seoul in South Korea on 20 July and a game in China before concluding with a match against a Malaysian select in Kuala Lumpur on 27 July. The tour will compete for attention with the group stage and quarter and semi-final rounds of the Asian Football Confederations' prestigious Asian Cup in which the national teams of Japan, South Korea, China and Malaysia are participating.

Northern Mariana Islands FA receives EAFF funds

The East Asian Football Federation has donated $50,000 to the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association to help fund their development program. EAFF finance committee chairman Richard Lai told a hand-over cermony that neighbouring Guam received the same assistance when it was just starting to become an EAFF member and accredited by FIFA. “When football was starting on Guam 90 percent of the players were foreign born made up mostly of Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, while five to 10 percent were locals. Thirty years have passed now and 90 percent of our players are Chamorro,” Lai said.

Over past five years the Guam Football Association has received over US$2 million in international grants from FIFA, Japan Football Association and the EAFF, Jon Perez reported for the Saipan Tribune. “The money was used to build a 9,000-square-foot facility, which will house the GFA's [executive] offices and classrooms to be use for clinic and other training sessions,” Lai explained, adding that “once the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands gets accepted as a FIFA member it entitles them to grants ... One day I want to see the local kids in the CNMI get the same benefits of the kids in Guam.”

Chelsea's Korean website to help turn 'world blue'

English Premier League champion club Chelsea has launched its first Korean language website, http://kr.chelseafc.com. The announcement with web partners MediaCorp took place at a ceremony set up by the club's sponsors Samsung in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Korea is a key strategic market for Chelsea following its five year partnership with Samsung which began in 2005. "The new website will give our Korean supporters a fan friendly service in their native language and tailored to their football cultur," Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon said.

"Samsung is very proud to be the Official Club Sponsor of Chelsea FC," IY Rhee, Senior Vice President of Samsung Corporate PR, added. "Now as part of our shared vision to 'Turn the World Blue', we are delighted to support our friends' expansion into our own home market of Korea."

The connections between Chelsea and Samsung will be extended this summer when the Samsung Bluewings take part in a four-team tournament in Los Angeles with Chelsea, LA Galaxy and Tigres. Chelsea last played the Bluewings in Seoul in May 2005 to celebrate the signing of the sponsorship agreement.

JAL extends its sponsorship of Japanese teams

Japan Airlines will continue its support of Japan's national football team and other representative teams as a ‘supporting company’ in a new agreement with the Japan Football Association covering the eight year period from April 2007 to August 2015. JAL first supported the Japanese national football team from August 1999 and in June 2001 made a further agreement to support the national squad until March 2007.

During the period of the new agreement there are great expectations of Japan’s national teams at an increasing number of international fixtures including the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008) and London (2012) and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The support agreement bincludes the U-23, U-20 and U-17 youth teams, the Japan Women’s team and Futsal. Supporting companies assist the national team through their core business activities and JAL will provide air transport support. The Japanese Football Association limits the number of supporting companies to a maximum of ten. By supporting these national teams, JAL wants to assist the further promotion of the game among young people in Japan.

China Women's World Cup squad in training camp

The China Football Association has announced a squad of 27 players for a four-week training camp in Wuhan as part of preparations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup that China is hosting between 10-30 September this year. AFC Women’s and Youth Player of the Year Ma Xiaoxu is missing from the squad after signing up to play for Swedish club Umea IK.

The training squad is Li Jie, Zhang Tong, Liu Sha, Wen Xinzhi, Zhou Gaoping, Song Xiaoli, Zhang Yanru, Wen Xiaojie, Han Wenxia, Bi Yan, Han Duan, Sun Ling, Zhang Ying, Pan Lina, Ji Ting, Song Guannan, Li Dongna, Ji Xiaomei, Lou Xiaoxu, Xu Meishuang, Liu Yali, Wang Kun, Zhang Na, Li Dongling, Xie Caixia, Qu Feifei and Yue Min.

New Liverpool owners still hungry for Asian income

New Liverpool FC co-owner Tom Hicks positively shone when he mentioned the growth markets in the Far East. “It’s no coincidence that big Premiership games start at 12.45pm on a Saturday,” he told Brian Alexander of BBC Radio 5 Live and The Times. “That’s prime time in Asia, in China, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. We have an 85 percent market share of fans in some of those regions, who grew up when Liverpool were the dominant force in the Seventies.

“Manchester United has that share now in places like China. We are investing to make Liverpool the dominant club again in that region. Liverpool can do it. It has the tradition and the history. More than any sporting team in America, including the long-established brands like the [New York] Yankees or the [Boston] Red Sox, Liverpool has a great chance of winning that audience.”

Australian women’s Olympic team broadcast deal

Australia's national, multilingual television network, SBS, has reached agreement with Football Federation Australia to broadcast the Australian Women's U-23 team's final round of Olympic Qualifying matches to be played in the small town of Coffs Harbour. north of Sydney. With a current FIFA world ranking of 14, the Australians anticipate a spot in the football tournament at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Highlights of the Matildas match against Hong Kong will be shown in The World Game on Sunday 8 April with live coverage of their matches against North Korea on Sunday 10 June and Taiwan on Sunday 12 August. "This is a fantastic show of support by SBS for the Matildas and is set to continue with SBS’ commitment to the FIFA Women’s World Cup later this year,” said FFA Head of Commercial Operations, John O’Sullivan.

Importance of Asia for UEFA broadcasting income

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has become a worldwide brand earning 800 million euros annually until 2009 from television and sponsorship deals for the UEFA Champions League. Its marketing and media rights director Philippe Le Floc’h told Ashwin Raman of The Edge Daily that the annual tournament of Europe’s elite football clubs has been UEFA’s biggest global revenue contributor annually since the European Cup was rebranded and reformatted into the UEFA Champions League 15 years ago. Le Floc’h was interviewed while visiting Kuala Lumpur for a three-day tour of the UEFA Champions League Trophy as part of UEFA’s initiative to acknowledge the importance of its audiences outside Europe.

“We control the TV rights for all the Champions League matches and we sell the rights and get sponsorship for a three- to four-year period. About 70% to 80% of the revenue collected will be distributed back to the clubs as prize money and TV rights. The remainder is given to national football associations of the participating teams, football clinics and solidarity payment to smaller leagues as well as for our own budget,” he said.

“In Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand — 62% of these markets have an interest in European football compared to 55% of the European market,” he said, adding that some 3.4 million Malaysians followed the UEFA Champions League on a regular basis. In the 2005/06 season, there was over 70 hours of coverage with 54 broadcasts on free TV in Malaysia.

Besides the UEFA Champions League, he said the regulatory body had recently taken over the distribution for the UEFA Cup from the quarterfinals stage onwards to increase interest in the competition, which features Europe’s second-tier clubs. He added that UEFA was expecting a turnover of 50 million euros annually from the competition for the next two years. After 2009, UEFA will assume control of the distribution rights from the first round of the competition. In addition, Le Floc’h said UEFA was expecting 1.5 billion euros in revenue from the UEFA EURO 2008 tournament that will see 14 nations battle it out next year to be crowned champion of Europe.

“Previously club A would sell the TV rights for its home matches and club B would sell the TV rights. And so some matches would be shown and others wouldn’t. Now, we have centralised the marketing for the UEFA Cup from the quarterfinals stage. We will start building the brand of the competition and bring in media partners to purchase the whole package,” he said.

Mixed results in friendlies for Asian Cup favourites

Many of the favourites for the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup played friendlies on Saturday, a FIFA-designated day allowing for players to return to their national squads from around the world.

Australia recorded an impressive 2-0 win over China in their international match played in YueXiuShan Stadium, Guangzhou considering the Socceroos were without the services of Tim Cahill, Jason Culina, Brett Emerton, Vince Grella, Harry Kewell and Craig Moore with coach Graham Arnold only having eight of the 23-man FIFA World Cup squad available. Brett Holman scored his first goal for the senior team after just eight minutes, with Mark Bresciano scoring the second goal 20 minutes later. Manchester United forward Dong Fangzhuo sparked a Chinese revival in the second half, unlocking the Australian defence as Shao Jiayi twice came close and Hang Peng forced a smart stop from Australia's Mark Schwarzer. "Compared with the Australians there is a gap in physical strength and speed. Our collaboration was weak as we only trained together for a few days," Dong told CCTV.

Glasgow Celtic’s Shunsuke Nakamura inspired current Asian champion, Japan, to a 2-0 home victory against a weakened Peru. Nakamura whipped in a free kick from the left for striker Seiichiro Maki to head home after 19 minutes and produced a carbon-copy delivery for Japan’s second goal. Still wearing a bandage after breaking his left hand last month, Nakamura swept the ball into the danger zone for Naohiro Takahara to double Japan’s lead nine minutes after the break. Japan’s goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi was underemployed on his 100th international appearance and Japan's first win against Peru in four games.

Uruguay forward Carlos Bueno capitalised on a couple of moments of sloppy defending to score both goals in a 2-0 victory over South Korea in Seoul. A defensive lapse set up Uruguay for its first goal midway through the first half, with forward Álvaro Recoba passing the ball past the South Korean defense and goalkeeper to an unmarked Bueno, who scored easily. Bueno scored his second goal 20 minutes later after he got on the end of a long pass and outran two defenders before shooting into the top right corner, out of goalkeeper Kim Young-dae’s reach. South Korea came out more aggressively in the second half but failed to capitalise on good chances, including a shot by forward Seol Ki-hyeon that hit the post. Uruguay's victory stretched their winning streak to four over South Korea who have now not won a match against any Latin American team since 2001.

Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht’s seventh minute goal helped Iran defeat host Qatar 1-0. The two meet again in July in Tehran. However Vahid Hashemian one of Iran's most experienced foreign-based players with eight years of playing experience in the Bundesliga (138 games and 34 goals for Hamburg, Bochum, Bayern Munich and currently, Hannover 96) is dismissive of preparing for the Asian Cup by playing smaller, neighbouring nations. "We need to organize friendly games with good teams. I do not want to disrespect any team, but playing against UAE, Qatar and such like will not benefit our football at all. Organising games against top teams, and more importantly, having a disciplined league will be the keys to our success in Asia," he told Radio Germany.

Pacific Islanders start East Asian Championship

The East Asian Football Federation's two tiny Pacific Ocean members, Northern Marianas and Guam are matched today to earn the slot in the preliminary round of the 2008 East Asian Football Championship. Northern Marianas will host Guam in Game 1 today, which starts with simple opening ceremonies at 3:30pm, at the Civic Center Field in Oleai then will visit Guam on 1 April for the other half of their playoff match. Officials from the EAFF, led by Alexandre Rigo of Macau and the Asian Football Confederation are on island to observe the match as well as international media and members of the board from the Guam Football Association and the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association. Next week, EAFF president Xie Yalong of China will watch the games on Guam.

“Each team is eager to win in this friendly game. The match will be very competitive. The Northern Marianas is enthusiastic especially they are new, Rigo told Jon Perez of the Saipan Tribune. “Given further preparations and proper training the Northern Marianas and Guam will be more competitive and raise the level of their game in the region.”

NMIFA secretary general Peter Coleman said the event is also big in terms of international exposure. “We have very big people who will be watching us. If we do good job as a provisional member then the EAFF will make a decision to give us full membership and hopefully move us a step closer to getting FIFA accreditation.” Coleman said he is hoping the whole community will show up and support the national team. “This team will play with a lot of heart. A lot of pride is at stake so their skills will be tested. We are rooting for them. I am asking for the community's support. This is a free event. Let us cheer our national players,” he said.

Following the result of this match-off, the preliminary round of the 2008 East Asian Football will be played in two groups: Group A includes North Korea, Mongolia and Macau SAR and Group B includes Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan and either Northern Marianas or Guam.

The match schedule for the preliminary round is:

17 June Guam/Northern Marianas v Taiwan and Macau vs. Mongolia
19 June Hong Kong v Taiwan and North Korea vs. Mongolia
21 June Hong Kong v Guam/Northern Marianas and North Korea v Macau
23 June Play-off for 5th Place
24 June Play-off for 3rd Place and Final

China 'super' salary may attract more Australians

An Australian player may set a trend for his countrymen in the China Super League. Socceroo midfielder/striker Ryan Griffiths recently joined Liaoning FC on a year-long loan from his Romanian side, Rapid Bucharest and made a dream debut when he scored the winner in a local derby to give the club from northern China its first league win of the season. Griffiths says the standard of the game he played in was good and clubs are allowed to bring in four foreigners who must be paid at least US$300,000 per year.

"They have got the money ready like that. They have got everything in place, and if they want a player, they will just take him like that. It's not like they muck around for a little bit. If they want a player, they are fair dinkum and that's it. If you are a foreign player, the minimum is $US300,000. If they like you as a player, they will pay you extra to keep you there and keep you happy. They will put you in a five-star hotel, pay you bonuses. It's an unusual experience," he told Michael Lynch of The Age.

Griffiths knows about pressure, having become the Romanian league's record signing when bought by Rapid for €1.3 million and big things were expected of him on his Liaoning debut in China. "Considering that the team had not won the first two games and the whole town was relying on the new player to score the goal, it was something that I had never experienced before, the way they were so fanatical after the game. They didn't invade the pitch — it's different there than in Romania. There they were crazy, with flares, throwing things at the referee. Here, it was more enjoyment," he said.

"The teams are technically good, very fast. I think where I can knock them off is with a bit of power and strength ... They don't really have strength in the middle. They like to use quick wingers and they try to get the foreign players as central defenders, central midfielders and central strikers," he said.

Malaysian sports writers' contest for the Asian Cup

The Asian Football Confederation has launched a monthly Sports Writers Contest which will feature Malaysian sports writing in relation to the forthcoming continental Asian Cup. AFC General Secretary Dato Paul Mony Samuel joined with Football Association of Malaysia General secretary Dato Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad and Sports Writers Association of Malaysia Vice President, Ibrahim Bakar Atan at the FAM offices to announce the competition. Both AFC and the FAM have their headquarters in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur.

“This is the time to develop closer ties between media and the AFC Asian Cup 2007 which will be held in Malaysia for the first time, Dato Paul said. “Malaysia will host the tough-looking Group C which includes China, Iran and Uzbekistan who are big Asian teams. That is why it is not only a tournament for Malaysian football, it is about the whole of Asia,” he added.

There was no reported mention of similar competitions in the three other 2007 Asian Cup host nations, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

FIFA President to arrive in Pakistan on 26 March

Joseph Sepp Blatter, the President of the world football body, FIFA, will arrive in Pakistan on a two-day visit on 26 March and will meet Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf on 27 March. He will be accompanied by Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam, FIFA Goal Project Development Officer Vernon Manilal Fernando and FIFA Development Managers Eva Pasquier, David Borja and Andrea Sadecky .

Faisal Saleh Hayat, President of the Pakistan Football Federation, said it will be first-ever meeting of a FIFA President with Pakistan's Head of State in the PFF's 60-year history.

"Mr Blatter's main assignment is to will to inaugurate Lahore’s FIFA Football House a part of the FIFA Goal Project. The ceremony will feature speeches, a plaque unveiling, ribbon-cutting, and meeting with various academies and men/women football teams," he said. "FIFA Football House will serve as a basic institution to help promote Pakistan's football on modern lines," he added.

Oceania must play Japan in 2007 FIFA Club Cup

FIFA has changed its mind about host country participation in its Club World Championship yet again. The world football body has now ruled that the club champions of the Oceania Football Confederation's O-Leagie will no longer have an automatic place at the FIFA tournament. "Although the format for the six-match final tournament of this year’s Club World Cup in Japan will be no different from in 2006, the executive agreed to introduce a qualifying play-off between the Oceania champions and the league champions of the host nation, with the victors then lining up alongside the champions of the five other confederations," it announced rather contortedly.

With Australia's departure from the OFC, FIFA was faced with automatically accepting a near amateur club from New Zealand or an even smaller Pacific island alongside the five professional club champions of Europe, South America, Central and North America, Africa and Asia. In the 2007 edition, Oceania’s best will have to play-off against a club representing the host nation which, for the third consecutive year, will be Japan. The prize money for the new play-off has not been announced.

UPDATE (31 March)

Terry Maddaford of the New Zealand Herald reported that the prize-money for the new pre-tournament game will be US$500,000 to the loser, with the winner earning a minimum US$1 million in the next round. Auckland City, the Oceania representative at last year's club championship, received US$1 million for turning up for two matches.

Little chance of Van Quyen playing in Malaysia

Coach Steve Darby of Malaysian Super League club Perak reportedly hoped to sign suspended Vietnamese star Van Quyen on a package including a monthly salary of US$4,000 plus housing and a car - or so it has been claimed in Vietnam media.

