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Vision Asia launches two Iranian provincial leagues

Under the dirction of the Asian Football Confederation's Vision Asia program, Iran's Fars and Isfahan Provincial Football Associations will launch their first province-wide double round leagues in August 2007. The leagues will each comprise 12 clubs selected on the basis of Club Regulations provided by Vision Asia. The criteria to be used for this purpose are the club’s administration, legal, finance, facilities, community links and sporting development capabilities of the clubs. "The leagues will provide a high level of competitive football for the best clubs in Isfahan and Fars," reported Persian Football.

The Vision Asia delegation visited the two provinces in March 2006 and prepared tailor-made football development programmes for the two provincial FAs. In May 2006, workshops were held with officials of the two FAs to agree on the implementation schedule of the Development Plans. Since then, significant progress has been made in implementing their Strategic Development Plans. The appointment of Project Coordinators by the Provincial FAs has significantly enhanced the pace of implementation of the two projects. Before the league launch, AFC will organise AFC ‘C’ Certificate coaching courses for the clubs’ coaches and an AFC Referees Preparatory Course for the league referees. AFC will also organise a Club Development Workshop for the league clubs’ managers and a Competition Management Workshop for the league administrators in May 2007.

In Grassroots and Youth, an U-11 Schools Leagues will be launched in October this year. Prior to this, AFC will organise a Grassroots and Youth Workshop, Introductory Coaching and Class 3 Refereeing courses.

Emirates promotes FIFA Women's World Cup

Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, will be inviting youth football fans and underprivileged students to join them at matches of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2007 being held in Shanghai, Tianjin, Wuhan, Chengdu and Hangzhou. "We believe sport is an ideal vehicle to communicate with our customers and enables us to achieve global awareness of our brand. Association with the most high-profile sporting events in the world is part of Emirates' strategy to become a global brand and household name. This tournament helps to further strengthen our confidence and commitment to this dynamic country," said Edwin Lau, Emirates' Regional Manager for Greater China and North East Asia.

This flagship event in women's football will bring together, from the 10-30 September, the top sixteen teams from the six confederations. "The FIFA Women's World Cup is without doubt the standard bearer of women's international football and has grown by leaps to nearly 3,000 TV-hours coverage and a total cumulative TV audience of 526 million viewers worldwide. We are convinced that Emirates special guests and all other viewers will witness women's football at its best and will have an unforgettable time', responded Eelco van der Noll, FIFA's Head of Marketing.

The partnership with the FIFA Women's World Cup 2007 also marks Emirates' fast expansion in mainland China. The airline currently operates daily non-stop passenger services and six weekly freighter services to Shanghai and inaugurated Beijing direct daily flights last September, which will become double daily from 1 May 2007. Emirates has an impressive portfolio of football sponsorship. Besides the FIFA Women's World Cup 2007, the airline is also involved in all other FIFA competitions for youth and men including the FIFA World Cup and further development projects of the world governing body of football in the 2007-2014 period.

Indonesian clubs may be lost without govt funding

The recent national seminar held by the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) in Makassar drew concerns over the immediate as well as the long-term future of funding for domestic league teams. According to the ASEAN Football Federation, the concerns highlighted by the participants were largely due to the uncertainty of continued subsidies issued by local govenments from their Regional Welfare Estimation Fund (APBD), the main source of income for professional teams in the Indonesian league.

“The future of Indonesian football is uncertain due to the possibility that the clubs might lose the financial support from APBD,” said Rachmat Yasin from Persikabo Bogor. He said that the indications from APBD is not positive as for the current Liga Djarum 2007, a big number of the districts have no longer contributed financial assistance to the various clubs. “There are not many clubs playing in the Liga Djarum 2007 who receive money from APBD consistent with their request,” added Rachmat.

Rachmat is of the opinion that due to this uncertainty, the PSSI is better off restructuring the league as well as limiting the number of foreign players from five currently. “Having too many imports have become counter-productive where it is having a negative effect on the local players. We need to change the current policy to also suit the new economic conditions,” he added.

Aidil from Persisam Samarinda added that for the majority of the clubs, their sole dependence is on the funds disbursed by APBD and where their continued survival is on making sure that the funds are not disrupted in any way. “I believe that the PSSI needs to be more proactive on this matter and where we need a more concrete stance by taking in views from all participants and not just limit it to the committee level,” added Aidil. “We could have also called in representatives from the Interior Ministry (Depdagri) to see what their stand on the continued funding for football is.”

Claim that Indian coach examination was corrupted

Syed Rashim, a successful local coach in India for the last five years and a technical official of the All Manipur Football Association, has accused the AMFA of running a corrupt coaching program. Of the 22 coaches who participated in the AFC `C` licence holder course under Asian Football Confederation and All India Football Federation guidlines at Khuman Lampak sports complex, 17 passed, three in pro and two failed. Rashim did not pass and has since alleged that the examination was not conducted in the right way and that there was corruption.

He told The Imphal Free Press that "S Ekendra who was the director technical AMFA AFC 'A' licence holder, conducted the course. At the end of the course, Ekendra conducted a examination and in this examination the questions were asked from lesson No.2 whereas only lesson No. 1 was taught during the course. As a result of which none of candidates could answer the full paper while some answered nothing at all. Rashim alleged that some candidates who had performed poorly in the written exam as also in the practicals passed the course."

Terrorist images on football video upsets clerics

A video posted on a radical religious website to promote a football tournament in western Sydney, Australia, has outraged Muslim leaders by featuring an Arabic song often used by al-Qa'ida to promote jihad. The song calls on militants to "exterminate" non-believers and make them "hear the tunes of death". The video is used by the Global Islamic Youth Centre, headed by radical cleric Faiz Mohamad, who has praised jihadists and compared Jews to pigs. It plays the jihad tune, which also says "we shall go to heaven fearing no death", to images of local and international football players displaying their skills. Bomb explosions and missiles launching form part of the music in the clip promoting the Liverpool Youth Cup.

Senior Muslim leader Ameer Ali attacked the seemingly "hidden agenda" of the video, which was pulled down by GIYC yesterday afternoon following The Weekend Australian's inquiry. "I'm worried and I am concerned there is a hidden message behind this soccer tournament (promotion) ... This sort of message should be avoided. Why bring controversy into a sports match? Sport promotes co-operation, friendliness - that's what you expect from sport." Prominent Sydney-based cleric Khalil Shami also condemned the video, saying it was wrong to conflate sporting images and "fighting". He attacked the fundamentalist GIYC for further damaging the Muslim community's standing in the eyes of mainstream Australia. "I don't know how they are driving this community - they drive it in a very, very bad way," said the imam at Penshurst mosque in Sydney's southwest. "It's not fair for the community. Why mix sport with the fighting? Why?"

Football thrown out of Indian stadium for 2 months

Indian football is crying foul following the "hijack" of New Dehli's Dr Ambedkar Stadium by central government departments. Football has been banned from the ground for at least two months following the Ministry of Rural Development's decision to use the facility to host 5,000 village chiefs from across the country during the Nirmal Gram Purashkar-2007. MCD spokesperson Deep Mathur said since President A P J Abdul Kalam would preside over the function the stadium was the best venue from the security angle. “We usually ensure that slots booked for sports events do not coincide with other events,” Mathur said. “But we could not make any changes in this case because it is an important event.”

Among football events disrupeted are state camps for national tournaments, institutional league and the Asian Football Comfederation's ‘Vision India’ program with the Delhi Soccer Association. “We are helpless,” DSA President Subhash Chopra told Aditya Kumar of Express india. “We tried our best to stop it but the MCD says it is the ministry’s function and nothing can be done about it.”

Chopra took over the reins at DSA in August 2006 with several promises to resurrect the capital city’s footballing fortunes and had been assured that DSA would have full control over the stadium. “What can I do if no one is concerned about sports? Yes, I promised to get control over Dr Ambedkar Stadium, but the issue has gone beyond me now,” he said.

Japanese players "must get out of Italy"

According to Yo Takatsuki, a producer for the BBC in London, the number 613 is is the reason why the three Japanese players in Serie A "must get out of Italy as soon as possible." Writing for the Asahi Shimbun, he explained that 613 is "the total number of minutes Messina's Mitsuo Ogasawara, Torino's Masashi Oguro and Catania's Takayuki Morimoto have mustered collectively in a Serie A season that is almost finished." It obviously says a transfer to Italy is a disastrous career choice for Japanese footballers, he argued.

"No matter how much they highlight the training educational value of being at a club in one of the world's toughest leagues, if they are not playing in matches, they might as well be not there at all. It's not like these three didn't know what they were getting themselves into. There's lots of precedence. Take Atsushi Yanagisawa. An effective forward for the Kashima Antlers, he bombed at Sampdoria. His second season, at Messina, was terrible and he came back to Japan having not scored a single goal ... Even the supremely talented Shunsuke Nakamura struggled in Italy ... The only Japanese player to succeed in Serie A has been Hidetoshi Nakata, and his success was marginal ...

"There are reasons why Japanese players fail in Italy. Many point to the physical nature of the game and the high standard of play. However, it is more to do with the extremely strategic nature of the game played in Italy. Most coaches quickly give up on Japanese players, tiring of their failure to understand and carry out complex tactical instructions. The language barrier is naturally the reason for it.

What's more, the Serie A is not what it used to be. Fifteen years ago, Italy was home to the best football league in the world. Since then, it's been overtaken by the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga," he warned.

Australia launches U-20 men's scholarship program

Australian Institute of Sport has launched its 2007 AIS Men’s Football program with 25 scholarships for Australia’s finest junior footballing talent. "The AIS, through the partnership between the Australian Sports Commission and Football Federation Australia continues to help strengthen Australian football through the development of talented young athletes," AIS Director, Professor Peter Fricker said. "The Institute’s proud record of preparing players for national and international representation is testimony to the quality of the program. Last year’s Socceroos World Cup squad of 23 players contained 12 former AIS scholarship holder. International players such as Mark Viduka, Craig Moore, Ned Zelic, Brett Emerton, Lucas Neil, Mark Bresciano, Josh Kennedy and Vince Grella are just a few of the players who have come through the AIS Football program."

The current group of AIS scholarship holders are likely to form the majority of the Young Socceroo team that will attempt to qualify for the 2009 FIFA World Youth Cup and head coach of the AIS Men’s Football squad, Steve O’Connor, said he was excited by the level of talent. "The current squad has great depth with players demonstrating the physical and technical qualities required to be successful at international level. All of our scholarship holders are eligible to be selected in the Australian U-20 squad, which will be announced later in the year. The continued support of the AIS and the ASC is a critical component in the development of Australian men’s football," he said.

The current AIS Football squad, which competes in the Victorian Premier League, is made up of players born in 1989/90. The 2007 AIS/Australian Men’s Football Squad is Laurence Braude, James Brown, Matthew Harper, James Holland, Marko Jesic, Matthew Jurman, Jason Naidovski, Andrew Redmayne and Sebastian Ryall from NSW; Milos Lujic, Bonel Obradovic and Matthew Theodore from Victoria; Luke De Vere, Tahj Minniecon, Stefan Vrbesic and Jerrad Tyson from Queensland; Alex Sunasky, Mathew Mullen and Daniel Mullen from South Australia; and Domenic Giampaolo and Dane Milovanovic from the ACT.

Saburo Kawabuchi to speak on Asia's leagues

Captain Saburo Kawabuchi, Chairman of the Asian Football Confederation's Professional League Committee and President of the Japan Football Association will deliver a speech on the ‘Future of Professional Football in Asia’ on 8 May 2007 at the JW Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, immediately following the 22nd AFC Congress. In his speech on the current status of leagues in Asia and their aspirations of going professionalism. Kawabuchi will draw on his experience of turning around the J-League from a semi-professional league into the immensely successful and viable commercial model it is today.

The visionary Kawabuchi, who is credited with the spectacular rise and spread of football in Japan and is serving his third term as JFA President, was awarded AFC’s prestigious Diamond of Asia award in 2005 and is also a FIFA Order of Merit holder. It is due to Kawabuchi’s tireless efforts that the JFA today is recognised as the model association in Asia. Women’s football and futsal have also made rapid strides under his charge and established Japan as a power to reckon with not only in the continent but also worldwide.

Indonesia to tackle Jordan, UAE and Singapore

AFC Asian Cup 2007 co-hosts Indonesia will gear up for the 7-29 July competition with three friendlies. The Indonesians play Jordan on 1 June before going up against Singapore two days later at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium and then will meet UAE on 30 June outside of Jakarta, possible in Sleman in Yogyakarta, National Team Committee Administrator Demis Djamoeddin told the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) website.

Australian FIFA-licensed agents welcome UK move

The Australian Licensed Player's Agents Association has welcomed the appointment of Michel Zen-Ruffinen, a former General Secretary of the world football body, FIFA, as Chairman of the England-based Association of Football Agents.

"It is good to see the British group up and running again," ALPAA Chairman Chris Tanner said from Sydney. "We actively exchanged information over the controversy arising from Harry Kewell's transfer to Liverpool and we look forward to talking to them about issues that we all face on a global scale such as enforcement of FIFA regulations by national FAs where evidence of breaches by players and clubs exists; club officials acting as pseudo-agents; bungs and other incentives being paid to coaches and managers; and - unlicensed agents. We will be talking to our British counterparts soon," he said.

The ALPAA has previously advised Asian Football Business Review that it is renovating its corporate structure and will soon be known as the Asian Licensed Player's Agents Association.

Malaysia risks AFC sanctions to back Man United

The promotional game to be played in Kuala Lumpur by English Premier League club Manchester United is "a government and private sector initiative in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2007," Football Association of Malaysia Deputy President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah told Bernama newsagency. According to his statement, Manchester United will take on a yet to be determined Malaysian invitational team, selected by the government and made up of club and international Malaysian players.

The game is scheduled for 27 July - just two days after Kuala Lumpur completes its hosting of an Asian Cup group round and semi-final and two days before neighbouring Jakarta hosts the final of the Asian Football Confederation's prestigious tournament. However Tengku Abdullah reportedly denied the match would undermine attendance at Asian Cup games.

The AFC has reminded FAM that its contract to host the Asian Cup group clearly stated it could not sanction or promote any other footballing event during the tournament. On 14 November last year, the AFC directly warned Malaysia not to allow the proposed Manchester United tour affect publicity for the Asian Cup and AFC officials also met with officials of Malaysia's Sports and Tourism ministries to receive assurance that the Asian Cup will take priority. A few days ago FAM General Secretary Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad publicly reconfirmed the contract and reassured that FAM "will abide by that contract."