According to the experienced Australian coach, a journalist called him to ask his opinion of Van Quyen. "I said he was a great player and could easily have played overseas in countries such as Malaysia. When asked how much he would earn I said foreigners usually get US$4,000-5,000 plus a car, a lot more than he would have been getting in Vietnam. I was then asked if my club, Perak, would take him and I replied that if he was only banned by the Vietnam Football Federation then it would be legal to take him, as long as Football Association of Malaysia approved," he told Asian Football Business Review.

"I am not looking for foreigners this year, but maybe next season. I would like Cong Vinh or Bao Khanh but I can never get them released from their clubs," he said.

Van Queyen, Vietnam's 2003 Golden Ball winner, was convicted of corruption and received a suspended jail term in January for fixing a SEA Games match in 2005. The Vietnam Football Federation added a four-year playing suspension to his punishment.

Than Nien newspaper reported that the VFF suspension is likely to to be internationally endorsed by the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA with an announcement on regional and international suspensions expected after Van Quyen's seven-day period of appeal expires this week.

Bordeaux to form Academy with Ho Chi Minh City

French First Division club FC Girondins de Bordeaux is considering a tie-up with the Vietnam Football Federation-affiliated Ho Chi Minh City FA to set up a youth football training centre. Formed in 1881, Bordeaux is now owned by the French television group M6. The club has been French Champions 5 times, with their most successful period in the 1980s when they won the Championnat 3 times and the French Cup twice.

A source told Thanh Nien newspaper that the two stakeholders have agreed to locate the school at Thanh Long sports training center ty after making a survey of the city's available options, Bordeaux would send coaches to the centre to train the youngsters, the two sides plan to start official negotiations in May and the French club wants Ho Chi Minh City to contribute 10 percent of the expected VND30 billion (US$1.9 million) cost for the project.

Netherlands June tour to Thailand and South Korea

The Netherlands will play friendly matches against South Korea and Thailand during a ten-day tour of Asia just prior to the playing of the Asian Cup. The Marco van Basten-coached side will play a South Korean team coached by Dutchman Pim Verbeek at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on 2 June. The countries met previously at the 1998 FIFA World Cup with the Oranje winning 5-0. From Seoul, the Netherlands squad will travel to the Bangkok Rajamangala National Stadium to take on Thailand for the first time, on 6 June. Thailand will co-host the 2007 Asian Cup between 7-29 July together with Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam, with South Korea among the other competitors.

Myanmar builds teams for Asian futsul tournaments

The Myanmar Football Federation has formed a women's national futsal team to compete in the 24th South East Asian (SEA) Games in Bangkok, Thailand in December. It will comprise of 19 players from the national and U-19 women football teams and will be trained by two local coaches. The two-year old Myanmar men futsal team has trained under a Japanese coach since February and will compete in the 5th ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Futsal Tournament this month. The Myanmar men took part in the 2006 AFF futsal competition and secured third place.

Qantas extends naming sponsorship of Socceroos

Qantas airline has extend its naming rights sponsorship of the Qantas Socceroos, as well as its exclusive support of all Australia's men’s national teams for a further two years. Qantas will also remain the Official Airline of the Hyundai A-League and its eight clubs, and the Official Airline of Football Federation Australia.

“After the great success of the Qantas Socceroos at the FIFA World Cup – in which Qantas played an important role – it is wonderful to have such an iconic Australian brand commit to support football in Australia, and Australia’s team, on the next stage of our journey – into Asia," Football Federation Australia CEO, Ben Buckley, said.

The Qantas Socceroos’ road to the Asian Cup continues this weekend when they play China in Guagzhou, with preparations culminating in the two June blockbusters against Uruguay in Sydney on 2 June and Argentina in Melbourne on 6 June.

“The support of Qantas has been vital for our recent success. Knowing that one of Australia’s most recognised and respected companies is behind you can be the difference between winning and losing. Having them extend their commitment to our team and our game is really satisfying, and reinforces the new place that we feel we are occupying in Australian sport,” Qantas Socceroo Lucas Neill said.

The Executive General Manager of Qantas, John Borghetti, said the sponsorship was a continuation of Qantas’ long-term investment in football in Australia. “Qantas is proud of the Qantas Socceroos and the team’s involvement in the resurgence of football in Australia. We are very pleased with our partnership with Football Federation Australia and look forward to continuing our support of the Socceroos as they make their debut in the Asian Cup,” he said.

India included in FIFA social responsibility program

Convening for the first time in 2007 for a two-day meeting in Zurich under the chairmanship of President Joseph S Blatter, the FIFA Executive Committee decided that special projects along the lines of the 'Win in Africa with Africa' program are also to be extended to other regions and continents.

As part of the Football for a Better World initiative that is being supervised by the Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility, the executive approved the principle that projects similar to the existing Win in Africa with Africa program be conceived for other continents and regions - including India in the Asian Football Confederation. Concrete proposals will be presented at the Executive Committee's next meeting at the end of May.

The Committee for Fair Play and Social Responsibility submitted proposals to the FIFA Executive Committee, which in turn approved the dates for this year's FIFA Anti-Discrimination Day and FIFA Fair Play Day. The first one will be held on 14-15 July 2007 in connection with all quarter-final matches of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada, while the second one will take place - as has been customary since 2004 - on 21 September, during the FIFA Women's World Cup China, to coincide with the UN International Day of Peace.

Australian state builds football link with Indonesia

Australia’s largest state and the Indonesian province of East Java are combining their passion for football. The Western Australian Trade Office in Indonesia has announced the appointment of a football taskforce to develop people-to-people and business linkages through sport between Western Australia and East Java.

Heading the taskforce is Football Dynamics Asia, a sports development firm with experience in regional development in Indonesia. It will focus on identifying opportunities for regular ‘friendlies’ between Western Australia and East Java representative men’s and women’s teams and between the professional soccer clubs in both countries. It will also introduce Western Australian expertise in sports education, training, administrative, medical, stadia, tourism and related technology and services.

"The State of Western Australia and the Province of East Java signed their first five-yearly Sister State/Province Relationship Memorandum of Understanding in August 1990 and this has blossomed into a multi-sectoral umbrella agreement for long-term commercial and cultural linkages,” said Martin Newbery, Regional Director of the WA Trade Office in Indonesia.

“The agreement facilitates cooperation in economics, commerce, industry and tourism; science, technology and administration; education, culture, manpower, social welfare, youth and sports but, until now, we have not seriously addressed sporting links. Now with Australian soccer part of Asia, and Indonesia probably the most soccer-loving country in Asia, we have a wonderful opportunity for combining health, sport and business with developing goodwill with our neighbours."

With a population of almost 33 million people and a territory of about 48,000 square kilometres, East Java is a national leader in agriculture, commerce and other services, industry and transportation and communication. The province is also Indonesia's football heartland.

Legend has it that football was introduced to Indonesia in 1895, when English schoolboy John Edgar founded a club in Surabaya, East Java and the first post-independence national championship was won by Persebaya FC of Surabaya. More recently, in 2006 the Indonesian Premiership was won by Persik Kediri FC and the National Cup by Arema Malang FC, both of East Java and these two clubs are representing Indonesia in the current AFC Champions League.

Meanwhile, Australian soccer has entered its most productive era following its transfer to the Asian Football Confederation in January 2006. The Socceroos finished the FIFA World Cup in Germany as the highest ranking Asian nation and are considered one of the favourites to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup Grand Final being played at Indonesia's national stadium in Jakarta on 29 July. That game is expected to attract a viewing audience of over 600 million.

Football Federation Australia's new A-League also completed its first and second seasons over the past two years, breaking all records for crowd attendances and television ratings for domestic soccer. Two Australian clubs are competing in the AFC Champions League for the first time and one of them, 2006 Australian Premiers, Sydney FC will be hosted in East Java on 11 April by Indonesia's 2006 top club, Persik Kediri in a vital Group E clash that will be broadcast throughout Indonesia and also telecast live back to Australia by Fox Sport.

"Western Australia is one of the world's great professional football centres," Mr Newbery said. "With two Australian Football League clubs, a team in the Rugby Super 14 competition and Perth Glory FC in the A-League, the sports passion of our State's 2 million residents has endowed it with second-to-none facilities and expertise in sports administration, marketing, medicine, fitness, nutrition, junior development, coaching, refereeing, stadium infrastructure and pitch technology and, of course, football technical skills.

“Indonesian national teams have travelled to Perth for fine tuning before major international tournaments but through this new initiative, Western Australian sports organisations, institutes, educational institutions and businesses may contribute directly to East Java's sports development, from the grassroots upwards."

AFC warns members: Go professional or demotion

Asian Football Confederation President Mohammed Bin Hammam has threatened to demote football clubs from the Arabian Gulf states from the AFC Champions League next season, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported. Bin Hammam said he was unhappy local football federations have not adopted the professional system. He stated that in 2009, only the Asian federations who run the game in a professional manner will be allowed to admit clubs into the Champions League competition. “The AFC has already set the terms and regulations for the Champions League. The most important element is that we have professional clubs under the umbrella of professional federations that abide by the rules of FIFA. We are not going to compromise regarding that matter,” he insisted.

Bin Hammam said teams that do not meet the requirements set by the AFC will be demoted to the continent’s second best competition, the AFC Cup. "These clubs will be labeled as amateurs and will play in the AFC Cup,” he said. "It’s about time everyone knows that in football, there is amateurism and professionalism, and it’s up to the local federations to decide which route they want to take.”

Hong Kong 'goes ape' over NOW's EPL launch

Hong Kong's Now TV used a 'gorilla" motif to launch four sports channels and promote its exclusive rights to screen next season's English Premier League which it paid a record US$200 million for three seasons to snatch from competitor i-Cable Communication. PCCW executive director Alex Arena said it could "rightly claim to be taking over the leadership of the pay television industry" and boasted Now was the Hong Kong home of all the world's big football competitions. He said the company had built its brand successfully without the EPL but had bid for the league because of demand from subscribers. "The English Premiership was not available to us and we had to do our best without it but people liked what we were doing with the Champions League and they wanted us to have the Premiership and we want to take coverage to the next level," he said.

Vivek Couto, director of Media Partners Asia, told Barclay Crawford of the South China Morning Post that Now could be paying too much for the EPL rights and said it would need a three-part strategy of more subscribers paying higher fees and greater advertising revenue to justify the "ridiculous" money it paid for the English league. "The fees people are willing to pay are a big part of it," he said.

Jeju Islanders embrace visiting DPRK footballers

South Korean residents of Jeju Island have embraced the young men of the North Korean U-17 football team who are staying for one-month's training ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup being played in South Korea in August. While North Korean officials keep contact with locals to a minimum, this hasn't stopped the islanders from delivering presents to the youths, including boxes of Hallabong specialty citrus. "We are preparing more gifts for when they leave for Gwangyang in South Jeolla Province on 31 March," said Kim Jin-seok, director of the sports industry for the Jeju provincial government, said. "Their visit here is a precious chance to promote that Jeju Island is a good place for international meetings or sports events," he said.

"Many sports-related associations and organizations sent various gifts to us to deliver to them."Local government officials and civil activists, who have done various activities for the unification of the two Koreas, hope their past amiable attitude will help boost friendship at the local level. Civil activists in Jeju have shipped about 1,000 tons of citrus to North Korea annually since 2002. The subtropical fruits cannot grow in North Korea, Yonhap reported.

Meanwhile, ranking officials from the Korea Football Association are also scheduled to dine with the North Korean squad KFA official said. "Regardless of the political situation on the Korean Peninsula, we are treating them with hospitality and trying not to offend them. That is also the way we treat special guests," a Jeju government official said.

Academic model predicts football TV audiences

Football fans who attend matches are more loyal than those who watch at home and "traditional fans" favour their team while armchair fans are more interested in a closely fought match according to new research reported by Soccer Investor. Dr Tunde Buraimo looked at around 4,000 matches over 10 seasons for his PhD at Lancaster University Management School and developed the first ever model to predict the size of the television audience for a match - information which is crucial both to football managers and broadcasters keen to attract advertising.

“It’s a lot more sophisticated than just thinking that a big name [English Premier League] team will automatically attract a big audience. This also depends on the current performance of the team, their brand name, the quality and value of their playing squad, how close they are to the other team, what day of the week it is and how far up the table they are. In addition to revenues based on equal sharing and how well teams perform, each game broadcast on Sky TV earns a club in excess of £300,000 in the form of a facility fee so managers need to know how much they need to invest in playing talent to ensure their team’s match is broadcast. And TV companies need to know what size of audience they can expect so they can secure advertising revenue.” he said.

By 2001, Premier League teams earned more from broadcasting matches than they did from fans at the gate but Dr Buraimo said there is a danger in catering exclusively to the TV audience. “The power has shifted to the TV audience but the fans attending a match will always be important. I found that TV fans also value the quality of fans in the stadium to give the match atmosphere, so the football authorities should make sure that the stadium is quite full if they want a large television audience ... If football is to continue to prosper, the Premier League needs to make sure that the majority of their matches are unpredictable and they can’t afford to let a few big teams dominate but should instead try to ensure the teams are more equal.”

Dr Buraimo suggested a greater share-out of broadcasting revenue among smaller teams, who have a smaller support base and less opportunity of attracting revenue, will allow them to invest more in player talent and be more competitive. His research was carried out at Lancaster University Management School and Dr Rob Simmons, who supervised the research, said the findings are important. He said: “Tunde’s PhD thesis, on the economics of sports broadcasting, breaks new ground in a number of areas highly relevant to stakeholders and organisers of sports leagues.”

"Welcome to Asia" Aussies - This is your future

With the Asian Cup tournament less than four months awa, Australian national coach Graham Arnold has tagged his Socceroo’s mini-training camp in Hong Kong as Welcome to Asia Week. “This is something we’re going to come up against in the World Cup qualifiers. When you look at our World Cup qualifying program, the players are going to have to do flights across from Europe and we’re going to have to gather, if we play an east Asian country, in Hong Kong or Singapore for two or three days while we get visas and then move across to the country we’re playing in. This is a perfect dress rehearsal for what we’re going to come up against in 2008 and 2009 for our World Cup qualifiers,” he said.

The final four members of the 20-player squad — Mark Viduka, Mark Schwarzer, Brad Jones and Carl Valeri — arrived in Hong Kong yesterday, with Arnold able to hold his first tactical sessions on the artificial surface at the Happy Valley racecourse. The squad — which is without several World Cup stars — will be driven across into China today where Arnold will finalise preparations for the game at Saturday’s venue in Guangzhou. Despite being understrength against China, Arnold said it was vital the Socceroos performed well to maintain an air of dominance in the region. “I want to win every game and I put the expectation level on the players as well,” Arnold said.

UAE "qualified to host" World Cup and Olympics

Dr Joao Havelange, the former President of the world football body FIFA, believes the United Arab Emirates is qualified to host the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. "I have seen great improvement and progress in almost all fields of life including the field of sports and youth," he told Yasir Abbasher of Gulf News. " I do believe that FIFA is watching and appreciating this progress which will favour the country if they applied to host a major event and I really believe that the UAE is qualified to host the finals of the World Cup and the Olympic Games because of its infrastructure and organisational experiences."

Havelange was speaking at a press conference held at the headquarters of the UAE FA yesterday and attended by Abdul Mohsin Al Dossary, from the GAYSW, Younus Khory, the Financial Director of the FA and other sports personalities. "I visited Al Jazira Club and was amazed by the facilities at the club. Such establishments will make FIFA support the UAE's applications to host whatever football championship in the future," he said.

Sponsorship tracking service for Asia football

Sports research company TNSSport has launched Asia Soccercope, a dedicated, syndicated football-tracking product which measures league popularity and the cut through of sponsorship in both domestic and international football competitions. The service, which will initially cover China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea, tracks the attitudes of football followers to sponsors and their products, the media and key issues surrounding the world’s most popular sport.

“The Asian football market is buoyant. Domestic and international leagues are increasingly popular, particularly the Premier League which has excellent reach across the region. This means that domestic football sponsors are getting exposure on an international scale. Asia Soccerscope will complement our Euro Soccerscope service enabling the popularity of the world’s biggest football teams to be tracked in multiple regions. This will allow clients to analyse the impact of their sponsorship on a much wider scale,” Richard Ames, Managing Director, TNSSport said.

Asia Soccerscope will use an on-line omnibus methodology to interview a cross-section of football fans across its markets in Asia each season.

Asian countries approved for new GOAL projects

A total of 189 football associations are currently benefiting from FIFA's Goal development program. At a meeting of the Goal Bureau in Zurich on 21 March under the chairmanship of FIFA Executive Committee member and Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed bin Hammam (Qatar), it was announced that so far, 312 projects have already been completed or approved or are in the pipeline.

The Bureau also approved new projects (association headquarters, technical centre and/or artificial turf pitches) in the following Asian countries: Indonesia and United Arab Emirates (first projects); Philippines and Thailand (second projects); Bahrain, Jordan, North Korea and Mongolia (third projects).

At the meeting, FIFA President Joseph S Blatter explained that one of the main focuses of the third phase of Goal would be to ensure the maintenance of facilities. He also stressed the significance and importance of Goal and made reference to all that has been achieved so far. "Since it was launched in 1999, this initiative has helped to provide many associations with new facilities. Goal has already achieved so much, and countless others will also benefit from this programme in the future," he said.

Matchday 2 of the 2007 AFC Champions League

After matchday 2 of the 2007 AFC Champions League, only three of the 27 participating clubs have won twice: Al Wahda (UAE), Neftchi (UZB) and Sepahan (IRN). This round's results were: Group A, Al Zawra'a drew with Al Rayyan (0-0) and Al Arabi were beten by Al Zawra'a (0-1); Group B, Al Kuwait were beaten by Pakhtakor (0-1); Group C, Al Sadd were beaten by Al Najaf (1-4) and Al Karama beat Al Sadd (2-1); Group D, Al Ittihad drew with Al Ain (0-0) and Al Shabab were beaten by Sepahan (0-1); Group E, Persik Kediri beat Shanghai Shenhua (1-0) and Sydney FC drew with Urawa Reds (2-2); Group F, Kawasaki Frontale drew with Bangkok University (1-1) and Chunnam Dragons beat Arema Malang (2-0); and in Group G, Dong Tam Long An was beaten by Adelaide United (0-2) and Shandong Luneng beat Seongnam Chunma (2-1).

Thailand may benefit from President's connections

The Bangkok Post review of the election of veteran Secretary General Worawi Makudi as the new President of the Football Association of Thailand focussed on his connections with international football supremo FIFA President Sepp Blatter and international identity Franz Beckenbauer. It also noted that "Worawi is a Muslim and studied in Kuwait so he is close to top football officials in Middle Eastern countries - the most powerful group in Asian football." It should therefore be easier, the newspaper opined, for Thailand "to get foreign support in terms of personnel and financial assistance" and Worawi, himself, "could become a FIFA vice president and Asian Football Confederation president."

Securing a first World Cup berth for Thailand is seen as a priority for the new President. After being elected Worawi vowed to take Thailand to appear in the 2014 World Cup and said he will map out a development plan for Thailand to reach the goal. As a FIFA executive member, he is also being pressured to "push for increased World Cup slots for Asia as the continent appears to lose one spot to Australia".

According to the Bangkok Post, "it is much tougher for Thailand to take part in the World Cup now that Australia have joined the AFC, who were seemingly accepted due to political reasons". The newspaper will probably be even more annoyed when Australia bundles the Thai team out of the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup being played in Bangkok in July.

Vietnam conference considers legal football bets

A conference on sports betting has attracted international football and gambling experts to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Windsor John, head of FIFA’s football development department in Asia, Kevin Hopgood and Alex Kovach of UK betting firm Ladbrokes and representatives from the Asian Football Confederation and Singapore Pools joined Vietamese sports and government officials in discussing “Legal football betting: good or bad? Its impact on society” at the Vietnam Football Federation organised event.

US auditing firm Deloittes has reported that Vietnamese spend US$1 billion a year on illegal football betting and a source from betting firm Singapore Pool told Thanh Nien newspaper that Vietnamese sent US$400 million a year to foreign betting markets. Under current laws this massive gambling is illegal and is seen as a corrupting influence on government and sports alike. The Vietnamese government and national parliament are therefore investigating legalised gambling to control the industry and to tax it.

FIFA's Windsor John told Vietnamese media that "to develop football, finance is necessary. If football betting is legalised in Vietnam, Vietnam football would surely have a huge source of income which would help its football develop more strongly." He noted that "football betting and sports betting are developing in the world, particularly in Europe" and, although "Vietnam needs to initiate serious research projects before legalising sport betting to avoid bad consequences on society" he recomended the Singapore Pools betting company as "a successful example" for legalising and controlling betting.

"Vietnam is a large country and Vietnamese people are keen on football. This is the most important condition for legalising football betting. I have always thought that Vietnamese football had a bright future. However, VFF needs to have correct policies. Even when football betting is allowed and money comes, football will still not develop if there are incorrect policies," he cautioned.

Shell signs up for Qatar FA Platinum sponsorship

The Qatar Football Association and Qatar Shell have signed an agreement making Shell a Platinum Sponsor of the Emir and Heir Apparent Cups for the 2006-2007 season, which are scheduled to begin next month. The agreement was signed by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, Qatar Football Association President, and Andy Brown, Shell Country Chairman. “We are delighted to welcome Shell again as a top sponsor of the Emir and Heir Apparent Cups. Our ongoing relationship with Shell clearly contributes to our goal of raising the profile of our league and showcasing the best that Qatar has to offer at the professional club level.We look forward to working with Shell to make these championships a success,” Sheikh Hamad said, as quoted by The Peninsular.

Qld Roar to play SuperSport in anti-racism charity

Australian A-League club Queensland Roar, in partnership with the Queensland State Government, has announced it will host top South African Castle Premiership team SuperSport United at the Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, this coming 1 July, in a pre-season charity fundraiser. The announcement of the match was made by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie who is visiting Johannesburg on a tour of South Africa. He said all profits from the match will go towards promoting Queensland’s newest anti-racism campaign.

“We invited SuperSport United to visit our state to play a match in the spirit of global harmony,” Mr Beattie said. "I am confident that thousands of football mad Queenslanders will flock to Suncorp Stadium to show their support for this initiative. Queensland Roar has a real international flavour about it with players from Korea, Brazil and Scotland in their present team. The world game has an amazing capacity to bridge racial and ethnic divides and our Queensland Roar players are excellent advocates and good role models for ethnic diversity,” he said.

Queensland Roar Chairman John Ribot said it was a bonus home game for local football fans. “The winter kick-off against a class South African team will give our football starved fans a real excuse to turn out in force for this match. Queensland Roars Against Racism is a great initiative and one our club is delighted to be involved with. Queensland Roar’s management, staff, Coach Frank Farina and his players will work with Multicultural Affairs Queensland to send positive, anti-racism messages to footballers, school children and the community in general.”

Vietnamese footballers suspended for 3-4 years

The Vietnam Football Federation has decided to suspend six out of seven national football players who were convicted and sentenced by Vietnamese courts in January for fixing an international match. Pham Van Quyen, Vietnam's 2003 Golden Ball winner and Le Van Truong will be suspended for four years starting April. Four other players will be suspended for three years. The federation said it has yet to punish Le Quoc Vuong because he is lodging an appeal and that it has no rights to punish former player Truong Tan Hai was imprisoned for three years for gambling.

See also: No early return for six jailed Vietnam footballers (15 Mar)

AFC approves Thailand's two Asian Cup stadiums

Thailand's preparation of two national stadiums for this year's Asian Cup has been approved by the Asian Football Confederation "We're very happy with what we have seen over the last few days," Carlos Nohra, the AFC's competitions director, told reporters after an inspection of the Rajamangala and Supachalasai stadiums, which will host Group A matches. Nohra said the AFC were satisfied with renovations to the 60,000-seater Rajamangala stadium but admitted there had been little progress with the ageing Supachalasai venue, which is comprised mostly of concrete terracing. It will stage one of the final two group matches, which competition rules state must kick-off at the same time. Thailand has until 30 May to install 19,600 news seats.

"This was initially supposed to be a training venue, and we did not ask for new seats," Nohra said. "But we are very happy with what has happened at the Rajamangala stadium." He said he was "cautiously optimistic" that all four hosts, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, will soon complete preparations for the 7-29 July tournament. "Every country is ahead in certain areas and behind in others," he said. "All the countries and the AFC are a little behind with promotions for the event.

Venky wants to expand his Indian football academy

In his effort to give back something to the sport with which he rose to fame, former India captain Shanmugham Venkates set up the Venky Football Academy in his home town, Srianapuram in Bangalore to tap young football talent. “I have achieved whatever there is to achieve in club football but, in the international football arena, we have achieved nothing”, the Mahindra midfielder told the Goa Herald. It is this desire that drove Venkatesh to start the school 14 months ago on the grounds of his old school, Shiva Ashram High. The academy now has over 50 students in U-12 and U-14 categories and training sessions are held in the evening under floodlights.

“I am planning to turn it a full-fledged Academy and I am on the look out for a sponsor,” he said. "The strategy is simple: Catch them young and give them the best in terms of training in terms of modern tactics, physical and psychological conditioning and related inputs. Expose the students to competition, put into the main stream to seek a career in professional football. A lot of children now want to take up soccer. There is future in it. Moreover, the TV has changed the way people think about the game in India. Even a club footballer in the country nowadays makes a decent living,” he said

Nike, adidas and Puma eye South Korean market

Sportwear giants, Nike, Adidas and Puma are reportedly "betting their future" on winning the contract for sponsorship of the Korea Football Association's teams. "In a competition where the contenders show no reservations regarding either their pride or flexing their financial might, who will laugh last?" asked South Korea's The Hankyoreh newspaper. The current sponsorship agreement gives Nike first negotiation rights in renegotiations set to start in October, three months from the current contract's expiration date. However Kim Jin-hang, the business division manager of the KFA, said that "whoever is ready to invest more in the future of [South] Korean football will be selected as the sponsor. The door is open."

Since 1996, Nike has been the sponsor of the South Korea national football team since 1996, reportedly paying about 50 billion won (US$53 million) - 33 billion won in supplies and 17 billion in cash - between 2003 and 2007 alone. Over the past year Nike has also won the sponsorship rights to football in most of South East Asia and India. Adidas, which last year scored sponsorship contracts with the national football teams of Japan (reportedly 15 billion Yen - US$128 million - over eight years) and China has been candid about its ambitions to fortify its position in North East Asia. The influence of Puma in Asia has been heavily tilted towards the west, particuarly Arab countries, headlined by Saudi Arabia, as well as Iran. "We have enough cash at the corporate headquarters in Germany, and are actively pursuing the sponsorship opportunity with Korean National Football Team, " Kim Dong-uk, the sports marketing manager of Puma Korea, commented.

South Korea wants to break U-17 World Cup record

The Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 World Cup was reportedly pleased to learn of the advanced stage of preparations for this year’s tournament in South Korea. A FIFA delegation travelled to the host nation in early March and delivered a glowing report on its inspection of the eight venues in Cheonan, Changwon, Goyang, Gwangyang, Seogwipo, Seoul, Suwon and Ulsan. The tournament, which will feature 24 teams for the first time as opposed to the previous 16, will be played between 18 August and 9 September. The final draw for the event, which will be broadcast in at least 130 countries around the world, will be held in Seoul on 17 May.

The local organising committee has set itself a number of objectives, one of which is to break the current overall attendance record for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which has stood at 735,000 ever since the inaugural event – an U-16 competition – in China in 1985. The Korean organisers have also kept prices low for all 52 matches – a match ticket will cost the equivalent of between USD 2.10 and a maximum of USD$7.40.

Deal surprise as New Zealand rejoins A-League

Ten minutes after Football Federation Australia announced that the Townsville-based Tropical Football Australia consortium had withdrawn from the "two horse race" to win the vacant eighth license in the upcoming Hyundai A-League season, it confirmed that New Zealand Soccer had been granted three-year rights to the franchise.

New Zealand Soccer and its nominated sub-licensee in Wellington had finally convinced the Australians that they had raised "the necessary financial capital and business plans to establish a viable football club in the New Zealand capital."

FFA CEO Ben Buckley said the New Zealand presence in the Hyundai A-League benefited not only the competition but also the development of football in New Zealand and the Oceania Football Confederation. "As part of our move into the Asian Football Confederation in 2006, we remain committed to assisting the Oceania Football Confederation wherever possible,” he said.

Uniquely, the NZ franchise in the A-League is the only club in the world to participate in a professional competition in another continental confederation. This means, however, that the NZ club cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League and, currently, is also barred from participating in the OFC's O-League, the winner of which gets automatic entry into FIFA's Club World Championship.

As for the North Queenslanders, FFA Head of Operations Matt Carroll said that “based on the strength of their proposal,Tropical Football will be very well placed to bid for a license to participate in the Hyundai A-League when the competition expands in the future." The head of Tropical Football, James Gage, responded with sincere thanks to the FFA for its "confidence and support" and promised "when the time for expansion of the Hyundai A-League occurs, Tropical Football eagerly looks forward to submitting a formal bid to be included in the competition.”


UPDATE (20 March)

After extending continual extensions to New Zealand Soccer's deadline, Football Federation Australia declined Tropical Football Australia's request for a brief delay in the final stages of the so-called "two horse race" with NZS. "We requested an extension to fulfil our underwriting obligations and we weren't given that opportunity," Tropical Football boss James Gage told the Courier Mail.

According to Rony Robson in The Dominion Post, Wellington businessman Terry Serepisos "stumped up ... more than a million dollars to rescue New Zealand's sinking professional football ship." Already the sponsor of the Wellington Cup at Trentham and the Wellington Saints basketball team, the managing director of Century City Developments is now the 100 percent owner of the yet-to-be-named Wellington-based team that will now play its home games at Westpac Stadium.

NZ national coach Ricki Herbert has been appointed Wellington's first coach on a three-year deal. "He had 15 players lined up, and could get up to 12 more tomorrow," AAP reported.

Bob Houghton on India's road to World Cup 2014

Veteran English coach Bob Houghton has been forced to take time away from his latest job as India's national coach to undergo a hip operation. Having also been coach of China, he can probably claim to have coached the national teams of more than two-fifths of the world's population. He was recently interviewed by the website of the world football body FIFA:

"When I went to China in 1998, that was the beginning of professional soccer and the time when their league and national team was beginning to take off. I think the parallels with India now are strong. India is now where China was almost 10 years ago. There is suddenly a lot of interest and a lot of money in the country around football as influential people want to sponsor and get involved in the game. There is already a sponsorship in the offing for 2014 FIFA World Cup effort, so I think the football will definitely take off. The league is fledgling, but it's going quiet well. There are big crowds in some places, but there is a way to go. It needs patience.

" ... the [Indian] players are good, the problem is they are physically very small. We have to do what I did in China and that is to try and find players with bigger physiques. There are very talented players in India but when we play internationally we just get out-muscled, really, particularly in Asia these days. It is not the easiest confederation when you are looking to qualify for major competitions. Australia are now in there, Saudi Arabia and Iran are giants, Japan and South Korea are much better than many people think, and China are growing too. From India's point of view, we have to look at development programs and try and find some stronger and more athletic players. But there are already some very fine footballers here. India is, after all, a football country. It has the second oldest football competition in the world after the FA Cup in England. A lot of people don't realise that there is a great football culture in India.

"The league has been going three or four years and most of the teams have become professional. Now there is a lot of sponsorship - big sponsorship for the league and some sponsorship for the clubs - so I think it could take off. They just need to make sure that it is managed well.

"[Resources now available help the job of national coach] ... especially the support for the football federation. As I said, we have a company looking to do a project with us that will go right through to the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup and help build a national centre for us, which is very important. It's a very exciting time for Indian football.

"In some areas, like Kolkata, Goa and Kerala [footballl challenges cricket in popualrity]. Of course, if the team qualified for a World Cup, then for sure it could compete with cricket because football is so much bigger globally than cricket. Cricket is the love in India but football has already taken over from hockey in terms of popularity. I don't think we need to compete with the other sports but it has been proven already that if we can get some success at international level, the interest and money will be there.

"[The FIFA World Cup finals in 2014], that's a target. The are only four qualifying slots available in Asia and with Australia now in the AFC it's become even tougher. Japan, South Korea, Iran all qualify regularly and Saudi Arabia have been to the last four World Cups. China will also be there. There are also Arab nations with the finances to go far. Plus, the central [Asian] countries like Uzbekistan are as good any team on the Asian circuit. So, it's difficult to think that India could qualify for 2014, but we'd like to be competitive. These days, if we are in a group with a Saudi Arabia or a Japan, we don't have a reasonable shout. But if we could get competitive by that stage and all the development programs continue, we have a chance.

Kia Motors signs up as China's automotive sponsor

South Korean-headquartered Kia Motors has agreed to become the exclusive automotive partner of the Chinese national men's and women's football teams. The multi-year sponsorship deal with the China Football Association which runs through to 2010, comes on the heels of Kia's ongoing top tier sponsorship of FIFA - the governing body of the FIFA World Cup - through 2014. This most recent foray by Kia into the world of major football sponsorships is expected to lend valuable support to the CFA's ambitions of achieving great success at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

As the official automotive sponsor of Team China, Kia will provide the CFA with the latest new vehicles from its model line-up for the efficient management of team activities, in addition to financial support. The vehicles will be supplied from Kia's domestic plants and the Dongfeng Yueda Kia factory in China - a joint venture formed in 2002 between Kia Motors, Dongfeng Motor and Jiangsu Yueda Investment.