However Tengku Abdullah now says FAM has to support the Malaysian Government’s drive to bring in more tourists. "We support the Manchester United tour but other than providing logistical support, we will not be promoting the event in any way," he told Christopher Raj of the New Straits Times. "There won’t be a clash and furthermore, the Manchester United tour is part of Visit Malaysia Year and Malaysia’s 50th year of independence. Besides the Asian Cup, four other footballing events, including the Merdeka Tournament and Champions Youth Cup, are part of the celebrations. I am sure that Malaysians will support all of them.

"The agreement to bring United to Malaysia was initiated by the Tourism Ministry. We have been asked to provide logistical support and we will. United were scheduled to play here on July 25 but the organisers took the initiative to change the date. I hope the AFC understands that we are committed to the Asian Cup but we have to also support the Government’s initiative," he argued, adding that he wasn't worried about possible [AFC] sanctions.

See also: AFC "very unhappy" if Malaysia backs Man U tour (20 Apr)

Reading, River Plate may join Korea's Peace Cup

English Premier League club Reading look set to compete in the Peace Cup in South Korea. The Evening Post revealed that the Royals are close to agreeing to play in the tournament which takes part every two years. River Plate, Argentina’s most successful club side, are certain to play, while runaway Serie A leaders Inter Milan are thought to be in discussions. There will also be another Premiership club involved although Spurs, who have been in discussions about defending their trophy, are unable to commit at the present time. Reading's South Korea international Seol Ki-Hyeon is acknowledged as one of his country’s most popular footballers along with Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung and Tottenham Hotspur’s Lee Young-Pyo.

The tournament, sanctioned by FIFA and the South Korea Football Association, is made up of two groups of four with the winners of each group meeting in the final. The Peace Cup champions can earn in excess of US$2 million while the runners-up net around US$500,000.

Dates and venues have yet to be finalised but it has been reported that the tournament could run from 12-20 July in direct competition to the Asian Football Confederation's prestigious Asian Cup being played in South East Asia. With South Korea a hot favourite for the Cup Final, it was thought that the national stars would be representing their country in that event rather than a club pre-season promotion.

Casino backs Man United promo game in Macao

The sponsor of Manchester United's game against China Super League club Shenzhen in Macau SAR has been revealed as The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, a division of the Las Vegas Sands Corp, USA. The Venetian Macao will serve as the title sponsor of The Venetian Macao Cup which will take place on 23 July at Macao Stadium. It will mark the English Premier League leader's first ever appearance in Macao and their only appearance in China as part of the team's Asia Tour 2007.

Ignoring the Asian Football Confederation's prestigious Asian Cup being played in neighbouring South East Asia at the same time, William P. Weidner, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp said "presenting a world-class game like this gives us a wonderful opportunity to showcase another spectacular one-of-a-kind sporting event, especially one that caters to the region's passion for football."

Australia averages 75,000 fans at Telstra Stadium

Sydney's Telstra Stadium, the former 2000 Olympic Games stadium, will host at least one Australia match every year until 2010, as well as the home leg of any FIFA World Cup qualification play-off in 2009, under a deal struck with Football Federation Australia. The Socceroos' appearances at Telstra Stadium in 2008 and 2009 may also include 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification group matches. "I know the new arrangements will be enthusiastically embraced by the Sydney sporting public," Telstra Stadium chief executive Ken Edwards told AAP. "Having the Socceroos in marquee internationals at Telstra Stadium every year is exciting enough, but to know that the Stadium would be entrusted to host any do-or-die World Cup play-offs in 2009 is a great privilege."

The first match under the agreement is the Socceroos against Uruguay on Saturday, 2 June this year. FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said that match had taken on a greater significance after the postponement of the Socceroos clash with Argentina, originally scheduled for 6 June in Melbourne. "At this stage it appears unlikely that we will have another match in Australia in June which means that the World Cup qualifying re-match against Uruguay will be the only chance to farewell the team ahead of the Asian Cup," Buckley said. The Socceroos have played six matches at Telstra Stadium with an average attendance of 75,000.

East Asian fans have their own "distinctive style"

Blog columnist, Shanghaiist, an obviously foreign-looking chap, attended the 2007 AFC Champions League clash between hosts Shanghai Shenhua and J-League champions Urawa Reds. He found himself in the extremely rare position of being asked for directions by a group of passers-by who at first glance appeared to be locals. Bemused, he soon realised that they were actually Japanese football fans.

"Indeed, the most notable aspect of the afternoon was the relatively large number — over 1,000 — of Urawa Reds supporters who made the trip over the East China sea. This figure is far bigger than the number of travelling fans normally seen at Chinese league games. It's only fair to point out though the economic advantages Japanese have when travelling to China. It was also clear that the Japanese consulate's warnings to the Urawa fans not to fly the Japanese flag or wear club colours had fallen on deaf ears. There wasn't any sign of trouble however and the red-shirted Urawa supporters mingled freely with their Shanghainese hosts on the Pudong streets after the match," he wrote.

"For all the China-Japan rhetoric, the similarities in the fan culture of the East Asian countries was much in evidence. China, Japan and South Korea all launched professional football leagues in the early to mid nineties, and fans initially borrowed heavily from the images of European and South American soccer they are exposed to with such regularity on TV. But now, watch any J-League, K-League or CSL match and you will see the three have developed a distinctive style between them. Whether its slogans daubed in English on banners, fans at the front of the stands with 10ft high flag poles which are raised aloft only when goals are scored, or massed dancing which involves moving a long way from your seat, that quirky East Asian football fan style is something Japan and China have in common, Shanghaiist noted.

Middle East teams wary of Indonesia and Malaysia

Saudi Arabia was reluctant to commit to playing in the group round stage of this year's Asian Cup finals because it is to be played in Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta. According to the head of international relations of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), the Saudi Arabia government asked for information on the number of fatalities from bird flu in Indonesia. "They were worried about a bird flu plague but we assured them that we definitely would not place them close to a livestock breeding region, chicken coops or birds," Dali Tahir explained, adding that a Saudi request to move their games to another county was refused by the Asian Football Confederation. Instead the three Group D guest teams, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and South Korea will reside in a five star hotel such as the Ritz Carlton or JW Marriot, in the elite Kuningan area of South Jakarta.

Dali Tahir suggested to the PSSI website that participating teams from the Middle East ("especially Arabian countries") are generally "fussy and very worried about anything reported about the country that they will be visiting." He used as a further example a protest from the team of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Asian Football Confederation because they felt the environment of the Bukit Bintang district in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur, was "unclean". The AFC also rejected this issue, he said.

Zibo City next to join AFC's Vision China project

The Asian Football Confederation's Vision China program has been launched in Zibo City in China's Shandong province. Mayor of Zibo Municipal Government Zhou Qingli expressed his appreciation for the development. “It is our great pleasure to join Vision Asia. Zibo has a wide base and a good social atmosphere and this will be key in successfully implementing the project. This is a new beginning for us as far as football is concerned. It shows the trust of AFC in our capabilities,” he said. Vision Asia Acting Director Brendan Menton said Zibo has already organised a strong team to develop the project. "I believe Zibo has a bright future,” he said.

Alberts chosen "because others were not available"

Fourteen years after guiding Kedah to the Malaysia Cup title, Football Association of Malaysia's Dutch Technical Director Robert Alberts is the surprise coach of Malaysia's national U-20 team for the Champions Youth Cup. "Why Alberts ... Why not place our trust on our fellow Malaysians – Reduan Ab-dullah, Bakri Ibni, Mat Zan Mat Aris, Kelly Tham, Moey Yoke Ham, G. Torairaju, K. Devan or Jalil Ramli – to name a few?" asked Rizal Hashim of the Malay Mail. "Alberts, to his supporters, had a highly successful five seasons with Kedah from 1990," he answered himself. "He crossed the Causeway for a new chapter in his life at Tiong Baru before moving to Home United. Before joining the FAM, he was the coaching director of the South Korean FA from 2002 to 2004.

"FAM had little option but to appoint Alberts, actually. Although people still doubt his credentials and keep on questioning his interests with the Arsenal Soccer School, Alberts is the only one on FAM’s payroll who is avail able at that particular time. During that period, K. Rajagopal will handle the U-20 team for the ASEAN Football Federation U-20 Championship in Vietnam. Despite the dismal performance in the pre-Olympic campaign, B. Sathianathan will be preoccupied with his U-23 squad bound for the SEA Games later this year. National team boss Norizan Bakar will be shaping his side for the Merdeka Tournament, while U-17 tactician Aminuddin Hussein is expected to be in London for a training stint at Brickendonbury, leaving Alberts as the only choice for the CYC."

FAM General Secretary Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad bluntly gave his assurance it was a one-off appointment. “We opted for Alberts because others were not available, it’s as simple as that,” said Ibrahim.

Western Union backs Bangladesh youth football

About 60 Bangladeshi U-18 youth teams are taking part in the Western Union National Youth Football Championship in venues in Habiganj, Shariatpur, Jhenidah, Feni, Lalmonirhat, Narail, Sherpur, Patuakhali and Joypurhat. Western Union purchased the title sponsorship through Momentum Event Management Company which has a five-year contract with the Bangladesh Football Federation.

Each team will get Tk 30,000 as participation money while the hosts will receive Tk 20,000 as participation money and another Tk 30,000 for venue preparations. Tournament committee chairman and BFF vice president Sirajul Islam Bachchu told media that the each zonal champion will receive Tk 10,000 and the runners-up team Tk 5,000.

BFF General Secretary Anwarul Huq Helal said talented players will be chosen for this year's AFC U-19 football tournament. The Asian Football Confederation has announced Bangladesh as the permanent venue for the AFC U-13 and U-14 football festival, he also disclosed.

Indonesia prepares national squad for Asian Cup

Indonesia has announced a squad of 36 players to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup 2007 tournament. The first phase of the squad's training is a camp in Samarinda, capital of East Kalimantan province from 1-15 May which will be continued in the national capital Jakarta until 6 June, then at Surabaya and Malang in East Java from 7-16 June and concluding in Solo, Central Java, from 17-23 June.

Goal Keepers: Yandri Christian Pitoy (Persipura Jayapura), Markus Horison (PSMS Medan), Achmad Kurniawan (Arema Malang), Ferry Rotinsulu (Sriwijaya FC), Galih Sudaryono (Persiba Bantul); Forwards: Firmansyah (Sriwijaya FC), Hamka Hamzah (Persija Jakarta), Leonard Tupamahu (Persija Jakarta), Ricardo Salampessy (Persipura Jayapura), Aris Budi Prasetyo (Persik Kediri), Harry Saputra (Persis Solo), Sulaiman Alamsyah (Sriwijaya FC); Charis Yulianto (Sriwijaya FC); Wing Backs: Ismed Sofyan (Persija Jakarta), Mahyadi Panggabean (PSMS Medan), Irsyad Aras (PSM Makassar), Muhammad Ridwan (PSIS Semarang) , Erol FX Iba (Persik Kediri), Supardi (PSMS Medan); Salim Alaidrus (Persib Bandung); Midfielders: Elie Aiboy (Arema Malang), Firman Utina (Persita Tangerang), Ponaryo Astaman (Arema Malang), Syamsul Bachri Chaerudin (PSM Makassar), Eka Ramdhani (Persib Bandung), Legimin Rahardjo (PSMS Medan), Atep (Persija Jakarta); Defenders: Bambang Pamungkas (Persija Jakarta), Boas Theofilus Erwin Salossa (Persipura Jayapura), Budi Sudarsono (Persik Kediri), Saktiawan Sinaga (PSMS Medan), Zaenal Arif (Persib Bandung), Ahmad Amirudin (PSM Makassar), Rachmat Rivai (Persiter Ternate), Octavianus (Sriwijaya FC).

South Korean motor companies to sponsor UEFA

South Korean carmakers Kia Motors Corp and Hyundai Motor Co have agreed to become top sponsors of the 2008 European Football Championship. An agreement was signed by Kia Motors President Chung Eui-sun and Philippe Magraff, chief CEO of UEFA marketing and media management, during an opening of Kia's first European plant near the Slovak city of Zilina, the company said in a statement. Kia Motors is an affiliate of Hyundai, South Korea's largest carmaker. Financial details were not disclosed. The statement only said the carmakers will provide official vehicles to be used during the 7-29 June 2008 Euro Cup tournament in Switzerland and Austria.

"This sponsorship, fittingly signed on this historic day for Kia Motors, will give a big boost to our brand awareness, not only here in Europe but also among the huge audience of football fans throughout the world," Chung said. As part of the deal, the carmakers also got the right to participate as official sponsors in other UEFA competitions, including the European U-21 Championships in 2007 and 2009, the European Futsal Championship in 2007 and the Women's European Championship in 2009, the statement said.

Malaysian NSC to fund youth academies, teams

The Football Association of Malaysia stands to save almost RM3 million a year after handing over their 14 football academies to the National Sports Council, Christopher Raj reported in the New Staits Times. FAM Deputy President, Redzuan Sheikh Ahmad, said the RM3 million was not only for maintaining the academies, but also for sending seven age group teams abroad yearly for competitions and exposure. Under the partnership with NSC, the maintenance of the academies, the preparation of the U-23 team for the SEA Games and the expenses for the U-20 team will be borne by NSC. In the past two years, FAM has sent many age group teams for international exposure and Redzuan admitted that it was an expensive affair.

"We are in a partnership with NSC. They are only financing the academies ... just like other sports partnership arrangements. FAM still has a say as far as technical matters are concerned," said Redzuan. "We decide on the coaches and the program," added Redzuan, who is also the FAM technical committee chairman. "We are thankful to the government, especially to Datuk Azalina Othman (the Youth and Sports Minister) for helping us with the financing. The sponsorship scenario is no longer what it used to be. Now, with less sponsorship money, we need to spend wisely and at the same time look into the needs of the national teams."

He also confirmed that FAM had endorsed the appointment of Robert Alberts as the national U-20 coach for the Champions Youth Cup which Malaysia is scheduled to host in August.

Barcelona sign to play in Hong Kong and Beijing

Spanish La Liga club Barcelona is reportedly set to receive US$1.6 million for playing a friendly against Hong Kong club Happy Valley on 10 August. “The deal is almost done,” sources close to the team told the South China Morning Post, quoted by Soccer Investor. “We’re just finalising a few details with Barcelona.” Another Hong Kong side, South China, also wanted to arrange a friendly against Barcelona but the financial demands of the Catalan club, the reigning UEFA Champions League holders, were prohibitive. Barcelona will also play Beijing Guon, a Chinese Super League side, in the Chinese capital later this year.