"This latest sponsorship of Team China represents a major step forward in cementing Kia's commitment to the world of football, which was launched by signing our long-term partnership deal with FIFA, and we eagerly anticipate the many synergies to be enjoyed by all parties involved during the upcoming 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China," Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Vice President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation, told The Auto Channel.

A-League tipped to accept new NZ franchise today

The A-League licence surrendered by the New Zealand Knights is reportedly set to be handed on to the New Zealand football controlling organisation, New Zealand Socccer, after a meeting in Wellington today. Football Federation Australia CEO Ben Buckley and Operations Director Matt Carroll are flying to the New Zealand capital city from Sydney and "are poised to confirm New Zealand Soccer as the new licence-holder this afternoon. That licence will then be sub-let to the John Dow-led Wellington consortium," Terry Maddaford wrote in today's NZ Herald.

Although Carroll did not confirm the decision to hand the licence back to New Zealand after a two-horse race with Townsville-based Tropical Football Australia, he did say: "We will possibly make an announcement after lunch on Monday. We need to make sure what we have been told [about the Wellington bid and their surprise late backer] is right and take it from there. Depending on the outcome of those discussions we will either confirm the Wellington bid or we won't."

NZS chairman John Morris and chief executive Graham Seatter will be at the meeting with Dow and the yet-to-be-revealed backer. According to Maddaford, "a final decision today would be a relief for all parties after a saga which began late last year when the FFA stepped in to prop up the Knights when previous owners Octagon Sports struck financial woes. The FFA weighed in with the necessary support to pay the players and get them through to the end of the season. That sparked interest from bidders in Auckland and Wellington but, given a deadline they could not meet, the Alan Sefton-headed Auckland bid was ditched. Even as the only hope to ensure the survival of a New Zealand team in the league, the Wellington bid needed more time. These on-going delays have, it seems, played into the bidders' hands and given them time to find a desperately needed backer - who should be revealed today."

Super-event for international sports event industry

The first England will take place at London's new Wembley Stadium from 31 October - 1 November 2007. International Sports Event Management & Security (ISEMS) unites two established, successful and enthusiastically received events - The International Sports Security Summit and the International Sports Event Management Conference.

According to organisers Rushmans Ltd, the new event is the result of discussion with and feedback from high-level delegates and speakers at both events and meets their desire for a single, multi-stream event which provides enhanced networking opportunities, a broader and bigger exhibition and a conference covering topics at the highest level.

The two day Sports Event Management and Security event will offer an expanded exhibition, conference and seminar streams focussing on event planning and management, security, marketing and the media. "Inspirational" keynote addresses, stimulating panel sessions, debates and invaluable subject specific presentations will ensure International Sports Event Management & Security delivers a unique learning and networking opportunity which offers truly significant value.

"No other industry event has such a broad attendance of top executives and focuses on the key issues around event management and security with such authority and clarity and no other event will feature such a stellar line-up of speakers and presenters who have each made a significant contribution to innovation and best practice in event management, security and event promotion," Rushmans managing director, Nigel Rushman, told Asian Football Business Review.

ISEMS has been developed for, and will be attended by, representatives of national and international sports governing bodies, specialist event management companies, local authorities, stadium and facility owners and operators, media companies, sports marketing agencies, police and intelligence services and the companies which provide the technology, infrastructure and services which make events tick.

For further information regarding delegate sales, exhibition & sponsorship packages and available speaker opportunities, please contact Rushmans Ltd - T: +44 (0)1264 852016 F: +44 (0)1264 852011 E: aclark@rushmans.com W: www.isems.org

Tax fraud allegations against Iranian players' agent

Bild newspaper in Germany has published tax fraud allegations against the Iranian, FIFA-licensed players' agent Reza Fazeli for receiving 200,000 German marks for the contract extension of Yildiray Basturk, a Turkish player with Hertha Berlin. Bochum club alledgedly paid this amount to Fazeli in a manner to avoid German taxes. "Considering he is the sporting agent of 20 players in Germany and outside Germany, the question is whether he has opened the same sham bank accounts for his other fraud transactions or not. Fazeli's illegal transaction was done through a Dubai-based company. Bochum club has copies of transactions paid to a Dubai-based sham bank account in the amount of 200,000 for Fazeli and 300,000 for Basturk in the year 2000," the newspaper commented.

How ThaiBev got two World Cups for only $7.5M

Thai football fans were able to watch all 64 FIFA World Cup matches uninterrupted for the first time.when DhosPaak, the Thai Beverage Plc subsidiary, bought the 2006 broadcast rights. Then Managing Director Vorawoot Rojanaparnich had been able to persuaded his ultimate boss, Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, to televise every match continuously with no TV commercials. The move proved lucrative for Beer Chang, ThaiBev's flagship beer. The company drew some complaints when it asked pub and restaurant operators for "co-operation" in selling only Chang beer in exchange for permission to broadcast the games but the gripes faded when huge crowds of feverish fans came to see the games each night. By the time the final whistle of the 2006 World Cup blew, Mr Vorawoot told Woranuj Maneerungsee and Walailak Keeratipipatpong of the Bangkok Post, sales revenue from Chang beer had reached 6.5 billion baht, an 80% market share in the low-priced beer segment.

After five years at DhosPaak, Vorawoot decided he wanted his own business. ''It was time for me to benefit from managing the broadcasting rights,'' he recalled. After a discussion with RS Plc CEO Surachai Chetchotisak, the two joined hands to set up RS International Broadcasting and Sports Management Co (RSbs) last November. Mr Vorawoot put up half of the initial capital of 50 million baht and became the operation's CEO. To secure the television rights for the World Cup in 2010 and 2014, Mr Vorawoot relied on long-time connections he has made with prominent figures in sports built since he was a sports reporter more than three decades ago. It also helped that he sits on the board of the Football Association of Thailand along with Secretary-General, now FAT President, Worawi Makudi.

According to the Bangkok Post Worawi, who holds executive positions with the Asian Football Confederation and the world football body FIFA, helped Vorawoot secure the broadcasting rights for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups at a very low fee. ''I told the FIFA men that I would use the game to entertain Thais via free TV, not through paid channels,'' Vorawoot said. His offer convinced FIFA and DhosPaak landed the two tournaments for just US$7.5 million. Some operators in Asian countries paid as much as $5.5 million for just one tournament but charged viewers to offset the costs.

With RSbs, Vorawoot used the same ad-free proposal to win the rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, although he did not disclose the price. Besides television, RSbs gets exclusive rights for additional media, including broadband Internet, electronic media, radio, literature and even the tournament logo.

Why US investors are buying into European football

US entrepreneurs appear to be lining up to buy into European football. Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon said soccer's attraction to American companies is no surprise. "They see it as a good business to be in with huge international opportunities, stadium rights and sponsorship. In many areas the US sports market has been ahead of the curve and they are trying to bring best practices from the US like naming rights and premium seating," he told Steve James of Reuters.

Noting Manchester United has stores selling merchandise in Asia, Swangard said US investors "recognize the advantage of running a business rather than having to create it."

While the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association try to expand overseas, they are also having to sell an American sport that may be unfamiliar to Asians or Africans who play and watch soccer. "You can invest in great brands that will bring solid returns, or maybe you can take a chance on a market with growth," Swangard said.

The English Premier League is already the world's most lucrative soccer league, with total revenue of $2.5 billion, 40 percent higher than its nearest competitor, Italy's Serie A and is the fourth-highest for any sports league worldwide, behind North America's NFL, MLB and the NBA.

Worawi Makudi elected new Thailand FA president

Worawi Makudi has been elected to a two-year term as president of the Football Association of Thailand just days ahead of a visit by the Asian Football Confederation to assess the kingdom's readiness to stage the opening ceremony and a group round of this year's Asian Cup. Worawi, a FIFA executive committee member, was the only candidate and won all 115 votes cast, FAT officials confirmed to Reuters. He served as FAT secretary-general for 11 years and takes over from Vijit Getkaew, who quit on 8 March. In his letter of resignation Vijit said he had endured excessive criticism and was tired of being the scapegoat for the national team's failures.

The AFC had last year considered replacing Thailand as a co-host for the 7-29 July tournament after it failed to meet deadlines for upgrading its Supachalasai and Rajamangala national stadiums. FAT was granted a reprieve following the approval of a government budget to carry out the work before the AFC's deadline. Earlier this month, the Tourism and Sports Minister Suvit Yodmani said renovations to the 60,000-seater Rajamangala stadium will be completed by 18 June, only three weeks before the opening ceremony and game.

North Korea is Asian U-16 Women's champion

North Korea beat Japan 3-0 in the final of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship at MPPJ Stadium on Saturday. Jon Myong-hwa produced two goals and the tournament’s leading scorer Yun Hyon-yi scored the other as the North Koreans, who led 1-0 at half-time, dethroned the Japanese as Asian under-16 champions. North Korea proved themselves as the best team with four straight wins, including a 1-0 triumph over the Japanese in their Group B opener. They also beat Thailand 7-1 before overcoming South Korea 4-1 in the semi-finals. Both North Korea and Japan will represent the Asian Football Confederation in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup that will be held in New Zealand in 2008.

Asian youth bonus for 2007 Kanga tournament

Established in 1991, the McDonald’s Kanga Cup is fifth largest youth football event of its kind in the world and Australia's largest and oldest tournament for 10-18 year old boys and girls. Each year around 200 teams converge on Australia's capital, Canberra, an Olympic Football City in 2000, for a festival week of world-class football competition and cultural experiences. Many international teams are expected to compete in 2007 from Asia to Oceania. The Kanga Cup has evolved over its history and now caters for all standards in the competitions. The Cup and Plate competitions take place within the age group (a minimum of 8 teams required to make the Plate competition viable).

With the sanction of the Asian Football Confederation and Football Federation Australia, this year the McDonald’s Kanga Cup will be played from 8-13 July 2007 with the philosophy “Uniting the Youth of the World through Football”. This theme is extended to the competitive, social and ceremonial aspects of the tournament. A special feature of the international focus developed by the host Football Association, Capital Football, is the 2007 Kanga Cup Asian Fellowship which aims to extend a hand of friendship to Australian football's new Asian partners.

Financially disadvantaged teams from throughout the Asian Football Confederation are encouraged to apply for the Fellowship as ONE boy’s or girl’s under 13-15 non-national team based in an AFC member country (apart from Australia) will be selected to receive:

FREE return land transfer from Sydney to Canberra and transport in Canberra (thanks to Murrays Australia),
FREE accommodation (3 stars), food and tour whilst at the tournament (seven nights) – supported by the AIS,
FREE Kanga Cup clothing (polo top, polar fleece, beanie and gloves) to assist with acclimatisation (courtesy of the host Capital Football),
PLUS pay no competition fees (courtesy of the host Capital Football)

This Fellowship, valued at AU$14 000, is for a total of 18 people (including officials). The panel, which will select the successful Fellowship team, will consist of a representative from Capital Football, the Australian Institute of Sport and the Australian Trade Commission. The panel’s decision will be final. We recommend that the application come by registered post.

Come and compete against the Aussies in a long running youth football tournament. Act before 30 March to receive the Early Bird discount.

Full Competition and Fellowship application forms are available for downloading on the internet at www.kangacup.com or contact Steven McIntyre, Event Coordinator, Capital Football & McDonald's Kanga Cup. T: +61 (0)2 6260 4000; F: +61 (0)2 6260 4999; E: kangacup@capitalfootball.com.au.

Saudi Arabia FF sacks Paque as national coach

With just over three months to go before the AFC Asian Cup 2007, Brazilian Marcos Paqueta has been sacked by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation as national team coach. According to AFCMedia, the move was widelky expected after Saudi Arabia returned empty-handed in January from the Arabian Gulf Cup where the team lost to eventual champions UAE in the semifinals.

Saudi FF National Team Committee chief Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal told the Saudi News Agency that Paqueta had been warned against poor preparations for upcoming competitions. “It became apparent that he was not going to help us once we studied the plan he had submitted for the AFC Asian Cup we noticed the same mistakes he has done before,” the Prince said. Paqueta will be replaced by his 49-year-old compatriot Helio Angos, coach of Brazilian outfit Nautico PE. “We will sign with the new coach (Angos) on Saturday,” he confirmed.

Paqueta, who was appointed to the job 16 months back after the surprise sacking of Gabriel Calderon, led the team in its fourth straight appearance at the FIFA World Cup in Germany last year but they failed to get past the group stage. He previously steered Saudi giants Al Hilal FC to a four-title domestic clean sweep in 2005. Saudi Arabia have been drawn in Group D for the AFC Asian Cup alongside South Korea, Bahrain and group hosts Indonesia.

Malaysia to host G14's Champions Youth Cup

U-19 youth teams from 14 of the world's greatest football clubs have signed up to play in a new international youth tournament called the Champions Youth Cup, to take place in Malaysia from 5-19 August 2007 as part of Visit Malaysia Year and the South East Asian country's 50th Merdeka independence celebrations The tournament will see Europe's AC Milan, Ajax Amsterdam, Arsenal FC, CA Boca Juniors, Chelsea FC, CR Flamengo, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, FC Porto, Internazionale FC, Juventus FC, Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain and PSV Eindhoven bring their U-19 teams to play alongside national youth teams from Qatar and Malaysia.

Four groups of four teams will play round robin matches in Alor Setar, Kuantan, Melaka and Kuching with the knockout stages held in Kuala Lumpur and the final at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday 19 August. The Tournament Draw will take place in Malaysia on 19 April

The inaugural event, supported by the Malaysian Youth and Sports Ministry and Tourism Ministry and backed by the Football Association of Malaysia , was launched by Youth & Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said. “It will be a treat for football fans to watch these exciting matches,” she said.

"The decision to bid for the Champions Youth Cup was endorsed by the Cabinet Committee for Sports and the £2.5 million (about RM17 million) cost has been shared equally by the Sports and Tourism Ministries," reported Christopher Raj in the New Straits Times.

“This is a one-year program and we have the option to renew it ... There is an option for another two years but that will depend on various factors," Minister Said further explained. "We bid for it in 2006 and we obtained the Cabinet Committee’s approval. This is also one way of helping the FA of Malaysia develop its players."

G-14 General Manager, Thomas Kurth, who was present to lend his support, said his organization, which includes 12 of the participating clubs, fully endorsed the tournament. "This tournament was inspired by the clubs themselves who want international competition to develop their young talents and showcase them to the world. "They also want to give something back to the communities that support them in recognition of the passion that fans in Malaysia and across Asia have for them."

Kurth also confirmed that G-14 was committed to developing a programme of development assistance for Malaysian football in partnership with the Ministry of Youth & Sports and FAM and stressed that such a program would be carefully constructed and implemented for long term benefit. "We hope that this tournament will act an inspiration for football in Malaysia, and that in tandem with the Government and the football authorities in Malaysia we can create a genuine legacy," he said.

See also: Malaysia to host youth championship in August (27 Feb)

WSG says one AFF Cup group to play in Vietnam

It appears that the Asian Football Confederation's exclusive commercial partner, the World Sports Group, may have reached an agreement to share the next ASEAN Football Championship with Vietnam's Thanh Nien newspaper group. When Singapore-based Tiger Beer did not renew its 10-year sponsorship of the tournament two years ago, Thanh Nien and Vietnam marketing companies offered to cover the sponsorship providing the event was held in Vietnam and not rotated through other South East Asian nations.

This was rejected by the ASEAN Football Federation and WSG and the 2006-2007 edition was played without a naming sponsor.

Now the newspaper itself reports that one of the two final groups in the next event will be based in Vietnam and said that Ian Mathie, vice chairman of the World Sports Group, had revealed the information to Vietnam media following a meeting with officials from the newspaper and Vietnam Football Federation vice chairman, Le Huu Bang.

Thanh Nien’s editor-in-chief, Nguyen Cong Khe, reportedly again told Mathie that the newspaper wished to become the main sponsor of the event. "But Mathie said his agency had already signed several long-term deals with other partners but agreed to hold further talks for future cooperation."

See also: AFF/WSG back talking to Thanh Nien for AFF Cup (8 Feb) andUS$2M sponsorship still sought for ASEAN Cup (17 Oct 05)

Asian Cup ticket delays leads to phoney vendors

The Asian Foot6ball Confederation is warning fans and media to beware of "certain unauthorized websites" which are illegally selling tickets for the AFC Asian Cup 2007 "which are copyrighted to and owned by AFC as the official organizer of the event." This is despite the facts that "NONE of the AFC Asian Cup 2007 tickets for the four venues are yet available for sale"; "in no circumstances can [legitimate] tickets be resold"; and "any sale of tickets can be undertaken only by AFC licensed and authorised ticket vendors.

AFC has demanded in a letter to a Norwegian-run website and an Australian-run website to "immediately cease the sale and or distribution of AFC Asian Cup 2007 tickets on their websites and desist from all infringement of AFC’s rights in the future by March 5, 2007, failing which AFC will not hesitate to take full recourse to legal avenues to rectify the situation." The AFC also warned the public against purchasing tickets offered on unauthorized websites as these [tickets] "are not legal and will not be honoured by AFC in any manner".

AFC said it will "shortly" announce the date of the official sale of tickets for the matches to be held in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia during 7-29 July 2007.

However, in comparison, the European Football Confederation (UEFA) has already made registrations available for tickets for next year's final rounds of the UEFA European Championships being played in Austria and Switzerland between 7-29 July 2008.

Since bookings were opened on 1 March this year, more than two million ticket requests have been received via www.euro2008.com from 128 countries and applications for tickets will be accepted until midnight on 31 March. The validity of all of the applications received will be checked at beginning of April, with a draw following in the middle of the month to allocate tickets for over-subscribed matches. The draw will be entirely random and supervised by a notary, and all applicants will know by the end of April whether they have been successful.

Thailand wins ASEAN youth championship again

Thailand beat Myanmar 5-4 on penalties to retain the ASEAN Youth Football Championship title, AFCMedia reported. Thai goalkeeper Sompong Yod Ard, deservingly named Best Player, dived to his left and saved Myanmar's Si Thu Tuan's penalty in what was a re-match of the 2005 final which Thailand won 3-0. "Deciding the game on penalties, it could have gone either way, so I feel very lucky to have won," said Thai coach Kawin Kaehendecha.

All AFC MVP Awards renamed after administrator

The Asian Footballl Confederation has renamed its Most Valuable Player award in all its men’s competitions as the Abdullah Al Dabal Award in memory of the late AFC Executive Committee member from Saudi Arabia who passed away in January this year. Al Dabal, who was chairman of the AFC Competitions Committee and AFC Organising Committee for Club Competitions, died on January 27 at the age of 53. None of the published Al Dabal's tributes mention anything about a playing career. Even AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam only mentions that the MVP award will be "a fitting tribute to his tireless efforts to promote Asian football.”

No early return for six jailed Vietnam footballers

Vietnam Football Federation has quashed speculation that six national team players convicted of match fixing will be allowed to return early from suspension and play in this year's South East Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand. Pham Van Quyen, Chau Le Phuoc Vinh, Le Van Truong, Tran Hai Lam, Le Bat Hieu and Huynh Quoc Anh were given suspended jail terms of between two and two-and-a-half years in January for fixing a SEA Games match in 2005. "I can confirm 100 percent the six players will be suspended for at least two years," Nguyen Hai Huong, head of the VFF disciplinary department, was quoted by state media as saying.

Huong admitted that the court's verdict had allowed the players to return to the field, but having suspended another player for the same offence the VFF would not let the others off the hook, he said. Lee Quoc Vuong was jailed for six years and fined $25,600 while Truong Tan Hai was given a three-year term. Ly Quoc Ky, the alleged leader of an illegal gambling syndicate, remains at large. "The six internationals should not receive a milder punishment," he was quoted as saying. The six were found guilty of accepting payment to ensure Vietnam beat minnows Myanmar by a single goal in a SEA Games group match in the Philippines in 2005.

Asian qualifiers for Olympic Football Tournament

Wednesday's second round Asian qualifiers for the Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 saw four teams, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, top their Groups with six points. In Group A Kuwait beat Bahrain 3-0; and Qatar beat hosts Pakistan 2-0. In Group B, Japan beat hosts Malaysia 2-1; and Syria beat hosts Hong Kong 2-0. In Group C, Vietnam beat hosts Indonesia 1-0 at the Mattoangin Stadium in Makassar; and Lebanon beat Oman 1-0. In Group D, Saudi Arabia beat Iran 1-0; and Australia drew with Jordan 1-1 at the Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide. In Group E, Asian top-seed Iraq drew 2-2 with North Korea in Pyongyang; and Thailand beat hosts India 1-0. In Group F, South Korea beat hosts UAE 3-1; and Uzbekistan beat hosts Yemen 1-0.

Match Day 3 will be played on 28 March. The top two teams from the six groups will progress to the third and final stage of qualifying, where 12 nations will be split into three groups. The third stage will be held from August 22 - November 21, with only the three group winners representing Asia at the Beijing Olympic Games.

Group A: 1. Kuwait 4, 2. Qatar 4, 3. Bahrain 3, 4. Pakistan 0
Group B: 1. Japan 6, Syria 6, 3. Malaysia 0, 4. Hong Kong 0
Group C: 1. Vietnam 6, 2. Oman 3, Lebanon 3, Indonesia 0
Group D: 1. Saudi Arabia 6, 2. Australia 2, 3. Jordan 1, 4. Iran 1
Group E: 1. Iraq 4, 2. DPR Korea 4, 3. Thailand 3, 4. India 0
Group F: 1. Korea Republic 6, 2. Uzbekistan 6, 3. Yemen 0, 4. UAE 0

AFC Player of the Year points system revised

The Asian Football Confederation has revised its Most Valuable Player points system which is used to determine the AFC Player of the Year. The eligibility criteria for selecting the best player of Asia underwent a "major and scientific" revision in 2006 and the winner, Khalfan Ibrahim of Qatar, was chosen on the basis of a weighted ranking system which took into account the number of MVP nominations earned in key AFC, FIFA and UEFA competitions. According to AFCMedia the MVP points system which is proposed to be used this year is as follows:

National Team matches

FIFA World Cup Finals -60 points
FIFA World Cup qualification (group and final round) - 25 points
AFC Asian Cup Finals - 40 points
AFC Asian Cup qualification (group and final round) - 25 points
AFC Challenge Cup - 20 points
Olympic Football Competition Finals - 30 points
Olympic Football Competition qualification (group and final round) - 20 points

Club matches

AFC Champions League - 20 points
AFC Cup - 15 points
AFC President’s Cup - 10 points
UEFA Champions League - 20 points
UEFA Cup - 15 points

No points will be awarded for the MVP nominations in inter-continental competitions (example: AFC-OFC, AFC-UEFA) as these are considered friendly matches.

Youth invitational on Australia's holiday Gold Coast

Now in its 11th year, the Gold Coast Champions Cup held in Queensland, Australia, has welcomed teams from every Australian State and Territory and international teams from Wales, Nigeria, Taiwan, New Caledonia, Cook Islands, Samoa and New Zealand. The next event, from 29 September - 6 October 2007, will be conducted in three sections: the Wallaroo Cup (U-8 and U-9), the Champions Cup (U-10 to U-16) and the Downunder Cup Invitational (U-16). The closing date for entry is 1 July 2007. Further details from: T: +61 (0)7 5530 4206; F: +61 (0)7 5525-2971; M: www.championsyouthcup.com; E: championscup@hotmail.com

Mahindra Utd finesse wins AFC Cup games for Goa

Mumbai-based Indian champion club Mahindra United has opted to play all its AFC Cup matches at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, in the Indian state of Goa. “The crowd, atmosphere and facilities have attracted us to Goa, time and again. When we had to look at an alternate venue (besides Mumbai), we could not look beyond Goa,” the club's manager Henry Menezes told the Goa Herald. But, with the Asian Football Confederation extremely reluctant to allot matches to venues that do not have direct flights, Menezes had a lot of convincing to do during the tournament's preparation meeting at the AFC headquarters, in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year.

“We made a presentation explaining why Goa deserved international matches. We could tide over the fact that there were no direct flights explaining that international airports at Mumbai and Bangalore were just 45 minutes away,” explained Menezes. When that didn’t seem to cut much ice with the AFC officials, Menezes had ready statistics to back his claim that Goa was truly an international venue. “Goa has hosted over 40 international matches. That’s really a big number,” says Menezes.

The coup came during a break in the club conclave, Menezes sold the Goa idea to representatives from Singapore, Hong Kong and Maldives – all from Mahindra’s Group F — "leaving AFC officials with no option but to nod in agreement".

New Zealand and Townsville vie for A-League spot

Football Federation Australia has reportedly received New Zealand Soccer's proposal to obtain the vacant eighth A-League club licence that became available after last year's termination of the Auckland-based New Zealand Knights franchise because of insolvency issues.

Following extensive discussions with three New Zealand-based consortiums, FFA offered NZS the license and left it to the sporting body to find a financially viable sub-licensee. NZS is now applying on behalf of a Wellington-based consortium whose head, John Dow, was last night reportedly meeting with potential investors to finalise a minumum A$1.1 million cash in the bank to secure the rights for the New Zealand national capital. "We're getting close to a final position," he said.

However FFA has also engaged in discussions with the Tropical Football Australia group in Townsville, North Queensland and may now compare its submission with New Zealand's. So advanced is TFA's bid, they've already appointed a coach - ironically New Zealand legend Wynton Rufer. Last year they successfully staged a tournament in Rockhampton, Ayr and Townsville with A-League clubs Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory, the Australian U-20 Joey's and a China Super League team - to test regional interest, support and capabilities.

NZS CEO Graham Seatter believes the Kiwis have met all of the financial obligations set by the FFA. "After a lot of hard work we believe we have made a strong submission and now it is up to the FFA to make a call tomorrow," Seatter said. "We realise this is a two-horse race now and that the licence isn't ours exclusively," he told media.

Japanese players being attracted to USA's MLS

Takehito Nakamura, who works in international business for Soccer United Marketing, the New-York based marketing arm of Major League Soccer, is aiming to introduce more Japanese players to the USA competition. "I strongly believe it is going to happen more often and is something I would like to be fully involved in," he told James Mulligan of The Japan Times. "My task is international and within that Asia is a market. I deal heavily with teams, agents and the Japan Football Association and, through conversations and being introduced to different players, cases of players coming over can happen. We don't do scouting, it is more to do with relationships and business."

With MLS entering its 12th season and the J. League in its 15th, Nakamura believes there are a lot of similarities between the two leagues. "But when I go to Japan people say the MLS is not good, and when I am in the States people say the J. League is poor, but both don't know about each other enough. My task is to engage Asia to the MLS and export the MLS to Asia."

Nakamura believes the salary cap in the MLS may be an obstruction for recruiting top Japanese players, but a career in America has its advantages for youngsters, who may be attracted by the emphasis placed on a college education, the focus on a secondary career outside of soccer, as well as the relative anonymity enjoyed by the players. "If a player craves fame, then maybe it is not the place for them," he said.

Australian sports warned against alcohol sponsors

Sponsorship of elite sports by beer and spirit brewers must be banned if Australia is to tackle its problem with alcohol, Professor Peter Baume, a former federal health minister, warned on the 30th anniversary of his landmark drug and alcohol inquiry which labelled Australia an intoxicated nation.

Prof Baume said much had changed since the influential 1977 report was handed down warning that legal and illicit drug problems were of "endemic proportions". Smoking rates have dropped, heroin deaths have declined and there has been "movement towards moderation" in alcohol consumption, he said.

"But there is still too much drinking," Prof Baume said during his retrospective address delivered in Sydney. "There is still too much sponsorship of elite sport by drug companies in the form of brewers, distillers and tobacco companies."

He said the major football codes in capital cities were still underwritten by beer companies, and other major events, like the Melbourne Cup, also had alcohol sponsorship. "They cannot claim ignorance now of the lethal effects of their products.Their behaviour is outrageous, both here and in the third world and represents bad corporate citizenship. And our society acquiesces and allows it to happen."

England League extends Coca-Cola sponsorship

The Football League of England, which represents the three professional leagues below the FA Premier League in that country and which claims to be the third or fourth most watched football competition in Europe, has extended its naming rights sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola until the end of the 2009/10 season. Coca-Cola began its partnership with the League in 2004 and the three-year extension is a significant rise on the previous agreement.

League chairman Lord Brian Mawhinney said: "The previous sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola was the largest with which the League has been involved. This has now been eclipsed by the new sponsorship deal. It is hard to convey how important this new contract is for the Football League."

Mawhinney also insisted the League could continue to prosper despite the ever-increasing wealth and profile of the Premiership. "When running the Football League, you are always conscious of the elephant in the room, which is the Premiership. They are bigger than us, they have more money than us, and they are going to have even more money than we do. But it is probable that about 16 million fans will go through the turnstiles at our grounds this season, and that shows we are not an irrelevance."

J.League clubs focussing on community and youth

Kenji Onitake, chairman of Japan's professional J. League, recently spoke to James Mulligan of The Japan Times. Onitake joined Yanmar Diesel Engine Co Ltd in 1962 and played for the Yanmar team until 1967, making his name as a right winger. After retirement took over as manager of the team from 1967 to 1978, leading the club to a hat trick of Japan Soccer League titles and Emperor's Cups, before taking up various executive positions within the Yanmar organisation. With the advent of the J. League in 1993, Onitake led Yanmar to become a professional club and was named the first president of Cerezo Osaka in the year the league began, before resigning to become J. League vice chairman in 2004. He took the reigns as the third J. League chairman in July last year and is now presiding over his first full season in charge.

On J.League potential

To tell you the exact number of spectators at J.League matches last year, there were 8,363,963, which means, on average, 58 percent of J1 stadiums' capacity and a little less than 40 percent of the J2 stadiums' capacity. The plan is for the J.League to have 11 million spectators a year by 2010.

On community relations and youth development

The most important thing is that for each club to be rooted in the community. The club must be part of peoples' lives in the community, something people can't afford to lose in their lives. In the community, we foster the development of an environment, which we call an academy, where youngsters, from kids to about 21-year-olds, can enjoy sport. And soccer should be one of those sports. We never think of competing with other sports. We aim to foster kids in the community through the sport. All kids do not have to play soccer.

In Japan, there is always competition in all the levels of soccer -- from elementary school to college or company league. They always want to win in a team, even if it is just in elementary school soccer. Winning as a team in all levels is the most important thing for them, their mission. Always win, win, win ... But they'll get tired of competing by the time they become adults. We think youngsters' goals should be winning at the highest level, as grownups, not trying to win in every level. They shouldn't be focused just to try to win until becoming adults.

The J.League has been trying to foster youth in each community and winning is not important at this stage. After, they'll go to the community's J.League club as adults and try to win. The top club's manager must think of winning. But until then, fostering kids is more important than just trying to win.

Japanese teams of 10-year-old kids can beat Germany, France and other European clubs. Their kids' teams are weak. But for the adult teams, they'll beat Japan. Why is that? They do individual training. But we do team training and that's wrong. For kids, technique and individual tactics are important. But coaches try to make kids fit the team. But this is changing. Futsal (fewer players, smaller pitches) and small-sided games are very effective with youngsters.

The J.League and Japan Football Association organise all kinds of soccer. Some communities are led by J.League and others by JFA. And we have a close relationship with each other. We'll have the new futsal league this fall. You can play futsal anywhere even on the tennis court or the roof of the buildings. Kids watch the adults play it and they will also play. By doing this, they can improve their technique.

I believe there is a lot of potential among the 10-year-old kids. We need coaches that can find their potential and train those kids properly. This year, very young players went to Europe, (18-year-old) Sho Ito and (20-year-old) Tsukasa Umesaki. They grew up after the J. League started. So, in 10 years' time, the situation will be a lot different. So, maybe 10 years or 20 years from now, I hope . . . (laughs). But seriously, it's step by step.

Mind the gap

From two or three years prior to the start of the J.League in 1993, we started to prepare the launch of the professional league. But Japan soccer has about an 80- to 100-year history. Before we established the J.League, we studied sports management in Europe and the United States, especially the four major sports of North America. In Europe, soccer has a more than 100-year history. So we also studied the development and evolution of soccer there.

We decided to go with the one-stage system by watching the trends of leagues around the world and decided the league competition of soccer be continued the whole season. It can't be helpful (to some clubs) at an early stage. But we have to work hard to close the gap. For example, in an 18-team league, the top six compete for the championship and the bottom six could be demoted to the second division and the other six go either way. The important thing is make an effort to narrow the gap of these three categories. By doing so, we can help make the national team compete at the top level of the world and the club management also can improve.

Man United restaurants ready to expand into India

The Manchester United Restaurant & Bar concept is ready to kick-off in India, John Lim, CEO, Manchester United Food and Beverage Asia-Pacific told John Sarkar and Shubham Mukerjee of the Economic Times. "India is a strategic country to help us grow in Asia-Pacific. We see a growing interest in soccer. We believe the country has to mature into watching other sports and the trend shows that India is following other sports like soccer, golf and tennis,” he said.