Birth of a Korean community-owned football club

A South Korean third division football game between Seoul United and Changwon Dudae FC at the Seoul Olympic Stadium last Saturday was a historuic event. Among the 1,200 in attendance were Korean Football Association President and FIFA Vice-President Chung Mong-joon and national team coach Pim Verbeek. "The day was all about Seoul United," explained John Duerden, Asia Editor of Goal.com. "The club’s name and its Newcastle United/Juventus-like black-and-white stripes shirts have been around the capital and its football scene since the turn of the century. That was when the idea of a “people’s club” for Seoul was born. In a K-League dominated by clubs backed by big business, those people set about creating the first club that would be run by the fans. Followers could become shareholders in Seoul United and would take the decisions.

"Dismissed as romantics and dreamers by some in the media, the game against Changwon was vindication for those who had worked so hard. It was only the first step and it will be a long time before there is a chance of seeing the black and white stripes in the top flight of Korean football."

The K3 division is an amateur league and consists of ten teams. There is, as yet, no promotion to the second tier league in the country – known as the National League. However, the KFA will allow four or six K3 clubs into the FA Cup later in the year with the chance of facing one of the big boys from the K-League. In the meantime, Seoul and Changwon drew the game 2-2.

England's Man City may fall to Thailand's Thaksin

Former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who earlier made an unsuccessful takeover bid for English Premier League club Liverpool, is reportedly ready to pay more than 6 billion baht (US$185 million) for Manchester City with partners from China and the Middle East. Thaksin, one of Thailand's richest people, was removed from govenment in a bloodless military coup last September following months of mass street protests accusing him of massive corruption and abuse of power. A website wuoted by AP said that Mohamed al Fayed, the billionaire owner of London's Harrods department store and the Fulham Football Club, was involved in the negotiations on behalf of Thaksin.

Malaysian academy sends U-17 star to England

Malaysian U-17 striker Nazrin Baharuddin may play for an English Premier League football club by November this year. "He is gifted with great talent and skills, his physique is also big enough to compete with any other player especially from Europe," Ken Barnes Football Club advisor in Kuala Lumpur, Ken Barnes, a former Manchester City and England player, told Bernama newsagency after announcing a sponsorship deal for KBFC from Nestle Products Sports Marketing Manager, Ng Ping Loong.

Through KBFC, the Perak-born form five student at Bukit Jalil Sports School has already had stints with Macclesfield Town (2004), Manchester City (2005) and Wigan Athletics last year and Barnes told Bernama that KBFC will chose another two or three players from their Perlis, Selangor and Johor-based centres for exposure to similar training in England.

Speaking of development in Malaysian football, Barnes added that from his observation, he feels national players must be exposed to as many competitive matches as possible because players here lack confidence and commitment. "In KBFC, boys aged 16 to 18 play at least four matches in a week against players who are older or bigger than them. That is what national junior teams between the ages of 15 to 23 should do," he said.

Australian coach to brief Euro clubs on Asian Cup

Australia will make its Asian Cup debut after switching to the Asian Football Confederation from the Oceania Football Confederation and coach Graham Arnold and team manager Gary Moretti will fly to England this week to discuss the availability of players. Arnold and Moretti have planned a series of meetings with domestic club managers across Europe, including Everton's David Moyes, Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate, Liverpool's Rafa Benitez and Blackburn's Mark Hughes. Everton's Tim Cahill, Middlesbrough trio Mark Viduka, Mark Schwarzer and Brad Jones, Liverpool midfielder Harry Kewell and Blackburn's Brett Emerton top Arnold's list of high-profile players. They will also fly to Germany and Switzerland to meet with Nurnberg manager Hans Meyer and FC Basel chief Christian Gross.

"All the players are dead keen and up for the Asian Cup but it's about communicating that with the managers," Arnold told The Daily Telegraph. "We need to communicate what the Asian Cup's about because this is not only new to us but new to all our players and their clubs and the players will be missing from their clubs for six weeks during a crucial part of the pre-season. We'll detail our training program so hopefully they'll be happy and relaxed that the players return fit and ready for the start of the season. It's something we've wanted to do for a while and it's important to start building relationships with the managers because we may need to talk in future about releasing them for World Cup qualifiers."

Arnold is confident of securing the services of the majority of his squad despite fitness concerns over World Cup stars Cahill, Moore, Kewell and Kennedy. "There may be a few hiccups but I'm positive we can get most of the squad. There could be a few players that have an off-season transfer but, even if they do, they have indicated that they want to come. One thing I can't foresee is transfers, and those discussions may come at a later date, but from the players' point of view it's quite positive. This is an extremely motivated group. They've never won anything as a nation at any level and they want to go to the Asian Cup and do well. At this moment we have four injury concerns with Tim, Harry, Moorey and Josh - they've either had limited playing time or been out for extended periods so we'll see how they go in the next few weeks," he said.

A-league clubs allowed bigger squads and salaries

The Football Federation Australia has announced the size of A-League squads for next season (2007-2008) will increase from 20 to 23 players and the the salary cap that applies to each of the eight clubs has been increased by A$200,000 to A$1.8 million. Under the new proposal, clubs will now be restricted to a maximum of four international players, with three places in the 23-man squad to be occupied by U-20 players. The first round of the third edition of the A-leaguie will kick off on 24 August.

Ex-FIFA Zen-Ruffinen to lead English player agents

Michel Zen-Ruffinen, a former general secretary of the world football body, FIFA, has been appointed chairman of the England-based Association of Football Agents and Chris Heaton-Harris, a British member of the European Parliament and a qualified referee, has been named as vice-chairman. While he was at FIFA (1998-2002), Zen-Ruffinen was responsible for the drafting of the current FIFA Agents Regulations. He has been working as an international sports lawyer for the last five years.

"I intend to contribute to create a better understanding between all parties active within the football market; the agents are now truly professional managers and their image has to change. I hope to be instrumental in that process," Zen-Ruffinen said in a statement reported by Reuters.

AFC President backs Asian women's football 100%

Women's football is expanding in Asia ahead of the region's second FIFA Women’s World Cup on the back of increased efforts by the sport's leaders, Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam told AFP on the sidelines of Sunday's draw for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be held across five Chinese cities in September.

"The number of players has increased, the number of women coaches has risen, the number of administrators has increased, so we can say we are in a boom in the development of women's football," he said, adding that some countries which previously disallowed women's football were now letting them play. "In many of our nations the level of support has been increasing. Today the participation from our member associations is from the far east of Asia to the far west of Asia, where nations used to disallow women's football previously," he said.

Bin Hammam added that Asia's young generation of women players were leading the world, with North Korea and China coming first and second in last year's FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship and China's Ma Xiaoxu named player of the tournament. He said there were now more senior and junior women's competitions in the region, and the AFC was raising its number of women executive committee members to at least four.

"I can say that the entire continent is 100 percent behind women's activities and football in Asia," he said.

Thailand provides footballs and academies for poor

Thailand’s new football president plans to boost the kingdom’s chances of World Cup qualification by giving away tens of thousands of free footballs. Worawi Makudi, a FIFA executive committee member, said football-crazy Thailand was being held back by poverty and that children in rural areas had little or no chance to play the game properly due to a lack of equipment. "When I go to some parts of rural Thailand, some kids don’t even have a proper pair of shoes," he told Reuters. "Many don’t have a chance to play. If they want to play, I will give every one of them a football and every kid will have a chance."

Worawi said 80,000 footalls will be given out this year to mark the 80th birthday of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, with more to be made available in future. The Thai sports authorities are setting up eight new football academies, focusing on the country’s poorest regions as well as the capital. "Our target is the 2014 World Cup, I think there’s a real possibility we can make it. With a good grassroots programme and a chance for every child to play, no talented players will slip through the net," Worawi said.

AFC provides guidelines for new UAE pro league

The delegation of the Professional League Committee of the Asian Football Confederation has designated five critical points for the success of the United Arab Emeriate's new professional league to be launched in September 2008. "We discussed with the UAE FA officials and the professionalism committee several proposals. We specified them in five points," said Tukuaki Suzuki, deputy chairman of the AFC PLC told media in Dubai. Suzuki said the infrastructure in the UAE is tremendous and each club has its own stadium.

"This is important for implementing professionalism. Also, the UAE sports officials have vast experience in organising big events like the World Youth Cup in 2003. They have a professional bent of mind which can help in implementing professionalism and having a professional league in the UAE. During our stay, we visited many clubs. I can say UAE is better than Japan in many areas - like the stadiums and the emphasis on youth. Also the medical care is excellent. However, Japan is better in attracting crowds to the stadiums and the UAEPC must have new ideas to pull crowds to the stadiums."

The five points are:

1 The UAE FA PL must have a legal existence so that it can do its job according to legal fundamentals.

2 The clubs must have their system, which include rules and regulations for implementing professionalism in a proper way.

3 The number of spectators must be increased to fill the stadiums. This is very important for professional league. We saw small numbers of supporters attending the matches. There must be newer ways of bringing big crowds to the stadiums.

4 Marketing is also an important factor for implementing professionalism and its continuation. The AFC wants a central marketing system and the UAEPC will be responsible for the revenues and its distribution to the clubs.

5 There must be rules and regulations for the players' contracts with the clubs and the number of professional players. The signing of high-class foreign players is very important so that the local players' mentality can be changed. Good foreign players will be an excellent example.

AFC's Hammam expects Asia to match Europe

Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed bin Hammam has big plans for Asian football and expects the continent of 3.6 billion people to build the passion and the economic power to go head-to-head in the future with the English, Spanish and Italian leagues. The Qatari, who was elected unopposed to a second term as AFC president last month, said boosting revenue would be key to the long-term success of the Asian game, and if he gets his way, top European clubs will have to fight it out with Asian teams to secure multi-million dollar signings. "If clubs in Europe will pay $50 million for their players, we will do the same," Hammam told Reuters. "We just have to raise the standard and players will come. My dream is that we are as competitive as Europe in standard and revenue. I'm certain this will happen."

Asia's 18 professional football leagues vary greatly, with teams in Japan, Iran, China and Australia sometimes playing before crowds of up to 50,000, while clubs in many of the smaller leagues offer basic salaries and attract small crowds. Hammam said the AFC would use commercial revenue to bring organised football to tens of millions of rural people and develop players and coaches in some of the world's poorest countries. "We have to change the mentality and accept that professional football has to be organised like a business," Hammam said. "It is an entertainment industry. Revenue is necessary, it is our top priority. Here we have to replace amateurs with professionals. All of the people dealing with football must be this way."

He record attendances at this year's Asian Champions League and an unprecedented demand for tickets for July's Asian Cup as a sign that Asia's love of football goes beyond the European game. "How do we know if it's improving? Just see how many people are watching us. More and more sponsors and telecasts mean we're going in the right direction. The money is here. The talent of our players exists. We are not missing any element of this success," he added Hammam.

Hammam said the likes of Park Ji-sung of Manchester United and Celtic's Shunsuke Nakamura were good role models for Asians, although he accused European clubs of simply recruiting Asian players to get a foothold in lucrative East Asian markets. However, he said Asian sides might soon be doing the same thing. "They don't recruit Asian players in the same way they do Africans. They're trying to create stars and get a share of their markets. This is the case with most of our players in Europe," Hammam said. "But we can take from the markets in Europe. They can take from us, but we will take from them also."

Controversy at 2007 Women's World Cup draw

The draw ceremony for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup was overshadowed by discontent when North Korea was simply placed in Group B apparently to avert an early match-up with hosts China. USA coach Greg Ryan was reportedly furious with the move. "I don't understand it," he said, adding that no official explanation had been given. "At this point it doesn't matter. What's done is done. We just have to start preparing for North Korea as our first match. It's just one that I don't understand."

At the following press conference, officials stonewalled four separate questions on why North Korea had been taken out of the draw. FIFA general secretary Urs Linsi said the decision had been made by the organising committee and denied North Korea had been consulted. "I think if you make a draw you don't ask the teams," he said. World Cup committee chairman Worawi Makudi would only say the decision had been made "after careful analysis and study."

Draw for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup to be played in China from 10-30 September.:

Group A: Germany, Japan, England, Argentina
Group B: Nigeria, United States, North Korea, Sweden
Group C: Norway, Ghana, Australia, Canada
Group D: China, New Zealand, Brazil, Denmark

Nakamura first Japanese to win Scottish award

Celtic FC midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura became the first Japanese winner of the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award. Reuters reported that the news was announced just hours after Nakamura clinched the club's 41st league title. He swept in a magnificent stoppage time free kick to earn Celtic a 2-1 win at Kilmarnock to seal the championship. "The man is a genius, but we also have statistics that say he covers more ground than anybody in our team, so he has got all that," Celtic boss Gordon Strachan told Setanta TV. Celtic captain Neil Lennon said of Sunday's winning goal: "It was impeccable timing from him (scoring in stoppage time) and it doesn't matter how often you see it, it is an unbelievable skill...a God-given talent."

Blatter in India: "Almost as if I'm visiting prisoners"

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter spoke to Sanjeeb Mukherjea of CNN-IBN about his mission to India [selected extracts]:

"What I have seen now is that what India need is help. They need to wake the "sleeping giant" up now, because Indian football at a certain time was a very important part during the Asian Cup in 1961 or 1962. But now, where is the Indian national team? Where are the Indian clubs? Therefore, something must be done. We have realised in FIFA when going into the geographical map, that we have neglected, I have to say, we have neglected the 'giant' India a little bit, also the sub-continent, with more than 1 billion people. We are coming a little bit late, but then we will have more speed to go forward in a project which is called "Win in India with India".

"We will do it together. We have the Asian Football Confederation, they have their “Vision Asia” which has started here, grassroots football. Together with India, we will have to do it. But not only with football, we need the support from all other components. This is our society finally - social, culture, economy and politics - everybody shall be together and we need people to support it, because we are suffering here for the popularity of another sport called cricket.

"I have to say, the overwhelming enthusiasm goes under the skin, and it was not plain, it was coming from their heart. When I went inside the stadia later on, and young people were not admitted to the visit of the FIFA President, and they were behind barriers, and then they waved their hands through the barriers. This is something that gave me the impression, almost as if I’m visiting prisoners and they are happy about the visit ...

"Chuni Goswami asked me, “Our players are physically not so fit.” So I said “If you have not enough physical institutes to put your players on the best possible physical shape, then something is wrong.” But you have one billion people, and you cannot do that? I’m sure you have the talent and the intelligence. You are such a cultured nation, India is such a cultured nation, millenniums of cultures here in this country, different cultures. This means that you have the basic intelligence other countries don’t have. And football is an intelligent game, and they should better go to football, and to other games here. I have nothing against cricket, but basketball is also such an intelligent game ..."