"We are new in this businesses and want to have a footprint in the entire Asia-Pacific. So we are working in all countries, practically simultaneously. We have a 10,000 sq feet restaurant and bar in Jakarta and a 3000 sq feet bar in Bandung, both in Indonesia and are currently negotiating with possible franchisees in Korea, India and Japan. We estimate that for Asia-Pacific, India would contribute 30% of the total revenues.”

Anu Handa, India representative for Manchester United F&B added, “We are looking for franchisees with a minimum of 3000 sq feet area and the break even for each could be about three months.”

Discovering Liverpool's "massive" Asian fan base

When George Gillett and Tom Hicks, the new American owners of English Premier League club Liverpool, spoke about their plans to raise the club’s profile in Asia, James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo sought out the views of Asia's major promotors of European football to test the assumptions. ESPN STAR Sports is now in its sixth year of showing the Premier League and has just landed significant Asian rights for the next three years. The Singapore-based broadcaster is a joint venture between ESPN, America’s largest cable sports broadcaster and News Corporation Limited.

ESPN STAR Sports commentator and former England and Liverpool star, Steve McMahon, knows better than most what vast business potential there is for English football in Asia. “It really is crazy,” he told Pearce. “We came over to do the FA Cup final on site in Cardiff last year and our box was next to the BBC’s. Our producer and myself were chatting to Alan Hansen and his producer and out of interest I asked them what kind of viewing figures the BBC would get. He said it was pretty good and they were looking at between 15 and 16 million. I asked our producer what ratings we would get and he said about 600 million – that just highlights the scale of what we’re talking about. The viewing figures in Asia are on a different planet and there’s a huge market. People I speak to in England just can’t get their head around how many people are watching.”

Presenter and commentator John Dykes said: “On any given Premier League match night we hit as many as 150 million households, so if you multiply that by the number in each household you get some idea of our audience. We’ve also got research that suggests around 70% of Asian viewers watch matches in either bars or food courts. On a Saturday we show three live matches in a row on one channel and on our other channel we’ll have two more matches. On a Sunday we show two live matches and then there are our preview and review shows during the week. Our relationship with Sky Sports means we’re able to use their material. When we do a Saturday night, we will be sitting in Singapore with a couple of guests and we always have a guest live in our London studio.”

Executive producer Andy Tait said: “Singaporeans aren’t a great gauge of your average Asian football fan as they tend to be a bit quieter and reserved. But when we get out around Asia to do the roadshows, the level of recognition on the streets is incredible. Steve gets mobbed everywhere he goes. In Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia they are bonkers and will happily queue up outside a hotel lobby for five hours to get Steve’s autograph.”

While Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have actively targeted the lucrative Asian market, Liverpool have been slower to react and are now eager to make up for lost time. But despite their rivals’ best efforts to change fans’ allegiances, McMahon insists the Reds’ deep rooted popularity across the continent remains undiminished. “It was interesting to hear the new owners saying they see Asia as a big focal point for the future,” he said. “They are going to target that market and rightly so. Despite the lack of Premiership success in the last two decades, Liverpool are still arguably the biggest club in Asia. You get some Chelsea and Arsenal fans but in general people either follow Liverpool or Man United. When I travel around, I’m shocked by how popular Liverpool are. The club means a lot to so many people and it’s all down to history. I think people in England can be cocooned and don’t appreciate what massive opportunities there are.”

Presenter Dykes added: “I lived in Hong Kong in the 80s and back then the only football we got was the occasional English live match and a one hour weekly highlights show. As that was Liverpool’s hey-day, they really won the hearts of football fans. Some people may think Asians change their team depending on who wins the title each year but what’s extraordinary is the loyalty they’ve demonstrated. Support for Liverpool has been passed down generations and if they’ve got their wits about them Liverpool will capitalise on that now.”

Each club has approached the Asian market in a different way. Manchester United have opened up superstores and embarked on lucrative pre-season tours. Arsenal have franchised out soccer schools throughout the continent, while Chelsea struck a deal through the Asian Football Confederation to develop their brand in China. The partnership includes a Chinese language website and player exchanges.

“With the biggest TV audience for the Premiership in the world, it’s no surprise that there’s so much interest from British clubs,” Dykes said. “Man United have worked tremendously hard to establish themselves in Asia and have tried to saturate the market. But without really doing anything Liverpool still have this massive support. The big clubs have gone about it in different ways so it will be interesting to see what Liverpool do.”

Pres Hamman reelected at AFC, VP Chung at FIFA

Qatar's Mohamed Bin Hammam has won a second four-year term as Asian Football Confederation president. Hammam was the only candidate for the post by Thursday's 1700 deadline, which enabled him to retain the presidency unopposed. He will be sworn in on 8 May at the AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur. Hammam, 58, has previously hinted at standing for the FIFA presidency once Joseph Sepp Blatter of Switzerland steps down, Reuters reported.

Chung Mong-joon, a vice president of FIFA, has been reelected to another four-year term to that body. Chung, who became a FIFA vice president for the first time in 1994, is concurrently president of the Korea Football Association. He is reportedly considering running for the FIFA presidency in 2011 although incumbent Blatter has expressed his intention to seek reelection this year.

China not confident of Europe-based player recalls

The China Football Association has sent letters to seven European football clubs recalling Chinese international players for Asian Cup warm-up games late in March. Right-back Sun Jihai of Manchester City, left-back Sun Xiang of PSV Eindhoven, midfielder Zheng Zhi of Charlton, striker Dong Fangzhuo of Manchester United, midfielder Shao Jiayi of Energie Cottbus, midfielder Li Tie of Sheffield United and Shi Jun in Sweden are on the name list of group training in run-up to the warm-ups. China, ninth-ranked in Asia, will play against second-ranked Australia in Guangzhou on 24 March, a FIFA-designated interational game day and fifth-placed Uzbekistan three days later.

"We need the best lineup as the Asian Cup is nearing," said head coach Zhu Guanghu, "The Europe-experiencing national players will play key roles at the Cup so we must take every chance to get them trained with the rest of the team." The head coach added Australia was also trying to recall their national players in Europe.

An insider with the China national team is worried that the recall may be ineffective. "The fact is those clubs our internationals are playing for are not in a very good state. They need to safeguard what they had already got," he said told Coldness Kwan of China Daily.

Korea's Suwon joins Chelsea, Galaxy in LA series

Three-time South Korean K-League champion Suwon Bluewings, US Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy two-time English Premier League champions Chelsea FC and Mexican Primera Division club Tigres UANL will play in a self-proclaimed "World Series of Football" this 17 and 21 July at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, USA. "Matches like this are the next step to providing MLS clubs, in particular the Galaxy, credibility throughout the world and proof that US soccer can compete against the best clubs," said AEG President and CEO Tim Leiweke.

Each team will play a pair of games during the tournament. In addition to playing the Galaxy, Chelsea and Tigres will both face Suwon. Chelsea and Tigres will not face each other, nor will the Galaxy and Suwon. The teams will be awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. The team with the most points after two games will be declared the champion, and in the event of a tie, the winner will be determined first by goal differential, then goals scored, and then goals allowed, with a coin flip being the last option.

The World Series of Football was first staged in 2005 and included Chelsea, AC Milan, D.C. United and the Chicago Fire. A year ago, Chelsea came to the United States for preseason training and to play the best of MLS in the 2006 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game, falling 1-0 in that tilt.

AEG and Chelsea entered into a partnership in March 2006. The alliance includes programs related to and exchanges involving young players, coaching and medicine. The agreement also dictates extensive involvement from Chelsea in the sport in the United States at both the grassroots and professional levels.

Krautzun steps down from Chinese women's team

German coach Eckhard Krautzun has stepped down as an adviser to China's women's football team due to ill health. "I hope to come back to China one day, but right now I must take care of my health," he told China Daily. With head coach Ma Liangxing also away with health problems, the China team currently playing in the Algarve Cup in southern Portugal is being managed by caretaker coach Wang Haiming. Krautzun, viewed as a possible replacement to Ma or Wang, joined the Chinese women in January as a consultant. He never coached women before but coached a half dozen Bundesliga teams, and five national teams - Canada, South Korea, Tunisia, Kenya and the Philippines - men's youth teams in China.

The Peoples Republic of China will host the 16-team women's World Cup in September and the country's women's team is among the favorites in a wide-open field that also includes strong teams like Germany, Sweden, Norway, North Korea, Brazil and the United States.

Thailand FA president's sudden resignation

Vijit Getkaew has stepped down as head of the Football Association of Thailand after serving 12 years since succeeding Gen Chalor Kerdthes as the Association's 10th president in 1995. His shock resignation comes just 10 days ahead of FAT's general assembly and is reportedly shrouded in mystery. FAT's secretary-general Worawi Makudi said Vijit resigned because of personal reasons. "He also wanted changes within the FAT, especially in the working structure that will benefit Thai soccer in the future," he said. According to The Nation newspaper, it is rumoured that Vijit's departure was a result of conflicts among executive members which he failed to control. Vijit will remain as caretaker president, while an election and the general assembly are held on 18 March. "It is likely that Worawi will step into Vijit's shoes, while BEC Tero Sasana's team manager Ong-art Korsinkha is expected to become the secretary-general," the newspaper commented.

Vietnam coach's kidney transplant "successful"

Vietnamese media reported that national team coach Austrian Alfred Riedl had undergone a successful kidney transplant on Wednesday in Vienna, Austria. AFCMedia said a Vietnamese, whose name was withheld, was the donor and the coach was recovering well. Riedl is expected to return to Vietnam early April at the end of his 70-day leave and help the team prepare for the AFC Asian Cup 200 for which they have been slotted against defending champions Japan, Qatar and the UAE in Group B.

Mahendra Police Club wins 2007 Nepal league title

Mahendra Police Club defeated Tribhuwan Army Club 2-0 to clinch the Nepal League title. The win also helped them book a ticket to Lahore, Pakistan, for the AFC President’s Cup to be played from 17 to 27 May. “I am happy that our hard work paid off. We worked hard throughout the season and we played our natural game today. TAC’s defensive strategy also gave an edge to us,” an elated MPC coach Krishna Shrestha told AFCMedia. MPC received a cash prize of Nepalese rupees two million (US$29,600) while the runners-up got half that amount. Former champions Three Star Club downed Jawalakhel Youth Club 3-1 to finish third in the league.

FINAL STANDINGS: 1. MPC 65, 2. TAC 63, 3. Three Star Club 57, 4. Manang Marshyangdi Club 55, 5. Armed Police Force 46, 6. Macchindra FC 39, 7. Friends Club 36, 8. New Road Team 35, 9. Sankata Club 31, 10. Rani Pokhari Corner Team 28, 11. Jawalakhel Youth Club 20, 12. Boys Union Club 18, 13. Saraswoti Club 14, 14. Brigade Boys Club 10.

Umbro takes advantage of soaring China sales

Sportswear group Umbro, maker and sponsor of the England football team's kit, today revealed soaring sales in China and announced plans to treble the number of shops there from 1000 to 3000 in the next few years. Umbro, which already sponsors Futsal, China's popular indoor football league, as well as two of its top teams, saw sales in China leap 48% last year, making it the fastest growing market in the world. But excluding China, Asian sales fell 3.5%. Umbro has increased its stake in its Chinese partner from 25% to 40%.

"We've got very ambitious plans to really grow the business in China - eventually it will be our biggest market," Chief executive Peter McGuigan, who owns Morecambe football club, told the Evening Standard. Discounting a payment from Chelsea FC for early termination of a contract which flattered the 2005 figures, profits were up 15.7% at £26.6 million.

ESPN Star Sports presenters back Phuket charity

The ESPN STAR Sports football broadcasting team are to visit the Laguna Phuket in Thailand from 23-25 March to participate in a charity event in support of Phuket’s Life Home Project, a shelter for mothers who are HIV positive and their children where they can live safely in a supportive community. The line up of TV presenters and pundits include Football Crazy’s Andy Penders, PJ Roberts and Sharkee Tan; Football Focus’ John Dykes and Andrew Leci of Here We Go will be joined by in-house football experts Paul Masefield, Jamie Reeves, Shebby Singh and Derek Currie; plus Club EPL’s Charlie Webster.

During their visit Phuket-based English Premier League fans will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the football presenters, and simultaneously donate to a worthy cause. On Saturday 24 March, the celebrities will be playing in a charity golf tournament at Laguna Phuket Golf Club followed by a charity dinner and quiz night at Laguna Holiday Club Resort’s @Seventeenth restaurant in support of the Life Home Project. Golfers will make up a team of four with one of the EPL celebrities, while dinner guests will be seated on tables together with one guest celebrity, who will no doubt prove a great asset during the after-dinner Football Quiz conducted by host emcee John Dykes.

Golf and Dinner Packages are available to Laguna Phuket Golf Club members at THB 5,000 per person and THB 6,500 for non-members. The charity dinner and quiz night will be limited to 100 guests with dinner only tickets inclusive of wine and beer available at THB 2,500 per person. Entry to the golf tournament and tickets for the dinner will be sold in advance at the Laguna Phuket Golf Club pro-shop.

Sydney win over Shanghai makes Australian history

Sydney FC became the first Australian club to secure a win in the AFC Champions League in a 2-1 suprise against Group E host Shanghai Shenhua. The defeat caps a horror start to 2007 for last year's China Super League runners-up which was bought-out by local billion Zhu Jun just before the new season for 150 million yuan (US$19.3 million) and forced to merge with cross-town rival Shanghai United FC.

Uruguayan coach Osvaldo Gimenez, the manager of the old United, took over the management of Shenhua from the much-loved Wu Jingui and only four Shenhua players made it to the starting eleven of the combined team which faced Beijing Guoan in the first game of the new season. It was no surprise to Shenhua fans that their team was beaten for the first time on its home turf by the capital city outfit since the professional league was launched in 1994.

In the other Group E game, the Emperor's Cup and J-League champions Urawa Reds prevailed 3-0 over Indonesia's Persik Kediri.

In Group A Al Zawra'a beat hosts Al Arabi 1-0; Al Wahda beat Al Rayyan 1-0. In Group B, Al Hilal drew 1-1 with Al Kuwait. In Group C, Al Karama defeated Al Sadd 2-1 and Neftchi downed Al Najaf 1-0. In Group D, Sepahan beat Al Ittihad 2-1; Al Shabab beat Al Ain 2-0.

In Group F, Kawasaki Frontale beat Arema Malang 3-1; Bangkok University drew 0-0 with Chunnam Dragons. In Group G Adelaide United kicked an own goal at home to give Shandong Luneng the three points; Seongnam Chunma defeated Dong Tam Long An 4-1 in blizzard conditions in Korea.

Mahindra Utd and Singapore's SAFFC cooperate

After India's Mahindra United pulled off a surprise 2-0 victory in their away AFC Cup group match against Singapore Armed Forces Football Club, the S.League champion invited MU to participate in a four or six-team international championship this year. In addition, the Singapore premier club has proposed an official tie-up between the two clubs for youth development programs. “We have been trying to promote our youth development program for the last couple of years. Despite having finalised discussions with a top Italian club and the renowned Ronaldinho academy in recent times, the ventures had to be set aside due to unavoidable reasons. So, I was thrilled when SAFFC’s manager and other top executives sent a proposal asking if it would be possible for Mahindra United to participate in an international invitational championship this year," MU's Alan Durante told Sudeep Pakrashi of Express India.

Not content with the Singapore-based tournament which will include teams from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Maldives, then Mumbai-based MU is also planning a Super Soccer Series on the lines of the recently revived Tata Football Academy - Indian Football Association event played in Kerala, Delhi and Bengal which included Brazil's Sao Paulo. “Yes we are moving towards the venture where a top European club team is expected to participate in a few exhibition matches with India’s premier teams including Mahindra United and we are trying to make it an annual program,” Durante confirmed.

Malaysian FA and Govt support youth programs

The Football Association of Malaysia and the Malaysian Ministry of of Youth and Sports have formed a partnership to launch of the football component of the Core Sports Program. Around 120 coaches from all over the country took part in a Core Sports Coaching Seminar providing special training for handling of players between the ages of 12-years-old and 15-years-old. “Any partnership with sport associations will have to be a smart partnership where we can no longer stick to the old system of them asking for funds and we just giving it to them,” said Dato’ Azalina Dato’ Othman Said, the Minister for Youth and Sports. “It has to be long-term in nature and where the government must be involved at the grassroots level and I believe the current age category is important in the development of future football players.”