Chinese women boosted by win over World Stars

China's women's team said a win over a World Stars team had given them a massive boost for the World Cup. China snatched a 3-2 victory in the dying seconds against the international - reversing a slump that included four straight defeats at the recent Algarve Cup. Wang Haiming, who coached the side for the last time before newly appointed Marika Domanski-Lyfors takes the reins, said the result of the friendly was significant. "It means a lot for the Chinese team and it helps our confidence," he told AFP. "This was a good chance for us to get experience and learn how to deal with mental stress. The game showed how we have improved. Of course we still have a long way to go but we should get better over time."

Indonesian FA President re-elected unopposed

Nurdin Halid has been re-elected unopposed as President of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) for a further four years, expiring in 2011. His first term was disrupted by the second of a series of corruption charges against him which went to trial in 2005. Prosecutors recommended that the businessman, Golkar Party Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Indonesian Cooperatives Association (KDI) be sentenced to 20 years in jail, fined Rp30 million and ordered to return Rp169.7 billion (US$18 million) in state funds allegedly embezzled from the National Logistics Agency (Bulog). A court exonerated him of the charges on 16 June 2005.

"This total support will make me have to do more and more, working hard for PSSI, I hope I’ll not let anyone down,” Halid told delegates to the PSSI national congress held in his home province, South Sulawesi.

Japan invites Nigerian women for pre-World Cup

The Japanese Football Federation has reportefly written to its Nigerian counterpart for an international friendly match with the Super Falcons, days before the kick-off of the 5th FIFA Women's World Cup in China in September. "They have offered us two dates, 30 August and 2 September and they said we should communicate to them the date we prefer on time for them to prepare for the match. But the truth is that neither team can be specific until the draw for the finals which takes place in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Sunday. It is a game we will love to play, so close to the start of the championship, but we have to wait for the draw and ensure Nigeria and Japan do not fall into the same group in the first round", Bolaji Ojo-Oba, the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Association, told The Vanguard of Lagos.

"Another thing to consider is the movement", he added. "The Japanese want us to come on 30 August or 2 September and then we move back to China . The tickets they are providing for us will be from China to Japan and back to China . So, wherever we decide to camp the team for training tour, they would leave that country and go to Japan and then arrive China ahead of the competition. But we are also aware that if we arrive China before a specific period, we will pay for our stay until when the tournament organisers take over the footing of bills. All the same, we are enthusiastic to play the Japanese and will keep all options open".

2006 World Cup 'hardly touched' German economy

Experts say the 2006 FIFA World Cup had virtually no impact on growth and employment. According to a report released by Karl Brenke and Gert Wagner of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), expectations that the World Cup would significantly increase consumer spending were overly exaggerated. Although consumer spending increased in the second half of last year, this was due mainly to the increase of the value-added tax on goods and services from 16 to 19 percent, which took effect on 1 January 2006. "The World Cup's contribution to economic growth has been negligible. It was great fun. Nothing more, nothing less," said Wagner, the institute's research director of social risk management But separating out the economic effects of a mega sports events from other business trends is problematic, cautioned sports economist Markus Kurscheidt of the University of Bochum. "One has to be able to statistically filter other variables to determine the sole effect of the World Cup," he said.

"Only one thing remains clear: from 2002 to 2005, the infrastructure and promotion costs in hosting the big event boosted overall economic performance by barely 0.2 percent or at most 0.7 percent," wrote Oliver Samson for DW-World. "Not surprisingly, the main beneficiaries of the World Cup largesse was FIFA, the international soccer federation, and the German Soccer Association DFB, which cashed in 187 million euros (US$254 million) and 21 million euros respectively. The restaurant industry, where bars and outdoor cafes broadcast the live games, profited handsomely, although the sunny skies also boosted public viewing on huge projection screens."

AIFF may take over MB-SAIL Football Academy

The All India Football Federation may take over the running of the four-year-old Mohun Bagan-SAIL Football Academy in Durgapur. According to Anjan Mitra, general secretary of Mohun Bagan FC, the club has approached the AIFF to get involved as the national football body does not have an academy of its own. The Durgapur facility is currently sponsored by Sambad Pratidin, a Bengali daily newspaper owned by Mohun Bagan president Swapan Sadhan Basu. Mitra admitted that the academy was not functioning properly owing to lack of funds. SAIL does not contribute financially but provides essential infrastructure.

"It is a must to give trainees a couple of foreign trips per year, but we can arrange only one. The club does not have that much of money", Mitra said. "The AIFF should come forward to make our dreams true," he said. The AIFF has reportedly asked asked Mohun Bagan to submit the annual reports, audit reports and other related papers so that it can have a clear picture about the club.

According to sources quoted by Chandan Banerjee of the Financial Express, the AIFF will take over the academy shortly and will work with SAIL only. Mitra, however, claimed that the club will continue to be a part of the academy.

Australians may attract scouts through Arsenal

Remzi Dermele and Salah Musa are two young immigrant residents of the inner districts of Australia's second largest city, Melbourne, who have been selected in a 30-strong Australian contingent travelling to the 17th annual Arsenal International Soccer Festival at the Royal Holloway University in Surrey, England, from 28 July to 5 August. According to Larry Schwartz of The Age, the event "will attract talent scouts from Britain and elsewhere in Europe."

Remzi and Salah are among almost 600 refugees from the horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia) who now live in Carlton's public housing. This is a community in which a study by a Monash University researcher found family life had been disrupted in war and refugee camps. Women had often come to Australia without their husbands, who had died, were lost in Africa or otherwise separated from their families. Many of the youngsters' education has been disrupted in their troubled countries. But there is an obvious camaraderie and a shared passion for the "world game".

Here soccer is everything, says Mia Bromley. She is a program director with the YMCA's Carlton Parkville Youth Services, which runs a drop-in centre at the flats and soccer teams for younger players. The service is helping Remzi and Salah raise the almost $7000 they will each need for air fares, accommodation and other costs on their trip. Both teenagers are also selling raffle tickets to help raise the money.

"We don't want to create a false hope," says organiser Jim Tsolakis, managing director of the new Arsenal Soccer Schools Australia which was set up late last year and is one of 14 such schools around the world, including in Egypt, Portugal, Hong Kong and Malaysia. They are visited by Arsenal coaches and use training programs devised and monitored by the club.

Mr Tsolakis hopes that some of the Australians who play at the Arsenal event will be invited to train with the club's youth teams. "Who knows? It certainly will help them with that opportunity but also with their opportunities back home as the A-League gets better and, if we can develop the players, there's Asia," he says. "There's a huge market."

Hammam admits problems with 4 Asian Cup hosts

The President of the Asian Football Confederation has again admitted that his organisation had made a mistake be allowing four countries to host this year`s Asian Cup. "With four countries this is a problem," Mohamed bin Hammam told Reuters. "It involves a lot of marketing and a lot of energy. You get something from one government, but not another. Most of them are amateurs hardly committed to their associations, maybe just an hour a day. We have to have commitment. If one country fulfils its obligation and another one doesn`t, this is no good to us."

The 7-29 July Asian Cup will be shared by Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Thailand almost lost its hosting rights after repeatedly failing to meet deadlines for upgrading stadiums while Malaysia was told to focus its attention on the Asian Cup rather than a visit by English club Manchester United in July.

Hammam said the decision to award four countries the tournament was intended to give more fans the chance to see Asia`s best teams in action. "In the beginning of our term we were idealistic," he said. "We wanted to give everyone a chance to host this event and give people the chance to enjoy the tournament. One country is more appropriate in terms of logistics. Dealing with one national association and one government, it`s like dealing with one mind."

Hammam said the body would also review its decision to rotate the tournament between four zones in Asia, namely West Asia, Central and South Asia, East Asia and ASEAN. Candidates to stage the 2011 competition are currently restricted to West Asia or Central/South Asia, which has prevented newcomers Australia from bidding. India, Qatar and Iran have so far submitted formal applications and the AFC is set to name the 2011 host country on 28 July, the day before this year`s final in Jakarta.

"We started to have the competition on a rotational basis but this won`t help the real competition," he said. "This means only a few countries will be interested in being hosts. So far, I have received support for an amendment to have only two zones, but they (executive committee members) are prepared to open up the bidding to (countries from) all the zones."

Thailand Premier League to take 2-months break

The Thailand Premier League will take a long mid-season holiday due to the South East Asian nation hosting and participating in the Asian Football Confederation's prestigious Asian Cup in July and also the World University Games in August. Many players from the league's 16 clubs will be required to play for Thailand during this period, including warm-up games against . China (16 May), the Netherlands (6 June) and Qatar (30 June). The team will also train in Germany from 8-25. June. The Chairman of the Thailand Premier League organising committee, Chaipak Siriwat, told Tor Chittinand of the Bangkok Post that the league will take a two month break until the middle of August.

AFC "very unhappy" if Malaysia backs Man U tour

English Premier League club Manchester United’s promotional match against the Malaysian national team scheduled for 27 July - just two days after Kuala Lumpur hosts an Asian Cup semi-final and two days before neighbouring Jakarta hosts the final of the Asian Football Confederation's prestigious tournament - is in limbo. The AFC has reminded the Football Association of Malaysia that it had signed a contract to host an Asian Cup group stage and semi-final in which it is clearly stated that FAM cannot sanction or promote any other footballing event during the Asian Cup. The MU game appears to breach the terms of the contract.

"FAM has a contract with AFC as regards to the Asian Cup and we will abide by that contract. This is all I can say at this point in time," Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad, General Secretary of FAM, told Christopher Raj of the New Straits Times. "Malaysia has known about the tournament for the past two years and they agreed to do their best to promote the event, and we would be very unhappy if something like the tour of Manchester United encroached on the success of the 2007 Asian Cup," Clare Kenny, AFC Assistant General Gecretary, emphasised.

On 14 November kast year, the AFC warned Malaysia not to allow the proposed Manchester United tour of the Far East affect publicity for the Asian Cup. AFC officials then met the officials of the Sports and Tourism ministries and received assurance that the Asian Cup will take priority.

Iraq sacks national coach after Gulf Cup review

Iraq has sacked its national team coach Akram Ahmed Salman just three months before the start of the Asian Cup. The Iraqi Football Association accepted the recommendation of a fact-finding committee which conducted a two-month investigation into the failure of the team at the 18th Arabian Gulf Cup held in January and "released" the coach from his responsibilities. Current Olympic side coach Yahya Alwan is favourite to take over the reins and lead the team to the 7-29 July Asian Cup, co-hosted by Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Argentina postpones clash against Socceroos

Football Federation Australia has agreed to the Argentinean Football Association’s request to re-schedule the international match between the Socceroos and the Argentinian national team which had been confirmed for the MCG stadium in Melbourne, Australia, on 6 June. Argentina made the request due to concerns that as a result of other match commitments in Europe (made subsequent to their committing to the match in Australia) they would be unable to bring their top players nor have sufficient preparation for the match on 6 June.

FFA is committed to hosting only a full strength Argentina team in Melbourne and agreed with the Argentinean Football Association President Julio Grondona that "it would be in the best interests of both teams and Australian football supporters to postpone the match to later this year and we expect to confirm the new match date within the next week or so ... [although] at this stage it appears unlikely that we will have another match in Australia in June which means that the World Cup qualifying re-match against Uruguay at Telstra Stadium on 2 June will be the only chance to farewell the team ahead of the Asian Cup,” said FFA CEO Ben Buckley.

Nanjing tastes Vision China metro league success

Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam stressed the importance of Vision Asia's continuing success at a joint press conference with China Football Association Vice-President Xue Li, Nanjing City Government Deputy General Secretary Chen Weihong, Nanjing FA Vice-President and Director of Nanjing Sports Bureau Shu Jianping to launch the Nanjing City League.

"The future is Asia and it starts with China," he said. "Vision Asia is a long-term commitment to football development throughout Asia and Vision China is one of the most important projects within Vision Asia. Vision China is not only important for China, but also important for Asian football and world football and, therefore, AFC will continue to give its complete support to Vision China. I sincerely believe that Vision China will be more successful in the future and turn China into a football powerhouse," he said.

The AFC chief pointed out Vision China had attracted a large number of Chinese cities due to the several salient features built into the program by football development experts. "Wuhan and Qingdao have already tasted success and completed two seasons. Today Nanjing and Chengdu have been launched while a number of other cities have expressed their interest. AFC will also welcome other cities who are passionate about the game and willing to develop their city football to join Vision China. We will create a separate 'Vision China Desk' in AFC to continue working together with CFA and other football governing bodies in China for developing Vision China."

EPL to drive digital pay-tv growth in China

According to Media Partners Asia, pay-TV and broadband revenues in the Asia-Pacific will grow from US$44 billion today to US$102 billion by 2015, with a compound annual growth rate of 11 percent. The MPA report, Asia-Pacific Pay-TV and Broadband Markets 2007, measures the growing consumption and value of multichannel video and broadband services over multiple distribution networks, including cable, satellite, fixed-line and wireless, across 16 territories in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the report, the growth in digital set-top box (STB) deployment in Asia is reaching significant levels. The MPA predicts that net new digital subscriptions will hit an absolute peak of 30 million in Asia by 2010, fuelled by explosive growth in China and India; gradual transition in Korea; continued expansion in Japan and Australia; and full-scale digital migration in most ASEAN markets. By 2015, almost 50 percent of pay-TV households will have a digital STB versus 11 percent in 2006. According to the MPA, total pay-TV subscriptions reached 255 million in Asia last year and will climb to 446 million by 2015.

Broadband household penetration, averaging 13 percent in 2006, could grow to 24 percent by 2012 and 31 percent by 2015. Penetration levels in Korea, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia will peak at 80-90 percent, on average, while penetration in China will continue to climb, approaching 40 percent by 2015. Malaysia will lead the ASEAN region with almost 50 percent broadband household penetration by 2015, while penetration levels in India will remain modest at 11 percent by 2015.

In 2006, the revenue opportunity for pay-TV channels in Asia was estimated at $9.2 billion. This could grow to US$18 billion by 2011 and top US$24 billion by 2015. In terms of the volume of revenue generated, Japan, China, India and Korea lead the way. Japan’s broadband sector will generate approximately US$19 billion in turnover by 2015 and the overall broadband pay-TV market will be worth a sizable US$28 billion in revenue.

In China, total digital subscriptions are expected to scale up from 10 million in 2006 to 70 million by 2011 and reaching 107 million by 2015. This should provide a foundation for pay-TV growth that is spurred by the production of higher quality content, along with services such as HDTV, PVR and VOD. For the first time, English Premier League football matches will be shown on a first-run basis on digital pay-TV in SD and HD formats, starting this year, followed by the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Vietnam court cuts jail term for Le Quoc Vuong

A Vietnamese appeals court has cut the prison term for an ex-international footballer jailed for fixing an international match from six to four years, AFP reported. Vietnam vice captain was jailed in January for rigging Vietnam's U-23 match against Myanmar at the 2005 South East Asian Games in return for cash from a betting syndicate. "Vuong was honest this time," the Ho Chi Minh City court clerk said after the sentence reduction. "He admitted his mistakes. His family has also started paying the US$25,600 fine." The others who were sentenced in January did not appeal.