According to the FAM website, the Association currently has 14 Academies under its wings with 25 players at each centre. There are also 63 Tunas Cemerlang centres all over the country with 30 players taking part at each centre for a total of 1890 players. This number is still considered below optimum. “We are creating a new structure at the base first and hopefully with time, quality and results will come from what we have started,” said His Royal Highness Tengku Abdullah Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, the deputy president of the FAM. “It is a stepping stone and along with better quality coaches as well as the scientific inputs from the National Sports Council, it will help in the development of our future players.”

Man Utd signs Spanish property group sponsors

Spanish commercial giants Grupo 2002 and ASC have become the latest Platinum Partner of English Premier League club Manchester United, through their subsidiary property company Royal Resorts Sports and Leisure. The multi-million pound, five-year deal will launch the residential projects, using the Club’s global marketing platform. The partnership will see the establishment of promotional areas at Old Trafford, as well as stadium advertising, web promotion and direct marketing to build a recognised and trusted brand.

Grupo 2002, chaired by José Ramón Caraba, is composed of around thirty companies with interests in the real estate, financial and service sectors. ASC, chaired by Pablo Abad Anderson, is a family group with twelve years of experience in the international market and is focused on services in the real estate, financial and business sectors. The group is present in Europe and Asia.

Manchester United chief executive David Gill has confirmed the cash generated by the Royals Resort deal will help finance any major transfer market moves in the summer.

Chinese consortium may buy Shefield Wednesday

English Championship club Sheffield Wednesday reportedly has confirmed that talks are continuing with a Chinese consortium about a takeover following Owls chairman Dave Allen's meeting with a Chinese party, headed by a multi-millionaire casino owner. "They have been talking again with the chairman. Dialogue is ongoing. There are a number of other parties that have been in contact about the possibility of investing money," a club spokesman told the BBC.

Allen, chairman at Hillsborough since 2003, first revealed he was keen to hand over control to someone who could wipe out the club's £26 million debts at the turn of the year. He said at the time: "We are not looking for small-time people, we are looking for a mega-rich businessman like Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, who want to buy a football club for a hobby. "This man has made money from casinos overseas and has vast wealth."

Arsenal and HAGL confirm Vietnam Academy deal

English Premier League club Arsenal and Vietnamese V-League club Hoang Anh Gia Lai have confirmed a technical and marketing partnership to develop the north London club’s presence in Asia. The partnership will lead to the establishment and operation of an Arsenal elite football academy in Vietnam, technical support for the HAGL football team and various commercial, marketing and business support for the Vietnamese club. Arsenal will also use the partnership as an opportunity to further develop club-related marketing and merchandising initiatives along with community outreach soccer school activities in Vietnam.

Keith Edelman, Arsenal Managing Director said ‘It is the first venture of its kind by any major football club into Vietnam, a territory which is renowned for its love of football and we are delighted to have found a partner who shares the same goals as us — to develop the local game at all levels and help provide the foundations for the Club to have a genuine presence in the region’.

Arsenal Manager Arsène Wenger said "We try to extend Arsenal in many territories, but in a way where we can make a difference with our technical cooperation. Of course, we want to develop future talent but I also support the local benefits of a great project which gives a chance to young players who have a dream. Our venture in Thailand and now Vietnam will show us if it's true that with the same quality of work, Asian players are as capable of making a career in Europe where you have a selection of the best players in the world’.

Mr Duc, Chairman of Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC said ‘’We are delighted that such a prestigious and historic club as Arsenal is undertaking this joint venture with HAGL FC. Our club is looking forward to working with Arsenal to develop football in Vietnam and establish links which could in time open the door for Vietnamese players to play in England. Vietnamese football will greatly benefit from the experience and expertise of Arsenal and in turn Arsenal’s presence will expand in Asia through this partnership”.

The development of an Arsenal Academy in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai in conjunction with JMG will begin immediately on a 300 hectare site with the primary aim of developing the standard of football in the region. Academy players will also receive a high quality school education at the site. The structure mirrors the academies which Arsenal and JMG operate in Thailand and the one which Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue attended in the Ivory Coast. Arsenal will invite HAGL technical staff to its Hertfordshire training centre to study training methods and in turn will send representatives to Vietnam for significant periods to impose best practices both on and off-field.

IFAB Criteria for goal-line technology and hijabs

At its 121st Annual General Meeting in Manchester, the International Football Association Board, the guardian of the 'Laws of the Game', set down criteria for all future experiments involving goal-line technology. Any proposed system seeking IFAB approval must meet the following four principles: the technology should apply only to goal-line technology; the system must be 100% accurate; the indication of whether or not the ball has crossed the line must be instantaneous between the system and the referee; and the signal is communicated only to the match officials. The Board also received a presentation from adidas/Cairos and England's FA Premier League on two different systems.

Among the other items discussed:

++ the next IFAB Sub-Committee will establish a common protocol for dealing with injured players;
++ the board stressed that any pitch-side monitors should not be visible from the technical areas;
++ FIFA raised the intentional use of elbows and presented the guidance to referees ahead of the FIFA World Cup. It was accepted that these guidelines should be uniformly applied.
++ Artificial pitches should be green in colour. This will be integrated into the FIFA Quality Concept.
++ A protocol for referees’ communication systems was established, specifying that the system should only link the match officials, that it is not broadcast and that it is not recorded.

The Board approved changes to the wording of the Laws of the Game in the following areas:

++ Prohibiting any type of advertising on the ground within the technical area;
++ Any undershirts or undershorts must be the same main colour as the player’s kit;
++ The player’s equipment must not carry any political, religious or personal statements;
++ A reserve assistant referee may be appointed under competitions rules but would only become involved if one of the assistant referees is unable to continue
++ A player may not celebrate a goal by covering their head or face by a mask or similar item

Under Any Other Business, the following issues were discussed:

++ A proposal by FIFA for two additional assistant referees was referred to the IFAB Sub-Committee for further study.
++ The wearing of a hijab is already covered by Law 4 on Players’ Equipment.

The IFAB is composed of representatives from the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as FIFA. The four British associations have one vote apiece, while FIFA, representing its 203 other members, has four votes, with any proposal requiring a three-quarter majority (i.e six of the eight votes) to be approved.

During a short, post-meeting news conference, reported by Chris Cobb of CanWest News Service, "members of the board seemed uncomfortable talking about the hijab issue and hurried away afterwards, refusing to give interviews to reporters" who were pressing for clarification of their position on hijabs.

Canadian interest was high because of the case of eleven-year-old Nepean Hotspurs player Asmahan ‘Azzy’ Mansour who was ordered by a referee to remove her hijab during a tournament in Laval, Quebec. The girl was banned from the competition by a Muslim referee after she refused to remove the headwear. The young girl’s team forfeited the game in protest after she was sent off.

"If you play football, there’s a set of laws and rules and Rule Four outlines basic equipment," said Brian Barwick, chief executive of the English Football Association, during the news conference. Rule Four lists basic football equipment — jerseys, socks and shin guards, goalie caps — as acceptable but adds: “A player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous to himself or any other player (including any kind of jewelry).”

“It’s absolutely right to be sensitive to people’s thoughts and philosophies but equally there has to be a set of laws that are adhered to and we favour Law Four being adhered to," cautioned Barwick.

IFAB spokesman Adrian Bevington told Canadian media it wasn’t the IFAB’s policy to comment on the decisions of individual referees and therefore could not say whether the Laval referee’s decision had been correct or not. FIFA spokesman Pekka Odriozola would not comment on the Mansour case either but said: “A referee has to apply the laws of the game and has to check players’ equipment. What a player can, or cannot wear is already covered."

Malaysia looking for coaches for women's team

The Football Association of Malaysia is currently in search of suitable candidates to fill the posts of head coach of the women’s national team and the assistant coach. The national women’s team is being prepared for the SEA Games which will be held in December 2007. The posts are open to both local and foreign coaches with the qualification requirements stated below:

Qualification requirements for Head Coach: Open to either male or female coaches with AFC/FAM A-Licence, Preferably ex-national or state/club player, At least three (3) years coaching experience, Good working attitude, Computer literate and good communication skills, and Knowledge of women football in Malaysia and the rest of the world .

Qualification requirements for Assistant Coach: Open to either male or female coaches with AFC/FAM C-Licence, At least three (3) years coaching experience, Good working attitude, Computer literate and good communication skills, and Knowledge of women football in Malaysia and the rest of the world .

Interested candidates are invited to submit detailed resume stating their expected salary and also a detailed plan for Women Football in Malaysia to: The General Secretary, Football Association of Malaysia, Wisma FAM, Jalan SS 5A/9, Kelana Jaya, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by 15 March 2007.

2007 AFC Champions League kicks-off Wednesday

The inclusion of two Australian teams has added a new dimension to this season’s AFC Champions League, which kicks off with 13 matches in 12 different countries. Sydney FC and Adelaide United will both make their debuts in Asia’s premier club competition, which will be contested over eight months by 28 teams from 15 countries. “It’s an historic event for Australian football,” Sydney captain Mark Rudan told the Sydney Morning Herald. “All of the Sydney players involved will be able to look back on their careers and say we, along with Adelaide United, were the first to represent Australia in this event. The players realise only too well how important an occasion it is.”

Most of Australia’s top internationals are based in Europe and because the Champions League draw was finalised before the end of the 2007 season, the country’s leading club Melbourne Victory, will not be included until next season. The two Australian teams are also drawn in the toughest half of the draw, alongside other teams from ASEAN and East Asia, who make up three of the seven groups. The remaining four groups are made up of teams from West and Central and South Asia. Sydney, who qualified by winning the inaugural A-League championship in 2006, were drawn in Group E along with teams from China, Japan and Indonesia while Adelaide are in Group F with clubs from China, South Korea and Vietnam.

Factbox on the 2007 AFC Champions League.

* The AFC Champions League is Asia’s premier club competition with the winners representing the Asian Football Confederation in the FIFA Club World Championship.

* The competition dates back to the 1967 Asian Champions Cup won by Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel. In 2002, the Championship was merged with the Asian Cup Winners Cup to form the AFC Champions League.

* Eighteen different clubs have won the title since 1967, including seven which have won it twice. No club has won the tournament three times. South Korea have been the most successful country in the competition, providing seven winners.

* The 2007 tournament will be contested by 28 teams from 15 countries in the region – Australia, China, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudia Arabia, South Korea, Syria, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

* Teams qualified for the tournament either by winning their national or their national cup competition.

* The defending champions, Chonbuk Motors of South Korea, advance automatically to the quarter-finals.

* The remaining 27 teams are split into six groups of four and one group of three. Originally there were seven groups of four but Group B was reduced to three teams after Esteghal Tehran of Iran was disqualified for failing to fulfill the competition’s player registration requirements.

* Each of the seven groups will stage a home-and-away round-robin competition between March and May. The seven group winners will join Chonbuk Motors in the quarter-finals.

* The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be played as a knockout competition, with each stage played over two home-and-away legs in September, October and November.

Thailand needs "professional league" to develop

An exodus of Thai players to foreign leagues has been described as "an ominous sign for a country regarded as a regional powerhouse, but lagging in the development of the game." Listing coaches Witaya Laohakul (to Tori Tori in Japan's third division under a lucrative three-year contract worth around Bt18 million plus bonuses) and Chatchai Paholpat (to the V-League's Hoang Anh Gia Lai, receiving around Bt200,000-Bt300,000 a month) and dynamic midfielder Datsakorn Thonglao (also to Hoang Anh Gia Lai for about Bt200,000 a month for three years), Kitinan Sanguansak wrote in The Nation that "it seems ridiculous for a country regarded as a kingpin in the region to have players and coaches ply their trade in neighbouring countries."

The answer to the "vexing question" of "why Thailand cannot hold on to its well-known performers" is, he said, that "Thailand's football league continues to stumble along as a semi-professional competition, even though the concerned parties have tried to promote it as a professional one ... [and] cannot survive without financial support from the government ...

"The foundation of a professional league is central to the development of football in any country. The obvious thinking is that 'a strong league will strengthen a national team' as the league will produce strong players for the national team. This is clearly illustrated by the progression of Japanese football, which has gone from being a peripheral player to a major force in the region, thanks largely to the growth of the J-League. All of Japan's stars, such as Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura, who have developed into world-class players are a product of their own league," he argued.

Thai stadium may be ready just 3-weeks before cup

Thailand has again promised the Asian Football Confederation that Bangkok's Rajamangala National Stadium will be ready in time for the opening ceremony of the AFC Asian Cup on 7 July. The announcement by Thailand's tourism and sports minister follows months of political maneuvering and a military coup that delayed the approval of a budget to carry out repairs to the stadium, Antara newagency reporyed.

Upgrades to the 60,000-seat facility involve a new playing surface, seats, floodlights and facilities for players, the media and VIPs. A budget of $740,000 was approved after the AFC previously threatened to dump Thailand as a co-host of the Asia Cup however work on the stadium is scheduled for completion by 18 June, just three weeks before the Asia's premier football competition gets underway.

FIFA - SOS Children’s Villages score for children

At the official draw for the its U-20 World Cup 2007, FIFA and long-standing charity beneficiary SOS Children's Villages announced the launch of their latest joint campaign, 'Let's Play, Let's Build', with the aim to raise a further US$2 million to combat the growing HIV/AIDS crisis in southern Africa. "FIFA is delighted to partner up with SOS Children's Villages once again in 2007," said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. "The 'Let's Play, Let's Build' campaign perfectly captures the spirit of solidarity that makes the beautiful game such a powerful beacon of hope and fully reflects FIFA's mission to 'develop the game, touch the world, and build a better future'".

This year marks SOS Children's Villages twelfth year of cooperation with FIFA. Collaboration between the two organisations culminated last year during the '6 villages for 2006' joint campaign surrounding the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany. With an astounding US$25 million raised, the construction of six new SOS Villages in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Ukraine and Vietnam is now underway.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup will be held in six cities across Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007, showcases some of the world's top young players and will also serve as a platform to promote this valuable campaign with SOS Children's Villages. Funds raised from the official charity campaign "Let's Play, Let's Build" will go towards building homes and creating outreach programmes in southern Africa. Donations to SOS Children's Villages can easily be made by visiting www.LetsPlayLetsBuild.ca.

Vietnam announces 2007 official ball sponsor

The Vietnam Football Federation has announced that the Dong Luc Sport Company will be the official ball sponsor of the national First-, Second-, and Third-Division football tournaments, the National Women’s Football Championship, the men’s U19, women’s U19 and men’s U17 football tournaments. The VND3.5 billion contract was signed in Hanoi on 2 March. Dong Luc balls are now being used in matches of the national football championship, V-League – PetroVietnam Gas 2007, and the national Cup tournament, Vinakansai Cement 2007.

Bangladesh B.League launches live on Channel i

Bangladeshi football goes professional today with Abahani and Muktijoddha all set to make history as opponents of the B. League's opening match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. Football was the most popular game in Bangladesh before cricket overtook it in late 1990s after the national team reached the ICB World Cup and was then elevated to test-playing status. Now Channel i will telecast the ceremony and the match live. The satellite TV channel, which holds the TV rights, will broadcast at least 40 matches live. The matchdays are Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday, The Daily Star confirmed.

The venues outside Dhaka are Chittagong -- home of local Abahani and Mohammedan -- and Khulna for their own Abahani. The Dhaka clubs are Muktijoddha, Abahani, Mohammedan, Brothers, Arambagh, Sheikh Russel, Farashganj and Rahmatganj. Gallery tickets will cost Tk 30 while VIP tickets will be sold for Tk 100 (Gate 3), Tk 60 (Gate 2) and women's gallery (Gate 10) for Tk 50. Women's tickets will be available at the entry while other tickets will be available at the stadium counters from 12 noon.

Australia tenders for 2011 Women's World Cup

Asian Football Confederation member, Football Federation Australia, is one of six football associations who formally expressed an interest in organising the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2011 by the required 1 March 2007 deadline. Following receipt of the 'Organising Association Agreement' and the list of requirements for the competition, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Peru and Switzerland must now deliver the Form of Bidding Agreement (3 May 2007) and the definitive bid (1 August 2007).

The host country of the sixth FIFA Women’s World Cup will be decided by the FIFA Executive Committee on 31 August 2007. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2007 will take place in the China from 10-30 September.

Western Australia's football Outreach for Diversity

Football West, the organising body for football in Australia's largest state and the Western Australian Heart Foundation's Smarter than Smoking program teamed up in late 2006 to develop a pilot football program aimed at providing football opportunities for special-needs children and people from multicultural backgrounds, particularly young indigenous players and immigrants. From a small group of 20 friends the squad has now expanded to more than 50 regular participants, having extended their welcome to culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) children aged 4 to 14.