A-League players agree to salary cap until 2010

Australia's A-League salary cap will stay in place until at least 2010 after the players' union confirmed it was not a major issue in the negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement, which for the first time would embrace players playing both at home and abroad. Professional Footballers Association Chief Executive Brendan Schwab is negotiating with Football Federation Australia officials on a first "whole of the game" agreement, which he hopes will cover the period leading up to the next World Cup, in 2010, Michael Cockerill reported for the Brisbane Times.

"We don't propose to revisit the salary cap between now and 2010, because we believe it is at a reasonable level, and there are other fundamental issues to address. I think it's fair to say the PFA has historically been very responsible in developing the game, and we see a 'whole of the game' agreement as an unprecedented opportunity to give the game a real period of stability. We are competing against other sports who have much more money than we do, but we are determined to make sure football remains the sport of choice for most of our elite athletes. To do that, we have to produce a model which protects the game commercially, but at the same time fairly remunerates its players. We've been working very hard on that model, and while we intend to make sure players get a fair share of the revenue, there are other major cultural issues at stake. Things like career development opportunities, paying players when they are injured, removing short-term deals which effectively make players casual employees, are at the heart of what we want to achieve. We've talked to all the senior Socceroos, and one thing comes through clearly - if they return to Australia, they want to be sure they're coming home to a professional environment," Schwab said.

Danone's Zinedine Zidane to visit Indonesia in July

Former France international Zinedine Zidane is scheduled to visit Indonesia in July in his capacity as an ambassador of the Danone Nations Cup, an annual football festival for children 10-12 years old. According to Danone's Aqua Brand Director, Didi Nugrahadi, Indonesia will be represented by players drawn from trials in eight of the country's provinces, Jakarta, (DKI) Medan (North Sumatra) , Bandung (West Java), Semarang (Central Java), and Jayapura (Papua), from 14-15 April. The DNC national competition's final will take place in Jakarta from 12-13 May.

"The planned visit of Zidane to Indonesia hopefully could encourage the Indonesian children playing in the soccer teams joining the DNC to do their best," Nugrahadi said, as quoted by Antara newsagency.

Nike’s Mercurial Veloci AC selected Asian Cup ball

The Asian Football Confederation has accepted Nike’s Mercurial Veloci AC as the official match ball of the Asian Cup finals. "The ball features four predominantly blue stripes with each host city’s name inscribed on it and the AFC Asian Cup logo has red (Vietnam), green (Indonesia), blue (Thailand) and yellow (Malaysia) colour designations in the shape of a football," The Star reported.

Malaysia to play Saudi, UAE, Oman and Australia

Malaysia's national football team will play friendlies against Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman in preparation for the Asian Cup finals which Malaysia is co-hosting with Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam in July. Football Association of Malaysia General Secretary Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad said that the warm-up matches were important to equip the players for the tough assignments ahead in the group games against Iran, China and Uzbekistan.

He said that the team would begin their preparations with a three-match playing tour of Australia from 7-29 May, playing against the Australian Olympic (U-23) team, A-League club Sydney FC and a Western Australia state team. “We will base them in Penang after their return from Australia. It will give them a change of environment,” he said.

Australians worry about political slogans on shirts

Australia's federal Sports Minister George Brandis has criticised a sponsorship of a junior football club which will result in children wearing shirts featuring political slogans. Unions Western Australia has struck an A$8,800 sponsorship deal with the Tuart Hill Soccer Club in Perth's north, which will see players aged between six and 15 wearing uniforms carrying the slogan, 'Your Rights at Work'. Unions WA secretary Dave Robinson denied claims it is inappropriate for children to carry the slogan, describing the union sponsorship as no different to a normal commercial sponsorship.

Senator Brandis said the club's players were being used to carry political propaganda. "This is unacceptable. It is sick to be requiring school kids as a condition of playing sport to be carrying political propaganda on their jerseys ... I think people as a matter of common sense can tell the difference between ordinary commercial advertising and political propaganda. I think most Australians would accept that a line has to be drawn between the two - that you don't use kids unwillingly to carry political propaganda," he told media.

AFC plans changes to 2009 Champions League

An overhaul of the AFC Champions League has been recommended by the Asian Football Confederation's Professional Leagues Committee. Among the suggestions put forward for 2009 was the implementation of an additional round in the knockout phase, introducing a Round of 16 phase to the competition. Currently, 28 teams from 15 nations are divided into seven groups of four with only the winners of each group progressing to the quarter-finals, where they are joined by the defending champions, who qualify automatically. The new format would likely see two teams advance to the knockout phase, reducing the likelihood of failure for some of the continent's stronger clubs. Other recommendations included playing the final as a one-off match in a neutral venue. Under the current format, the final is played on a home-and-away basis.

India to launch 'Talent Hunting Year" in 2007

All India Football Federation President Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi has announced that extra funding received from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation will help launch a youth-focussed event this nyear. "This year will be a 'talent hunting year'. Tournament will be played among the five different zones from where we will select the best players for the national team," he told IANS.

Indian football invites corporate partnerships

FIFA President Joseph S Blatter has invited Indian corporate houses to invest in indian football. Speaking at a meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Blatter said: “Sponsors think they are only giving but we want a partnership. Through our game, you will get a chance to expose your brand. Football offers you an opportunity not only to be identified locally, regionally and nationally but it can bring India to the knowledge of the world.” According to AFCMedia, Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam said: “Professional football presents a win-win situation for both the club and the corporates.”

Without facilities, India can dream for "100 years"

Asian Football Confederation President Mohammad Bin Hammam believes foreign investors are`interested in buying Indian clubs. In India's capital, New Dehli with FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter, he told reporters "there are investors who are willing to come here and buy Indian clubs, even though I don't know whether this is possible under the laws here. But they are serious investors. Last evening, Sepp Blatter also told me that had he been little younger, he himself would have loved to come and buy a club here."

Hammam, however, minced no words on the problems of football in india. "It was an honour to visit three of India's biggest clubs in Kolkata but frankly speaking, they only have the history. As AFC President, I did not see any future. Sorry, but I'm saying so as son of the same continent. I have to put all my cards on the table," he said. "With the kind of facilities they have, India should not even dream of being in the World Cup for another 100 years," he remarked. "With a 1.1 billion population, you need at least 11,000 clubs. Out of this 11,000 you need only 30-40 clubs to play professional football," Hammam said.

Hammam didn't find any faults with the standard of amateur football in the country, which is on level terms with the rest of the continent, but he stressed for corporate support to get India on the world map. "FIFA, AFC and All India Football Federation will take care of amateur football and Asia is already the number one continent in that respect. But that is not going to take you to the World Cup. For that, you need corporate support. India has the potential in professional soccer but is the industry ready to grab the opportunity?"

Hammam, however, offered a more opportunist approach if things worked with proper administration and facilities. "If Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting and other clubs get the right administration and facilities, can they compete with clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea? From experience, I can say, yes, they can," he said. "And then you have such a huge fan base, which some of the big clubs can't dream. Apart from your population, you have an Indian community spread all over the world. I pray the industry would be convinced that there is an opportunity to partner Indian football in this endeavour," Hamam added.

FIFA and AFC increase funding to Indian football

The Asian Football Confederation has announced a financial assistance of US$1 million for a period of four years to help Indian football improve its standard. AFC President Mohammed Bin Hammam said the money is not a donation but a support for the cause of the game. "This money is to support clubs and the league. This is not a donation, we would like to see how it supports your clubs and league," Hammam told a Special Congress organised to mark the 70th anniversary of All India Football Federation. He also called various Indian entities to extend a helping hand. "I am expecting support of state and federal government and also of the corporate world for the development of football in India ... Unfortunately the football infrastructure is not good here but the kind of commitment and promises we have had on this visit, I hope Indian football will reach heights," he said.

Later, FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter declared open a four-year program, Win in India with India. "We have launched a new program, which is not yet on paper but in spirit. It will be linked with the 'Vision Asia' programme of AFC," Blatter said. However, for the success of the plan, Blatter put the the onus on AIFF. 'Win in India with India' means nobody else can identify your problems. You have to identify your problems and we can provide you the help.

"You will get $250 000 per year for this plan, which is a regular grant for all national associations attached with FIFA. We have to put this plan on paper and by 2010, when South Africa will be holding the World Cup, we will have realised three quarters of this plan. Then I would like to see smiling faces, happy with the development of football. You have to bring changes from top to bottom and for that there are two main streets. One is the administration and the other is technical organisation. And by technical organisation I don't mean coaching ... it is infrastructure, premises and stadiums," Blatter said as quoted by PTI.

Blatter said one should not be attached to the game for mere entertainment but for identification as well. "Football should be for entertainment, emotion and for national identity. When did you see your team last on the world stage? Kazakhstan, a small country, has qualified for this year's U-17 World Cup and with your population you should do it hundred times more," he said.

VP: India needs 'world class sports infrastructure'

India's Vice President, Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said that to realise the country's full football potential it needs to build world class sports infrastructure in rural and tribal areas. "We need to identify talent in schools and catch them young for rigorous training. We should provide playing fields and all other sports facilities in all colleges and schools," he told a Special Congress organised to celebrate the 70th anniversary of All India Football Federation in New Delhi.

Man United confirm 4-game Asian tour in July

Manchester United have finalised a pre-season tour in July that will take them to Japan, South Korea, China and Malaysia. The English Premier League leaders will start in Tokyo's suburbs against Urawa Red Diamonds on 17 July at Saitama Stadium, before travelling to the South Korean capital to face FC Seoul on 20 July. United then move to China to play Shenzhen at Macau Stadium on 23 July before finishing in Kuala Lumpur on 27 July against a Malaysian XI at the Bukit Jalil Stadium. "The club has a large and very loyal fanbase in the region and the players always enjoy their trips to see them and play in front of their passionate support. Everyone is looking forward to it," the cub's CEO David Gill told United's website

See also: Man United to compete head-on with Asian Cup (27 Mar)

Vietnam's Ha Tay women attract major sponsors

In recent years, women’s football has become the pride of Vietnam's Ha Tay province. The provincial team has won three bronze, three silver and one gold medal in nine years. In 2006, the team did a double, winning the title of the national championship and the gold medal at the 2006 National Sports Games. "To that end, Ha Tay has paid careful attention to developing young talents in its districts. Now, the province has eight training class with around 200 players, who will strive to gain promotion to the senior team in the future," Ngoc Khanh reported.

The Hoa Hop Cosmetic Company (AKA) has now become an official sponsor for the Ha Tay women’s football team providing a total of VND 150 million. Other sponsors include the Ha Tay Pharmaceutical Joint stock Company, Global Insurance Company, Bao Minh Insurance Company, Bao Viet Group, Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the Ha Tay Life Insurance Company - collectively providing a further VND 108 million.

Online gaming sponsorship increasing in Europe

The extent of the international on-line gaming industry's sponsorship of European sporting bodies and teams continues with CasinoRed.com announcing it will be sponsoring England League One club Hudderfield Town. The company's logo will appear on the new-look kit from the start of next season in a club-record deal which could be extended to three years. CasinoRed.com chief executive Nicholas Boyes-Hunter told Huddersfield News Service that they were "passionate about Huddersfield Town and looking forward to working with the club and the community in taking Huddersfield Town forward."

The gaming industry, based in Gibraltar, has continued to seek the sponsorship of major sporting clubs and events in the UK and Spain, amongst other international arenas. Only last week Mansion-sponsored Tottenham Hotspurs met against the 888-sponsored Seville in a UEFA Cup quarter final encounter. Other teams which have benefited from the massive sponsorship deals being signed by Gibraltar based gaming companies include the Portuguese Football League and Aston Villa FC.

Notes on foreign penetration of Chinese football

Jack Gage of Forbes writes that Europe's richest football teams have struggled to crack the lucrative China market but are finally making real gains:

Chinese expats such as Manchester City's Sun Jihai and Manchester United's Dong Fangzhuo have started delivering on the promise of China, which qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time only five years ago. Man U, AC Milan, Arsenal and other top European clubs have made more than 20 trips to the sport's wild frontier since the early 1990s, scouting Chinese teams for players capable of turning the country's massive football following into customers of team shirts, broadcasts and sponsors. Chinese fans make up roughly 20% of soccer's worldwide audience.

Two such tours by Spanish giant Real Madrid in 2003 and 2005 brought in roughly US$10 million from sales of replica shirts and tickets to watch its star players go up against local talent. The latter trip also resulted in a deal with China's state-run financial company Citic Group to develop Real's brand in that huge market.

The trek to China began a decade ago with Crystal Palace FC, which faced potential demotion from the English Premiers League and the threat of bankruptcy if that occurred. Palace bet on a pair of Chinese national team defenders for US$1.7 million, roughly a quarter of the team's annual broadcasting revenue. Sun Jihai and Fan Zhiyi were the first Chinese players to suit up for a British club and within weeks appeared in the first live broadcast of English football on national television in China. More than 100 million viewers tuned in, a larger audience than what the NFL's USA Super Bowl drew this year. Suddenly floundering Palace was the most popular football team in China.

In 2002 Premiership club Everton struck a two-year, US$3.2 million deal with Chinese mobile phone maker Kejian to slap the company's logo on its uniforms (in English and Mandarin) and travel to China the following summer to participate in the Kejian Cup Challenge. (The tour was canceled due to the outbreak of SARS.) Everton also signed Li Tie, and his World Cup teammate Li Weifeng to one-year deals per Kejian's request. Six months later Everton played Manchester City and newly acquired Sun Jihai, shattering the single-country viewership record for a league game, as 360 million viewers watched from China. An audience of 260 million Chinese watched the entire World Cup played in Asia that year.

Growing audiences for matches featuring Chinese players are translating into boosted broadcast values in China. The EPL's latest rights deal with Guangdong Provincial Television's Wintv covers three years for US$50 million, 40% more than the bid put in by incumbent carrier, ESPN Star Sports, the joint venture of Walt Disney Co and News Corp. "The deal signals the start of a serious tv rights market in China," says Dan Fletcher, Asia director for FMM International. Prices to stream European football over broadband Internet connections are also rising rapidly. Now Broadband TV, owned by Hong Kong telecommunications firm PCCW, earlier this year paid US$200 million in a three-year exclusive rights agreement to broadcast the EPL and the Euro 2008 tournament, an increase of 122% over the previous deal. "Five or six years ago tv rights in China went for peanuts," says Nicola Antognetti, cofounder of Eurostar Asia. "Now clubs have a real opportunity to exploit players with both marketing and broadcasting."

One reason many Chinese football fans favor European teams over the locals is that they love to bet on sports and Chinese teams have a history of fixed games. China's first division Super League was racked by scandal last year amid match-rigging and referee payoff scandals. Marcus Luer, head of Total Sports Asia, calls China's love of gambling "both the life and death of the Chinese Super League." Despite government crackdowns on illegal soccer betting (90% of the market in China), fans continue to wager on teams in the Premiership and other established leagues perceived to be consistently fair. FMMI's Fletcher notes that even lesser leagues in Sweden and Denmark, which play games in the summer, draw Chinese bettors looking for action during Europe's off season.

China's football gambling market reached US$33 billion in 2006, tripling in two years and surpassing the UK's US$30 billion industry, according to estimates from UK-headquartered Global Betting & Gaming Consultants. Still, that is only US$25 per person in China, compared with US$488 in the UK. Peter Kenyon, CEO of EPL club Chelsea, takes issue with outlawing football wagers. "There has to be a way of legalising gambling in China," says Kenyon, adding that the British government reaps a windfall taxing gambling revenue in the UK. Potential gains are enormous.

Overall, the top 25 football teams are only modestly profitable. Last season they posted an operating margin of 12% (in the sense of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization as a percentage of revenue). NFL USA teams have an average operating margin of 16%. "A big reason why these teams are attracting suitors is their growth potential in all of Asia, but China is the key." says Salvatore Galatioto, president of Galatioto Sports Partners. "You have great brands with these soccer teams that have not been fully exploited."

Matching football to India's 2020 economic vision

Coming directly from a personal meeting with the President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the President of FIFA, the world football body, Joseph Blatters, proposed that India should match its football goals to the country's economic growth. “A scientist by profession, Dr Kalam is now donning the role of a visionary and philosopher for this country. He has outlined his vision of turning India into a developed country by 2020 and has put his thoughts on paper. I happened to read that one. Going by the economic progress India is making, the important question in my mind is, ‘Is India 2018 ready’?”

Further elaborating, Mr Blatter said: “On the basis of their sheer economic progress Japan and South Korea got the 2002 World Cup. As the World Cup is awarded to different continents on rotation basis, 2006 went to Germany (Europe), 2010 to South Africa (Africa) and Brazil has staked claim for the 2014. 2018 will be a good platform for India to arrive at the world football scene.” He added: “May be India won’t be able to get the big one (World Cup), but you can get one of the smaller events of under-17, under-20 (both boys’ and girls’) World Cups.”

Assuring full support to Indian football, Mr Blatter said: “We are trying to chart out a road-map for India to reach the international scene. As a first step we have assured funds for the first four years. But the road will never stop. But from now on it depends on you, how to make the most of it. We have given you a platform. Now you create the needed administrative, infrastructure, human resources and socio-cultural support.” In his concluding remarks, Mr Blatter said as reported by The Statesman. “India and Indian football has a wonderful opportunity to wake up as a sleeping giant. In doing so it will be beneficial to both India and FIFA.”

AFC president says India has probably lost its way

Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed bin Hammam is critical of India's poor football set-up. Hammam said he had visited the facilities of three of the best Indian clubs in Kolkata on Sunday and saw no future for the clubs. "In the 1960s, the national team was good, but India has probably lost its way," he told Reuters.

Indian football held back by "no system" for youth

In the last two decades, India has failed to find its feet in football. "We have no infrastructures at all at the grassroots level," Baichung Bhutia, the only Indian ever to have played in the professional league in England, explained. "We have no system in this country to encourage young boys to play football. There is no professionalism," the East Bengal striker and the two-time winner of Asian Player of the Week award told The Hindustan Times. Baichung himself came from nowhere. Born in a tiny village in Sikkim, his was a meteoric rise. But then you would always have that odd example of a player emerging despite the system."If we really want to become a good football nation, we need to work at grass-root level, We need to open more and more academies with top facilities," Baichung commented.

Blatter says football has no need to fight cricket

FIFA President Joesph Sepp Blatter, on his first official visit to the Indian city of Kolkata, said that football doesn't need to fight cricket for popularity but should bank on its existing culture to flourish in the country. "We are here not to fight against an established sport. I admire the game called cricket. And I also admire young people playing any game," he told media. However, he still insisted on football's influence over world culture to appeal to the Indian fans to take up the sport.

"I always campaign for soccer because it is this game where there is no difference of caste, culture and creed, rich and poor. It is the fascination of this game that attracts people all over the world," he said. We don't to want to change the most established sport in your country now. But I want to say that it is football which started here much before FIFA originated. This shows how much football has penetrated in your country," he added.

FIFA Congress: "We must do more in India"

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter spoke to the world football body's website about his mission to India [selected extracts]:

"At the last FIFA Congress, we made a very clear statement: "We must do more in India." In Asia, there are two giants - China and India - but we realised one of those giants had yet to be fully touched by football and hadn’t felt the benefits of its enormous impact. That’s why I’m pleased to have come to this country to awaken people’s awareness. It’s obvious we have to help the professional league to improve and that there is a need for technical and administrative infrastructures as well. In addition, the national team has to succeed so it can become a driving force. We know the talent is there. Don’t be under any illusions, we’ve been thinking about coming here to help India develop football for a long time, and we’ve already begun via the AFC’s Vision Asia program.

"The trip will help us take stock of the country’s needs so we can then identify the areas where FIFA can help out. We will also be inaugurating the Goal 1 project, which allowed construction of a headquarters for the association. After that, we will be launching the Win in India with India program, which follows on from the Win in Africa with Africa project.

"Women’s football has already managed to grow in countries where cultural, religious or political factors might have made that appear unlikely. As a result, there’s no reason why it can’t work in India ... . I said in 1995 that the future of football was women’s football and I don’t think I was mistaken. The epidemic could well reach India!

"The focus in the future will be on developing artificial pitches in regions where climate conditions make that a necessity. FIFA’s new quality concept is all about making it possible to play on decent pitches anywhere in the world ..."

FIFA recalls Indian football's pioneering status

FIFA President Joseph Blatter has visited the three major football clubs in the Indian city of Kolkata and gave assures that the world football body respected the historic role of the sport in India. "I am extremely glad to be here in Kolkata which is the birthplace of Indian football. I welcome you all to the FIFA fold and assure you that the real game will begin in India from now on," Blatter told media. "Football is a social school of our lives. Enjoy your life, but don't forget to enjoy soccer," he said. Talking about Mohun Bagan, Mohameddan Sporting and East Bengal clubs he said: "I represent FIFA. And we are juniors here. We have come here to remember soccer history." While FIFA was established in 1904, Mohun Bagan was established in 1889 and Mohammedan Sporting Club in 1891. East Bengal was established in 1920.

Later, Asian Football Confederation President Mohammed Bin Hammam said: "It is time for us to play the game here. We feel emotionally attached with this place because of the love for football you show here."

FIFA announces new GOAL projects for India

FIFA president Joseph Blatter has launched a Goal 2011 project that will look into the maladies affecting the growth of the game in India and try to provide time-bound solutions for it. Called Win in India with India, the Vision Asia development scheme is the second football project in the country. "Under the support of GOAL project, India gets US$400,000 under the second project that launches tomorrow. In addition, under the development program we are looking at all other fields like marketing, refereeing and development of administrative set-up and infrastructure. First, we will draw up the inventory and if money is needed it can be generated. But it would be better if you also develop the means of generating your own funds," he announced.
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"We have not come here to fight against an established sport in this country. I am here to speak on my game. It is football. Some call it soccer. We call it world sport," Blatter said. "If football is to grow here, it has to become a part of the social life of people. We are here to guide you on how to go and where to go. You have to develop the administrative structure and form a pyramid-like infrastructure in which football starts from schools and spreads to the national level. We will form a working group with representatives from FIFA, Asian Football Confederation and All India Football Federation and try to draw an inventory of all the matters concerning the game and fix a time table for addressing each issue. It will take into consideration the financial help that is needed and how you raise the money through the governmental and corporate support. Football cannot grow without political help and financial support from business houses. It is needed to develop the game at all levels and not just the club level," Blatter said.

Ten teams tipped for inaugural Indian pro league

The All India Football Federation is still looking to launch its Professional League from October 2007 and AIFF president Priyaranjan Dasmunsi says that in its inaugural year, the league will have 10 teams. Professional club criteria will include having at least 14 contractual players, a licensed coach and access to stadiums. The proposed professional season is from 2 October - 28 February with state leagues commencing after the professional league ends.

"Four out of 14 contractual players would have a two-year stable contract and players' obligation to the club will be permanent. In its second year, the professional club would be either a company or a registered society with their own regulation and statute with financial backing of sponsor and the number of contractual players would go up to 18," Dasmunsi said as quoted by Indiantelevision.

English player's agents warn FA of legal action

A leading British football agent Mel Stein claims the English Football Association has acknowleged they have “cocked up” on the new rules governing agents. The FA is facing a challenge in the courts just days before they plan to introduce a tough new set of rules at the end of May in time for the next transfer window. One of the country’s leading barristers, David Pannick, will see the final draft on behalf of the FA on Friday, but the Association of Football Agents is calling for the FA to put back the new regulations in order to consult with them, or they will take out an injunction.

Stein, a specialist sports lawyer and leading light of the AFA, said: “The FA have hired the country’s top barrister, but they have now acknowledged they are wrong. They are proposing a whole tranche of amendments, but in my view they do not go far enough. The FA have been too dictatorial, they need to engage in a proper process of consultancy with us rather than having a dialogue through our lawyers. They cocked up from the word go. We asked to see a copy of the new rules but they never sent them to us before they announced them. We have reached the cut-off point. We do not want to litigate, but either the FA want to talk directly to us or we shall have to decide on an injunction. Either way I cannot see the rules being introduced, as they plan to do, on May 1. The FA rushed in new rules for January 2006, and here we are arguing about new rules for May. They shouldn’t be rushed through on May 1. What’s wrong with January 1, 2008?,” he told Harry Harris of The Express.

The FA insists it has consulted with agents and other bodies prior to releasing the new rules and argues the AFA is not representative of all agents, and even those within their organisation have differing views. The FA also believes that by making amendments it will be in a far strong legal position to resist an injunction, insisting it has not scrapped a single point of principle. English agents, however, have met their counterparts in Europe to co-ordinate action. Theys claim the new rules are a restraint of trade and can be challenged all the way to the European Courts.

Indian referees complain of salary issues

The 76-year-old Calcutta Referees Association, probably the oldest referees’ association in Asia, will not be introduced to visiting FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The All India Football Federation "has kept the CRA out of the loop in the gala reception for Blatter who will be visiting the three premier city clubs [East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting] and then head towards the Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the evening to watch the East Bengal-Mohun Bagan National Football League derby," reported Sudeep Pakrashi for Express India.

“The Federation bosses have started promoting in a big way the sudden change of Indian football’s face from its existing amateurish status to a professional outlook. But the referees, particularly the city’s referees’ condition will remain the same. At a time when the Federation is spending millions on the occasion of Mr Blatter’s visit to the country, a referee is given a mere amount of Rs 1300 for supervising a National Football League match. You check with your neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and find out how much the referees are paid for officiating a country’s premier championship match there. You will find they are given at least double the amount we are paid,” said a senior national referee.

Major makeover continues for Indian pro football

The football associations of India's two key states, Goa and West Bengal, remain critical of two conditions for the new Professional League the All India Football Federation hopes to launch in October. If "teams playing in the Professional League will not be allowed to play in the State League," and "teams willing to continue in the State League competition should field a different set of players -- either amateurs or junior players" the flow of sponsorship at the local state level will be severely hampered, agreed Goa Football Association Secretary Savio Messias and Indian Football Association Secretary Subrata Dutta.

Although gate collections from Goa Professional League games have been dropping over the past six years, the compeition has attracted sponsorship of Rs 300,000(US$6,818) to Rs 500,000 (US$11,363), which the association feels will be threatened. With lack of stars, the association feels that the sponsors will turn their backs on the league.

"Comparatively the Bengal situation is different. A match between the two arch rivals Mohan Bagan and East Bengal easily attracts a crowd of 70,000 to 90,000 on a given day depending on the form of the respective teams and the importance of the match. So the IFA, the body which runs the state level affairs in the eastern state of the country, is feeling the pinch on two fronts. They also feel worried that advertisers will shy away and the gate collection will dwindle," commented Armstrong Vaz in ohmynews.

India's current semi-professional National Football League commenced in 1996 with a promise that it would turn into a professional league but its 10 participating clubs are nowhere near FIFA bench marks which require a qualified and devoted set of technical, administrative, medical and coaching staff. Among facilities, they should have a clubhouse, an administrative office, a developmental side (U-19, U-21), an academy and a youth program - and control over a full-time practice and playing ground.

See also: Controversy as India moves to professional league (20 Mar) and Indian professional league 'can kick-off' in October (16 Feb)

Japan to play Montenegro, Colombia in Kirin Cup

Defending Asian Cup champion Japan will tune-up for this year's edition with games against Montenegro and Colombia in the Kirin Cup, the Japan Football Association announced. Japan will play Montenegro in the opening game on 1 June and will face Colombia four days later. Colombia takes on Montenegro on 4 June. The Kirin Cup is an annual football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Corporation. Since 1992 only national teams have participated.

The matches will be Japan's last before they travel to Vietnam for the Asian Cup in July. "These are good teams and are not easy opponents to play," Japan coach Ivica Osim said of his side's Kirin Cup rivals. "But I hope we can be successful and can become more competitive against stronger sides at international level by getting good results against them. With the Asian Cup to come, an opportunity like this will help us. We won't treat the Kirin Cup as a test or a rehearsal for the Asian Cup. We'll play as hard as we would do in the World Cup."

Vision India U-11 program targets Manipur schools

The Asian Football Confederation's Vision India project for the state of Manipur, has identified the schools of Bishnupur, Churachandpur, Thoubal and Kakching districts/sub-division for the implementation of its U-11 Grassroots Schools Football Development Program. However the All Manipur Football Association has listed a further nine schools in Imphal West and Imphal East districts for the same program for boys and girls, The Sangai Express reported.

The Imphal East district schools include Eternal English School, Sekta (boys); Blooming Flower English School, Khurai Konsam Leikai (boys); Rajani ES, Khurai Thoudam Leikai; St Xavier ES, Soibam Leikai; St Mary's School, Nongmeibung; Tiny Tots Unique School, Dewlahland; Don Bosco School, Shangakpham; Manipur Public School, Koirengei; and Bashikhong Jr HS. For Imphal West the selected institutions are Paradise Academy, Imphal; Shishu Nistha Niketan, Kwakeithel Mayai Koibi; Pari Imom Shindamshang, Langjing; Usha Bhavan HS, Tera Sayang; Oxford English Academy, Phayeng; Budhimanjuri Jr HS, Tera Lukram Leirak; Nirmala Rani ES, Wangoi; and Public Girls HS, Lamshang.