The program runs under fully-accredited Head Coach Asefah Woldeselassie who has experience administering football programs and tournaments for people in humanitarian crisis and in coordinating competitions and training programs in treacherous and adverse conditions in Africa. Woldeselassie described the program as, “A chance for people to keep fit, learn and be educated about healthy lifestyles and have fun whilst discouraging anti-social behaviour and discrimination”.

The Smarter than Smoking partnership highlights the association between sporting success and a smoke free lifestyle. Leith Mete from the Heart Foundation said that it is vital that young people continue to be exposed to message that prevent the uptake of smoking, especially as they make the transition from primary to high school – a time when they are at the greatest risk of experimenting. “For those who desire to perform well with their football, smoking is not a smart move. Smokers are more easily exhausted, are slower to react and have poorer visual judgment. This program provides us with the ability to teach those less fortunate the Smarter than Smoking message,” said Mete.

Football West in conjunction with the Western Australian Department for Sport & Recreation and following approaches by a large number of community groups will work together to expand the Outreach for Diversity program to additional centres across the metro area. “Our pilot program has proved extremely successful and beneficial to the local community. The expansion of the program provides an opportunity for other similar groups to not only benefit from participation in the game, but also for greater interaction into their surrounding communities,” said Garry Chandler, CEO Football West. “It is a wonderful initiative which we are proud to be associated with,” he said.

For further information regarding the program, contact Jodie MacCallum on +61 (0)8 9422 6900.

Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy basis for ASEAN league?

The Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy for South East Asian U-21 footballers is being raised as the foundation for an ASEAN regional professional league. "The Asian Football Confederation and ASEAN Football Federation age-group tournaments help to develop and prepare the youngsters for the international tournament but we still need our own league, just like in Europe," the HBT opening and closing ceremony chairman Mohamed Zamri Hamdani told Zulhilmi Supaat of Bernama newsagency in Bandar Seri Begawan.

He quoted a 1997 speech by Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah which said: "Soccer has the greatest following in Southeast Asia. Having an ASEAN or Southeast Asian soccer league will deepen the awareness of ordinary people of Asean countries. Let all the best teams of our region compete in the league. If Europe can have a European League, Latin America a Latin American League and Africa its African league, why is there not a Southeast Asian League?"

However Mohamed Zamri said that nothing positive had as yet materialised from the sultan's suggestion. Interestingly, Brunei was less than enthusiastic about the very popular ASEAN Football Championship when it was known as the Tiger Cup and sponsored by a famous Singapore brewery.

Brunei took the initiative to introduce the HBT in 2002 when Indonesia won the first edition. Thailand emerged as the winner in 2005. For this year's tournament, eight countries are taking part in two groups. Group A comprises Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam while Group B comprises Myanmar, Philippines, Brunei and Cambodia. The nine-day tournament will be held in three Brunei venues, the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium, Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex and Berakas Sports Complex.

First AC Milan Junior Camps conducted in Sydney

Around 330 young Australian and New Zealand football players aged 6-15 attended three weeks of coaching practice under five visiting AC Milan Youth Academy coaches, including Daniele Massaro, a World Cup and Champions League winner. When asked about the level of football skills he and the other coaches encountered during the Sydney Olympic Park -based adidas-Milan Junior Camps, Massaro said they'd worked with "some very talented young footballers" who had "responded very positively to our technical and tactical tuition".

Massaro and former Socceroo Zjelko Kalac also spent time with the participants answering questions about representing their respective countries at the highest level at the World Cup and playing for the football giant AC Milan. Kalac offered MJC participants advice on staying motivated and how hard work may one day result in playing for Milan at the San Siro.

AC Milan Junior Camps are currently run in 22 countries around the world and every year give more than 10,000 local junior footballers the opportunity to work with members of the AC Milan Youth Development Coaching team. The five-day program program was introduced to Australia for the first time in January by Football Development Australia, the official AC Milan partner for Australia and New Zealand. The AC Milan Youth Development coaching staff offers high level expertise and uses skills and techniques that are applied to coach junior players at the world renowned AC Milan Academy in Italy. FDA CEO Cormac Begley told FourFourTwo Australia he was "very happy with the results of this first initiative with AC Milan."

Man United Soccer School opening in Melbourne

Former Manchester United star Jesper Olsen, having already launched and run successful grass roots programs for thousands of Australian children has announced that Melbourne, capital city of the Australian state of Victoria, is the latest addition to territories hosting the Manchester United Soccer Schools. The former Danish international moved to Australia after retirement where he partners Proactive Sports Management Australia with FIFA-licensed Players' Agent, John Grimaud.

Specifically adapted from the coaching program at Man United’s Youth Academy, the 2007 program will be run entirely by its international coaches from the UK. The program will run over four consecutive days in week one and week two of the April school holidays at Kingston Heath Complex and at Football Federation Victoria headquarters. The focus of the program is purely participation and skills development for boys and girls aged 10 – 16 years. Participants are not restricted by ability or gender and one lucky participant and guardian drawn randomly to attend the exclusive Manchester United Soccer Schools five-day Residential Course in the UK, FourFourTwo Australia reported.

Manchester United Soccer Schools in Australia will be headed up by Tony Byrne, one of the MUSS International Directors of Coaching. It will include four international coaches direct from Manchester and therefore registrations will be limited to only 64 per program. The program is not based on trying to achieve mass numbers, instead it is controlled by its focus on high quality coaching and strict coach to participant ratio of 1:16. During the program, players will take part in a number of unique skills tests. Designed using the club’s coaches and players, these tests are specifically tailored so all participants regardless of age, can compete on level terms.

"It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the first season of Manchester United Soccer Schools’ programs here in Australia," Man United coach Sir Alex Ferguson said in a message. "As a club we are always looking at pioneering innovative ways of training and coaching our players and we believe in sharing our vision of youth development with our huge global support ... At Manchester United Soccer Schools the objective is to bring out the best in each individual and to give each player the opportunity to learn to play ‘the United way!’"

Kingway Brewery sponsors China Super League

Shenzhen-based beer brewery Kingway announced its agreement to sponsor the China Super League just two days before the 2007 season kicked off. Sina.com reported that the Hong Kong listed state-owned enterprise promised to pay some 36 million yuan (US$4.5 million) to have its name in the title of China's premier football competition and will have the option of extending the contract when the current one expires next year. The company is the third to sponsor the Super League, after German electronics giant Siemens (which paid 8 million Euro for the 2004 season) and internet phone maker iPhox.

According to China Daily, Kingway sponsored Super League club Shenzhen last year for 12.5 million yuan (more than US$1.5 million) but the contract expired unexpectedly after conflict between the brewery and team led Kingway to cut 4 million yuan (US$500,000) from the original fee.

China to host 2008 East Asian FF championships

China's southwestern city of Chongqing will host the third edirion of the East Asian Football Federation Championship from 17-24 February 2008. The four-team, round-robin tournament will include China, Japan, South Korea and the winner of a preliminary competition to be held from 17-24 June 2007 in Macau, the East Asian Football Federation announced via AFCMedia. The preliminary contestants include Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, North Korea, Mongolia and "Guam/Northern Mariana Islands".

A four-team women’s tournament will also be held in Chongqing to run concurrently with the men's competition, with China, Japan, South Korea and a qualifier to participate. The preliminary round for the women's competition will be held in Guam from 8-12 July 2007.

Chelsea sign 4-year AFC deal for Vision China

Asian Football Confederation President, Mohamed Bin Hammam and Chelsea Football Club Chief Executive Officer Peter Kenyon have signed an official four-year contract formalising the English Premier League club’s support for AFC’s football development program, Vision Asia, AFCMedia reported. “Many projects within Vision Asia, a great example being Vision China, have proven that Vision Asia works. In order for a long-term sustainable development, we need commercial investment, and I am delighted to welcome Chelsea Football Club as our first development partner where the commercial opportunities of the Vision Asia project have also been addressed,” the AFC President said.

He reiterated his comments made last year in China that Chelsea Football Club is the first European football club to approach AFC with the philosophy of giving, not only taking, from the Asian market. “Any sponsorship support that allows us to reach the grassroots level on a wider scale, increases participation through the school leagues, achieves greater development both on and off the pitch with the city leagues program, and ultimately provides a platform for greater success in Asian football as a whole, is a good thing,” he added.

As well as the groundwork that will take place primarily in China, the agreement will provide opportunities for at least the 10 best young players selected by AFC from the Project cities to train with the relevant age group at Chelsea. The AFC Player of the Year annual recipient will also have the option to train at Chelsea for one month.

“This agreement fits with Chelsea’s strategy of being recognized internationally by 2014 as the world’s number one club. Achieving that is not possible without considering Asia in a serious and holistic way, “ Peter Kenyon said. “We have been impressed with the development of Asian football and want to contribute to this with meaningful programs across the 11 disciplines that underpin Vision Asia. AFC’s motto is ‘The Future is Asia’ and now is the right time for Chelsea to play our part in that future.

Chelsea’s involvement is about developing and building success, not buying success or taking the money and running from tours of the region. This philosophy is directly compatible with AFC’s plans. From what I’ve seen today of AFC’s development program, Vision Asia, football in this region has the ambition and ability to challenge European football from the grassroots upwards. That type of global regional competition can only benefit the football family everywhere. If Chelsea can help achieve this through involvement in areas such as grassroots, youth, coaching, education, marketing, sports medicine, media and fans this will bring long-term benefits to us all,” he said.

At the following media conference, Bin Hammam emphatically described the relationship between the AFC and Chelsea as a partnership “not a business relationship” and said "AFC will benefit more out of it than Chelsea.” He clarified that there was no clause in the contract allowing Chelsea to have a first crack at Chinese talents. “There will be never such a clause in any contract signed by AFC,” he said. He added that Chelsea’s expertise will help in the ongoing revamp and launch of professional leagues in Asia. “AFC’s target is to introduce professional leagues and launch a full professional AFC Champions League by 2010. We will take help from all quarters for this and Chelsea’s role will be vital. Asia will produce a different kind of football three years from now."

Replying to a question about what Chelsea were hoping to achieve with its US$2 million a year investment, Kenyon said “development is a long-term project by engagement with footballers and football fans. We will be targeting to achieve mutual goals which have been recognized by us and AFC [which] is putting a lot of effort into the cities in China and this is what matters for Chelsea.” He pointed out that Chelsea’s engagement in the development of football in China had already been initiated. “The Chinese Olympic team visited us and trained with us at Cobham last month. We have our coaches and doctors working with them. That is the kind of engagement which will produce positive results.”

"Chelsea's mission is to be the World's No. 1 club by 2014. That can't be realized without Asia," Kenyon also explained, as quoted by Associated Press. "Target No. 1 is to ensure Chelsea is recognized as responsible for the development of the sport in China. We believe that working in this manner, we will be working in a manner to have fans aligned to Chelsea."

The Chinese cities of Qingdao, Wuhan, Nanjing, Chengdu and Zibo are on the initial Vision China list where new city leagues are being developed along with schools coaching programs. It is not immediately clear which areas Chelsea are involved in. Other topflight clubs can join the China program, Hammam said, but Chelsea would be given priority, and right of refusal. "We'd like to give exclusivity to Chelsea in China," Hammam said.

Apart from China, the other countries in the program are Oman, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and Iran. Pakistan, Myanmar and Taiwan will be added this year, the AFC said. "Except for Japan, everyone else is pretty much behind...(They are) lacking in business concepts of professional football today," Hammam said.

American sports gaining ground in China market

Marketing experts quoted by Owen Gibson of The Guardian say that United States sports organisations, the National Basketball Association and the Gridiron code's National Football League are making better headway in China than English and European football and warn that in the scramble for short-term revenues European clubs are failing to nurture a real love for the sport.

The NBA, aided by the huge popularity of the Houston Rockets player Yao Ming, is a long way ahead of European football, according to Jim O'Toole, the chief executive of a sports agency, 141, owned by the advertising and marketing giant WPP. "The numbers we see from the latest television deal are phenomenal but to actually transact with those people is a bigger challenge," he says. "How do Chelsea make their brand tangible? They run the risk of confusing lots of hours of television exposure, not always at the right time of day, with genuine affinity."

Rowan Simons, who has worked in the Chinese television industry for more than 20 years and is a consultant to several international sports organisations, says: "The biggest enemy to football is the NBA. It controls everything in basketball - it's one brand, one rights deal, all the teams and all the stars under one body. As a result, basketball is picking up thousands and thousands of kids."

American Football has no history in the country, but the NFL has launched a program to introduce flag football, its equivalent of touch rugby, into schools before bringing over the full game in four or five years' time. "That's where the NBA and the NFL, organisations that have a collective marketing structure and collective ownership of their brand, can take a long-term view of how to crack this huge market. Our football clubs all want to get an edge over the competition," says Simons.

Henry Peirse, the managing director of Global Broadcast Networks, which produces a radio programme based on English football that goes out on China National Radio, says there is a natural cynicism that must be overcome. "There is an inherent distrust of all things football, locally and internationally. That's perhaps why basketball is so popular. "

Hints of USA and China as World Cup front-runners

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has placed the United States in pole position to host the 2018 World Cup and hinted that China could enter the race to secure the tournament. In comments that cast doubt on England and Australia’s chances, Blatter said he wanted to extend the current system under which the World Cup is rotated between Africa, Asia, Europe, North, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America beyond 2014. That would make the United States, which has already declared its interest in hosting the 2018 tournament, the best-placed country with the Asian Football Confederation, which now includes Australia, next in line.

Although Australia is the only declared candidate from Asia, Blatter revealed that Chinese football officials had been sounding out the FIFA hierarchy about the possibility of following up the 2008 Beijing Olympics by hosting a World Cup. “In the discussions we have had in Zurich about the Olympic football tournament, the general secretary of the Chinese federation has been speaking about the possibility of organising the World Cup,” Blatter revealed at a media briefing in London. “I’m not a prophet, I cannot see where the World Cup is going but you have many times in history when a country had an Olympics and then the World Cup.”

Olympic Football Tournament qualifyer results

Match Day 1 of the second round qualifying for the Olympic Football Tournament Beijing 2008 produced no suprises. The heavyweights posted standard wins in the twelve matches played in the six groups: Group A - Bahrain beat Pakistan 8-0; Kuwait held hosts Qatar 2-2. Group B - Japan beat Hong Kong 3-0; Syria beat Malaysia 3-1. Group C - Oman beat Indonesia 3-0; Vietnam beat Lebanon 2-0. Group D - Australia held Iran for a scoreless draw; Saudi Arabia beat Jordan 1-0. Group E - Iraq beat India 3-0; North Korea beat host Thailand 1-0. Group F - South Korea beat Yemen 1-0; Uzbekistan beat UAE 2-1. Match Day 2 is on 14 March.

China friendlies aganst Australia, Uzbekistan, USA

China will play friendly matches against Australia and Uzbekistan this month as part of warm-ups for the AFC Asian Cup 2007, the China Football Association announced. China will meet Australia in Guangzhou on 24 March and face off against Uzbekistan in neighbouring Macau on 27 March, said CFA spokesman Dong Hua. The CFA want all national players currently with European clubs to return for the matches that come ahead of the AFC Asian Cup16-team Finals to be held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in July, he said. China will also play a friendly against the United States on 2 June at the Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California, AFCMedia added.

Malaysia to tour Sri Lanka and test new players

With the core of his squad recovering from injury, Malaysia coach Norizan Bakar has hinted at infusing fresh blood into the team for the AFC Asian Cup 2007. He said he would be making the rounds of the ongoing Malaysian League to pick promising players. “I will watch them play for their team,” said Bakar. “The door is still open.” Malaysia will tour Sri Lanka from 8 March as part of their preparations, AFCMedia reported.

Man United to play in Seoul during AFC Asian Cup

English Premier League club Manchester United will reportedly visit South Korea in July, during the AFC Asian Cup, to play FC Seoul. The K-League club said the friendly will be held on 20 July at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Man United, whose team includes South Korean midfielder Park Ji-sung, also plans to visit Japan, China and Malaysia during the tour.

Everton coaching "deal" with Malaysian Indian FA

Mil Satis Nisi Optimum, a fan website of English Premier League club Everton, has reported that the football club has "struck up a coaching partnership" with the Malaysian Indian Football Association. "MIFA have stated that they plan to set up 10 football academies throughout Malaysia by the end of the 2007. The coaches they want to head the academies need to be the best and this is where Everton come into the equation. Once MIFA have identified a select number of potential candidates they will then pack them off to England where they will attend a six-week training course at Everton Football Club. During the training course the budding Malaysian hopefuls will learn just what it takes to become a top class coach. On their return to Malaysia the most advanced coaches will be selected to run the football academies and will be paid a monthly salary.

"It is believed that Brazilian giants Vasco Da Gama may also be close to agreeing a partnership with MIFA," the website claimed.