Thailand to enjoy pre-Asian Cup German camp

The Football Association of Thailand will send its Asian Cup squad for a two-week camp in Germany before the tournament starts in Bangkok on 7 July, FAT president Worawi Makudi told Tor Chittinand of the Bangkok Post. "Thai Asian Cup team will have their final training in Germany in June. They will spend about two weeks there. The national team's coach Chanvit Phalajivin and the team manager Kittirat Na Ranong will pick the best players for the the Asian Cup squad. I am sure that two weeks in Germany will provide useful experience for them. Normally fitness is one of the team's weaknesses. I hope the Germany trip will help the players get shaped up well," he said. Thailand will play against the Chinese national team on 16 May, the Netherlands on 6 June and Qatar on 30 June.

AFC begins inspections of Asian national leagues

Under the chairmanship of Japan Football Association President Saburo Kawabuchi, the Professional League Committee of the Asian Football Confederation has begin a series of inspections of 21 national leagues to assess their organisation, technical standard, attendance, governance, marketing and promotion, business scale, match operations, media, stadia and facilities and clubs in preparation for improving and relaunching them at the highest professional level. This will become a prerequisite for participating in future editions of the AFC Champions League.

The inspection team's seven stops in the first phase of its visits, which will last through 9 June will be Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, China, South Korea and Singapore. Each stop will take between four and seven days. "The Committee is seeking the confirmation of schedules from the remaining countries in order to complete the necessary evaluation prior to November 2007," the AFC said.

Park Ji-Sung extends Nike contract for US12 million

South Korea's top striker Park Ji-Sung of English Premier League club Manchester United has signed a long-term contract with sportswear company Nike that extends their commercial relationship until 2019. "Park merits our sponsorship in light of his achievement and influence in the world of football," a spokeswoman for Nike Sports Korea told AFP. The company did not reveal the value of the deal but sports dailies here said it was believed to be worth more than US$12 million.

Singapore may sell first stadium naming rights

Singapore football fans could soon be heading for the Courts Toa Payoh Stadium to support S-League side Courts Toa Payoh Central. Today newspaper reported that that Courts is negotiating with the Football Association of Singapore and Balestier Khalsa for branding rights of the club, as well as naming rights of the club's home stadium. The Singapore Sports Council is the owner of all public stadiums and sports complexes in the country. Sources have revealed that through marketing agents IMG, the council is close to securing a multi-million-dollar deal with a major company interested in securing naming rights to one of the country's sports complexes.

When contacted by the newspaper, Courts CEO Terry O'Connor refused to reveal details of the negotiations, although he said that if the proposal was accepted, it "will change the face of football sponsorship in Singapore". It is believed the proposal includes renaming Toa Payoh Stadium to Courts Toa Payoh Stadium, while S-League club Balestier Khalsa, the current tenants, will become Courts Toa Payoh Central. If successful, the stadium, which is approximately 300 metres from a Courts outlet at the HDB Hub at Toa Payoh Central, will be painted yellow, the corporate colour of the company.

"It will be a shot in the arm for the S-League if a company such as Courts puts its faith in the S-League, but I must stress that negotiations are still in the early stages," FAS president Ho Peng Kee said. It is believed the sponsorship deal must run for a minimum of three years and could be worth at least S$1 million. Club sponsorships are currently estimated at around S$200,000 per year. "If this takes off in the S-League, it could get other big companies to sit up and take notice. "The ideas are radical, but exciting and very different. Ultimately, sports will benefit from more corporate involvement," Balestier Khalsa Chairman Balbeer Singh Mangat commented.

SSC CEO Oon Jin Teik said marketing of properties such as stadia and sports complexes was a means to raise more funds for sports and give corporate supporters extra mileage. "Through the municipal marketing initiative, we aim to engage the private sector to play a bigger role in growing the Singapore sports industry by leveraging on our asset base of sports facilities and amenities as advertising, promotion and branding platforms. It allows SSC to generate the funding and resources to further drive other initiatives under the three strategic thrusts of increasing sports participation, driving sports excellence and growing the sports industry. It also helps to grow a self-sustaining sports ecosystem by generating funds and resources from commercial sources, over and beyond what the Government is currently providing," he said.

Outback lads get opportunity to represent Australia

Football Federation Australia has selected a group of U-13 Northern Territory youths to represent Australia at the upcoming Asian Football championships in Malaysia from 27 May. "Richard Mitchell from the territory's Football Federation says the squad will include boys from across the region, as well as the territory capital of Darwin," Radio Australia reported.

Football sponsors fuel "alcohol abuse" in children

The public presentation and consumption of champagne at the end of top football matches is fuelling alcohol abuse among young children, the United Kingdom's biggest teaching union has warned. An advertisement placed by the 260,000-strong National Union of Teachers claimed such exposure to alcohol glamorised drinking and risked "damaging young people's lives" and argued that the "association between alcohol and sport must end" with a ban on all sport sponsorship by drinks companies in advance of the 2012 London Olympics.

Steve Sinnott, general secretary, told how a child following a football club such as Everton, which is sponsored by Chang, the Thai beer, was being over-exposed to alcohol. Addressing the union's annual conference in Harrogate, he said: "He looks forward to a Carling Cup match between Everton and Liverpool. "On the chests of those playing against his heroes is the Carlsberg lager logo. And the men in blue sport the logo of the Thai beer, Chang. Our man also wears a shirt with the same logo. When Everton score, the striker indicates that the celebrations will include more than a social drink. Our lad is home in time to watch the sport's news. He sees the scorer of Everton's winning goal presented with the man of the match award - a bottle of champagne. The effects on the young are stark".

"The union warned that the culture of drinking in sport glamorised alcohol abuse among children. One in five of all pupils excluded from school do so for drinking and 16 per cent of all expelled children consume alcohol every day, it is claimed. Drink related deaths among young people are up 60 per cent since 1991," Graeme Paton reported in The Telegraph.

Bonyan extends sponsorship with UAE's Al Jazira

After winning the UAE FA Cup this season, Al Jazira FC's major sponsor Bonyan has extended the deal for three years for Dh10 millions. "The continuous success of the football team have helped greatly in finding sponsors and thus increased the financial resources of the club. We have made more than Dh20 million in sponsorship deals since last season. We hope to double this figure in the near future," club director Abdul Razzag Al Jasem told Yasir Abbasher of Gulf News. "We are encouraged by the great emphasis given to the club by Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Minister of Presidential Affairs Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan which will result in more success to the teams. We are happy to become partners with Al Jazira," added Dr Mohammad Saeed Al Mowaini, the Executive Director of Bonyan.

Why England's premiership attracts "the East"

Hailing the success of three English Premier League clubs reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, CEO Richard Scudamore described the Premiership as the "envy'' of other European leagues. "Other leagues do envy what we are doing. The Premiership is the best it has ever been in terms of success [in Europe] and the quality of football played. I am wowed often now by what I see in games. Look at last weekend: Portsmouth beat Man United, West Ham beat Arsenal, and then Watford beat Portsmouth and then we have this in the Champions League. It is hard to think it gets much better than this. Remember, these teams are distributing their TV money across 20 clubs and competing against teams in Europe who are keeping it all for themselves, like Spain and Italy, where the clubs have all their own TV money. Reaching the later stages of the Champions League is a very simple blunt measure of a league's success, but it is still a badge of achievement. There will be other seasons when we don't get as many teams this far through, and it doesn't alter the status of the Premier League. But clearly this is very exceptional in the history of our clubs," he told Henry Winter of The Telegraph.

"The further East you go, the more the combative, pacey nature of our game is the bit that attracts them,'' said Scudamore, expanding on the Premiership's global appeal. "The cut and thrust of the Premiership attracts them in the East. I know that's the bit some of the purists criticise but that is why our clubs are of such interest around the world. That is perhaps why we are not so much (of a draw) in South America, because it is not the Latin style, but when you go through Africa, North America or Asia, we are the leading choice because of the way we play. If you are a neutral sitting in a foreign country, the pace of Reading against Tottenham last Sunday is why we are so attractive."

Singapore fines Chow S$50,000 for bribe attempt

The Singaporean goalkeeper asked by former Malaysia coach Chow Kwai Lam to fix a Singapore S.League match said it had been a mistake to attempt to bribe him; Zulkifli Zainolabidin is a former police officer. Chow, 64, was found guilty by a Singapore court last week of offering a bribe to the former Paya Lebar Punggol FC keeper to let the opposition score two or three goals in a June 2005 match. Chow, who received a life ban from football in Singapore and Malaysia, was fined S$50,000 (US$33,050) by the court. "He should have known that I was a former police officer and I would never do things to bring shame to my family," Zulkifli told Today newspaper. "I never meant to cause anyone any problems but it was my duty as a professional footballer and as a police officer to report the matter to the club management." Zulkifli, who now plays for S-League club Balestier Khalsa, said he wanted to put the incident behind him but that he would never be able to fully forget about it.

Judge Jasvender Kaur said a fine was more suitable than a jail term because Chow "was not connected to or involved with any betting or gambling syndicate" and that he "did not place any wager or bet on the game." The judge also took into consideration Chow's long involvement in football and that he had no previous criminal record. Chow and his family were considering an appeal against both the conviction and sentence, their lawyer, Hamidul Haq told AFP.

South Korean rivals to help North's U-17 youth

A South Korean football team organised during the Cold War to "Crush the puppet state of North Korea!” has now stepped forward to help the North's youth with football. The Yangji squad was established in 1967 when then President Park Chung-hee issued an order to Kim Hyung-wook, director general of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency to “set up a team to beat the North” following the Communist regime's advance into the quarterfinals in the 1966 World Cup held in England.

"Like the commandos specially trained in Silmido to assassinate the North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, members of Yangji underwent intense training in a camp pitched within the CIA facilities in Imun-dong, Seoul," reported Donga.com. Heo Yun-jeong, 70, who was the captain then, said, “We didn’t hold rifles, but we trained intensively to defeat the North. However, we never had a chance to fight. It is a totally new age now, but my grudge will linger until at least I get a chance to talk to Lee Chan-myeong who is currently staying in the South.”

Together with his old teammates, Heo will visit the NIS in Naegok-dong, Seoul, on 11 April to ask for a meeting with the North Korean U-17 Youth National Team and its head Lee Chan-myeong. They want to take part in a friendly match mixed with the youngsters with the help of the NIS so that the North Koreans can be more exposed to the outside world. Thirteen members including Lee Hoi-taek, Kim Ho, Cho Jeong-su, Lee Yeong-geun, Jeong Byeong-tak, Kim Sam-nak, Jeong Gyu-pung, Oh In-bok, Seo Yun-chan, Park Su-il, Choi Jae-mo, Kim Yeong-seop, and Choi Un-hyang will join this event. Lee Jae-hyeong, a collector of football-related items, has also received a special invitation.

The North’s U-17 team arrived in the South late last month and has been touring around the nation for training as they prepare for the FIFA U-17 World Cup scheduled for July in South Korea. Cho Jeong-soo, vice president of the Seoul Football Association, said, “We expect that NIS director Kim Man-bok will be cooperative as he likes football.”

East Asians might invite Australians into A3 Cup

Japanese and Korean football associations are pushing to include Australian A-League clubs in the prestigious East Asian Club Championship, also called the A3 Champions Cup, according to sources in Japan quoted by FourFourTwo magazine. The tournament is an annual round-robin tournament for the big three East Asian countries, Japan, Korea and China, and their champion club sides. "Given the A-League season kicks off in late August, it would be an ideal way for an Australian club to tune up against quality opposition in the off-season. What’s more, there's a nice earner for the winner as well as sponsorship potential.

In 2005, South Korea’s Suwon earned US$400,000 for winning the tournament," the magazine advised. The 2007 edition will be held in China’s Jinan city from June 7-13. Shandong Luneng and Shanghai Shenhua will battle with Japan’s Urawa Reds and South Korean power Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.

Indonesian League back's media 'fair play' awards

The Indonesia League Board (BLI) is supporting the national Premier League "fair play awards" organised by the Jawa Pos newspaper group. The awards will recognise players, referees and coaches. “It doesn’t matter if the result different from FIFA ... as long as the eligible is based on FIFA standard,” Joko Driyono, BLI competition manager, told the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) website.

Park's new Nike contract tipped as Korean record

South Korean midfielder Park Ji-sung of English Premier League club Manchester United is negotiating a long-term contract with leading global sports brand Nike. Park is extending his contract with Nike until the year 2017, which should cover the life of his career. Nike has contracts with other top soccer players including Ronaldinho of FC Barcelona and Wayne Rooney of Manchester United but long-term contracts are rare. "Once the deal is signed, Park will receive over W600 million (US$1=W933) a year for a total of more than W6 billion in 10 years. It will be the biggest sponsorship contract in Korean sports history," Chosun newspaper reported. Park's long-term contract with Nike will be a Korean first. He will be 38 years old in 2019, which should be his retirement age considering that he is a hard-working midfielder.

Bolton looks to Pakistan for new Academy location

English Premier League club Bolton Wanderers is considering opening an academy in Pakistan. Last month, Pakistan's Minister of Sport and Culture, Ali Shan, watched the club in action. "I wanted to come to Bolton to appreciate the work the club is doing to develop partnerships with clubs and schools around the world as part of its ambitious International Academy project.," he said. "I understand relationships are already in place in USA, Europe, India and Africa and I am keen to take this initiative to Pakistan. I do believe there is potential of a tie up between some of the forward thinking sports schools and clubs in the Azad Kashmir region and Bolton."

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside is keen to foster relationships in the region. "I have a passionate interest in Pakistan having worked there a few years ago," he said, as quoted by goal.com. "I admire the work Minister Ali Shan is carrying out in his home country by putting sport at the top of the social and economic agenda. Cricket is still the King, but football is gathering momentum across the country. With the Barclays Premiership taking the game to the world, football is becoming more accessible. By harvesting relationships with the region, Bolton Wanderers can make a positive impact with a potential partnership going forward."

Pedro unlocks the tactics of top football teams

Piero, the first technology of its kind that enables better analysis of sports games by allowing the viewer to see 'play' from all angles, has been adopted by Sky Italia, Hong Kong Cable, TV Globo in Brazil, ITV in the UK, ITI Neovision in Poland and Al Jazeera. Red Bee Media developed the product from a BBC Research and Development 'proof of concept' in collaboration with BBC Outside Broadcasts for BBC Sport. At the International Broadcasters' Convention last September Piero received the Award for Innovative Application of Technology in Content Creation.

The Piero graphic system places pictures of players into a virtual stadium where they can be viewed from different angles and analysed in animated sequences. It is the only technology of its kind with a seamless transition between original footage and views in a virtual stadium. It also enables broadcasters to show viewers offsides, passes and offences from the best possible angle–even if the play was not captured at that angle. To form an inclusive graphics package, Piero also features the ability to track players across the grass and place pointers, badges and scores on the pitch in 'live' video. It can also be used to place virtual advertising in real footage or virtual stadiums.

Piero is operated through an easy-to-use touch-screen interface, which TV presenters can operate on-air. It allows them to draw directly on the pitch and can switch between real and virtual views at the click of a button. The drawn graphics remain 'tied-to-field' in moving camera footage.

20 Questions from North Korea's young footballers

Twenty-three members of North Korea's U-17 football team have been staying in South Korea for 20 days. "The lobby of the Suncheon Royal Tourist Hotel at 9 am on Saturday. The North Korean soccer squad look trim in their black uniform, shoes in hand. They had countless questions for the South Korean officials of the Sports Exchange Association accompanying them," reported the Chosun newspaper.

"What is the cross for?", one asks, and when told asks again, "What is a church?" The answer seemed to baffle them. When an official explained that many young South Koreans wear glasses because they use computers a lot, one team member said, "In North Korea, only few children and scholars who read lots of books wear glasses." The players were particularly taken by mobile phones. They wondered how people could make calls without lines and play games or take pictures with their phones. Whenever officials from the association used their mobile phones, the North Korean youngsters gathered to see their phones.

When shown magazine photos and asked to pick the most beautiful among actresses, Jeon Ji-hyun, Song Hye-gyo and Beyonce Knowles, they chose Beyonce Knowles, still insisted they didn't care.

2007 AFC Futsal Championship group schedules

Defending champions and hosts Japan have been drawn in an easy group for the ninth edition of the AFC Futsal Championship which will take place from 13-19 May in the twin venues of Osaka and Hyogo. "Japan, who defeated Uzbekistan in the final last year in Tashkent, should face little difficulty in advancing to the last eight from Group A after being bracketed with ASEAN minnows and qualifiers Philippines, Hong Kong and Tajikistan," AFCMedia reported.

Sixteen teams came out of the pots at the Japan Football Museum to be slotted into four groups of four teams each. While Groups A and B will play their matches in Osaka, Groups C and D will go into action at Hyogo. The top two teams advance to the quarterfinals. The final will be played in Osaka on 19 May.

Group A (Osaka): Japan, Tajikistan, Hong Kong, Philippines
Group B (Osaka): Uzbekistan, Thailand, Kuwait, Iraq
Group C (Hyogo): Kyrgyzstan, Australia, Turkmenistan, South Korea
Group D (Hyogo): Iran, China, Malaysia, Lebanon

Czech coach muses about Indonesian football

Czech national Miroslav Janu, coach of the 2006 Indonesian Cup winner, Arema Malang, describes the club's supporters as "a big problem" even though the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) last year awarded them the title of Best Indonesian Football Supporters. "I coached in Sabah [Malaysia] for four years and for more than a year in Makassar but I've never seen fans like this. And the media is sensational and so negative. They criticise me, but some journalists don't understand the game. I say to them: 'Tell me something I don't know,'" he told Duncan Graham of The Jakarta Post.

"Arema are the original take-no-prisoners fans, and when they're on the road (every fan seems to have a motorbike without a muffler) the wise steer into the nearest paddy field. Better to confront the mud than the mad. Their other name is Singo Edan, which translates as Crazy Lions. It's an apt title for the Aremaniacs," Graham himself commented.

Janu started playing professional football when he was 17 with first division team SK Slovia Praha (Prague). He quit the field in his 30s and spent two years training to be a coach. Then he worked in his homeland, in Austria and in South East Asia. "I try every day to work one hundred percent. I want my players to have the same standards, to improve. I tell them they must have discipline and practice, practice. This is a different job to anything else. When things go wrong they can't blame others. They must look at themselves first and ask: 'What mistakes have I made?' They must respect each other and respect the coach ... Some have difficulty playing as a team. They have too much ego. This is a problem in Indonesia. They can't take the money as professionals, and then play like amateurs -- this is the point.

"About 60 percent get more money than me on their contracts. That's not an issue for me -- I've got everything I want, home and family in Prague. Football has been good to me ... I don't think there are communication problems with the players. I talk to them face-to-face. And no problems with cultural differences -- I've worked in Malaysia where the fans are more sophisticated. Maybe the problem here is that there are so few other sports to support," he mused.

Pakistan talks with Iran on football promotion

Pakistan Football Federation President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat (also Pakistan's Federal Minister for Environment) will discuss promotion of football during his visit to Iran, the PFF told the Islamic Republic News Agency. He will meet heads of the Iran Football Federation (IRIFF), President Mohsen Safaei Farahani and General Secretary Mohammad Nabi Mehdi, and FRMF President Benslimane Housni and General Secretary Bencheikh Larbi for discussion on promotion and exchange of visits of men, women teams and programs for referring, coaches and administrators.

Chinese club suspends coach and seven players

Chinese Division 1 club Harbin Yiteng has suspended its coach and seven players on suspicion of match-fixing after a 6-0 defeat to Chengdu Blades in their opener on 1 April. Soccer News reported that coach Wang Hongli and seven other players were banned for what the club chief executive called an "unnatural" match. "If we play as well as we can then even the national team couldn't beat us 6-0," Cui Hua told the paper. “It was an unnatural match. We need a team that is definitely pure. We will not allow any corruption."

Australian women look for league of their own

The coach of the successful Australian women's team, Tom Sermanni, has warned that the continued absence of an elite club competition threatens to bring the hard-won progress undone. The Matildas will compete in the World Cup in China in September and may also qualify for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. However, 16 months after Football Federation Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation, Australian women do not yet have a competitive club environment and many players are resorting to scratch games against junior men's sides to maintain the necessary levels of skill and fitness. The previous women's national league closed down in 2004, and while the A-League has since emerged to provide a professional competition for male footballers, their female counterparts are still without a league to call their own.

"It's critical now," Sermanni told Michael Cockerill of the Brisbane Times. "People talk about the problems in men's football since the demise of the youth league, well this is exactly the same. The longer we go on like this, the more players we're going to lose to the game. There are national leagues for women in netball, basketball, hockey and water polo, yet football, where the numbers are booming, doesn't have one. There is such a wide gulf between the academy programs and the national team. And when a player drops out of the national squad, they simply don't have anywhere to play. We desperately need the league to start up again, even if it's not got all the bells and whistles. I would be happy with just a single round of matches to get the ball rolling. I do know the FFA is aware of the problem, and they're supportive. And I understand it hasn't been easy for them since we moved into Asia, because there are so many things to put into place. But everyone appreciates it's now become a matter of urgency, and I've not given up hope that we might see it happen by the end of this year. With the academy programs, at least the basic structure is still in place."

English player's agents threaten FA with Euro Court

The English Football Association is facing a massive legal war with the Association of Football Agents over its new rule book. The AFA feels that the FA has no right to tell its members how to do business or the way they get their payments from transfers and new contracts. "The FA have had the chance to talk these issues through, but they don't seem to take us seriously. But we know our ground and this will go through the courts. If that means the European Courts then it would mean a delay, as much as three years, but that suits us far more than Brian Barwick and his people, " one top AFA insider revealed to Alan Nixon of People.

Vietnam football thinks of business partnerships

The Vietnam Football Federation is considering working with the business community to set up joint ventures in football-related services. Nguyen Trong Hy, VFF Chairma, said a good idea to attract more funds is to shake hands with economic partners to do business to earn profit. The VFF would have to consult wealthy foreign clubs where the practice is commonplace to learn more about how it’s done, Hy admitted to Thanh Nien newspaper. He also said that it was just the beginning for the ‘raw’ idea, and the move requires more brainstorming to succeed in the future. He later announced his agency will initiate a fund for football development in the next two months.

"The state budget funds most of the VFF’s ventures, along with corporate sponsorship, which has dwindled of late as match fixing scandals have swirled around the league," Thanh Nien commented.

Iran club still banned from AFC Champions League

World sport's highest court has dismissed the appeal of Iranian club Esteghlal Tehran to be reinstated in the AFC Champions League. The Asian Football Confederation disqualified Esteghlal from participating this year after it had failed to meet the deadline to submit its preliminary player registration forms. On 20 March, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, upheld Esteghlal's bid to be provisionally reinstated. Both parties then completed their submissions and the case was referred to a panel of arbitrators. "The CAS panel has found that it had no jurisdiction to rule upon the appeal filed by Estheghlal," the CAS ruled.

Pakistan and Iran join Communist inspired event

Pakistan and Iran will take part in the EK Nayanar Memorial International Gold Cup football tournament to be held at Kerala, India from 8 to 24 April; reportedly the first international football event to be named after and to commemorate a Communist Party functionary. The event is being organised by the EK Nayanar Memorial Trust, headed by Communist Party of India Marxist Kerala state secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan. According to the Daily Times Pakistan, Iran, Ghana and Nigeria are participating in the tournament along with four Indian clubs

Pakistan Football Federation President Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat has named Muhammad Essa as skipper and Akhtar Mohiuddin as head coach of the PFF Eleven that will take part in tournament. Sardar Naveed Haider Khan will be chef-de-mission of the squad which includes Muhammad Essa (captain), Bilal Rafique, Adeel Ahmed, Syed Sultan Ali, Muhammad Irfan, Saeed Ahmed, Yasir Sabir, Muhammad Qasim, Mehmood Khan, Zubair Moazzam, Kamran Khan, Javed Hamza, Asif Ayub, Imran Hashmi, Muhammad Zeeshan, Misbahul Hassan, Shahid Ahmad and Muhammad Waseem.

Indonesia confirms Jordan and UAE friendlies

Indonesia has lined up friendlies with Asian nations Jordan and the United Arab Emirates in the run up to this year's Asian Cup. The tournament co-hosts will face Jordan on 1 June before taking on Group B qualifiers, UAE, on 30 June. The match with Jordan will take place in Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, which will host the Asian Cup final on 29 July. Indonesia is co-hosting the 7-29 July contest with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam and has been drawn in Group D with Bahrain, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

China friendlies in USA, Thailand and Hong Kong

China will play three matches in the United States as part of their preparations for July's Asian Cup finals. According to Chinese Football Association spokesman Dong Hua, the national squad will train in the USA from 31 May to 11 June playing the American national team and two Major League Soccer clubs. Local media quoted by Reuters reported that the MLS clubs would be former England captain David Beckham's new team Los Angeles Galaxy and Colorado Rapids but Dong said the opposition had yet to be fixed.

China, runners-up to Japan at the last Asian Cup in 2004, will also play Thailand at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium on 16 May before heading to the US, Dong confirmed. The Chinese team will also play Hong Kong in late June to mark the 10-year anniversary of the handover of power in the Special Administrative Region from Britain to China. Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia will co-host the Asian Cup from 7-29 July and China has been drawn in the Group C round with Iran, Uzbekistan and Malaysia to be played in Kuala Lumpur.

2007 East Asian Club Championship announced

The East Asian Club Championship will be held in China’s Jinan City from 7-13 June 2007 the organisers announced through AFCMedia. Two Chinese clubs, Shandong Luneng and Shanghai Shenhua, will compete with Japan’s Urawa Reds and South Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the fifth edition of the tournament which has been won three times by Korean clubs. Ulsan Hyundai won the title last year in Tokyo.

7 June
18:00 Shanghai Shenhua V Seongnam
20:30 Urawa Reds V Shandong Luneng

10 June
16:00 Seongnam V Urawa
18:30 Shandong Luneng V Shanghai Shenhua

13 June
18:00 Urawa Reds V Shanghai Shenhua
20:30 Shandong Luneng V Seongnam

China skipper Zheng Zhi will return from his loan spell in England to lead Chinese champions Shandong Luneng at the East Asian Champions Cup, China Super League chief Lang Xiaonong told Reuters. Zheng has impressed since his move to English Premier League club Charlton Athletic late last year but their fate will be long decided by the time Japan's Urawa Reds and South Korea's Seongnam visit Jinan. "Zheng Zhi is on loan and his name is still in the Shandong Luneng squad. He'll be back to play then," Lang said.

Vietnam's best footballers win sports media awards

Song Lam Nghe An FC striker Le Cong Vinh was awarded the V-League Golden Ball award for 2006 in a vote by sports journalists from across Vietnam. In the awards ceremony held at the Lan Anh Club in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Tam Long An FC midfielder Nguyen Minh Phuong received the Silver Ball and Le Tan Tai from Khanh Hoa FC got the Bronze Ball. Tien Giang FC defender Long Giang was named as the best youth footballer of 2006.In women's football, Dao Thi Mien from Ha Tay FC was named as the Golden Ball winner. Kim Chi and Tuyet Mai were tipped for the Silver and Bronze Ball respectively, reported AFCMedia.

Australian domestic football restructure continues

Soccer NSW, the administrative body of football in the southern half of Australia's most populace state formally became Football NSW on 1 April at an extraordinary general meeting. Members voted yes to accept a new state constitution, as recommended by the report of the national government-appointed Crawford Inquiry which recommended radical changes to football organisation throughout Australia more than three years ago. Football NSW, created in December 2002 with the merger of the NSW Amateur Association and the NSW Football Association, has more than 50 percent of national participation and is a key component of Football Federation Australia's structure. "It's been a long time in the making, but we know this is for the good of the game, Football NSW president Jim Forrest said.

AirAsia to use Man United for global airline brand

AirAsia has appointed Havas Sports to manage the activation work for its partnership with English Premier League club Manchester United and any future sponsorships. The Malaysian low cost airline's current Man United partnership includes designation as an official partner of the club and a comprehensive rights including player appearances, advertising, promotions and tickets/hospitality. Havas Sports is working with AirAsia to create a range of activities that build understanding and awareness of the brand and drive sales as new routes are opened up.

CEO Tony Fernandes said his airline is working to "take our sponsorships to the next level to make them work harder outside of Asia. We are investing heavily in this area to build a global airline and Havas Sports will allow us to do this."

Vision Asia's state-wide approach for India's Kerala

The Asian Football Confederation's Vision Asia team is likely to adopt a state-wide program for the Indian state of Kerala. "In Tamil Nadu, we plan to focus on two districts, Chennai and another district, in the initial stage but we're looking at a more different state-wide approach in Kerala which is smaller," said Brendan Menton, Vision Asia's Acting Director as quoted by The Hindu.

"We will be focusing on the grass-roots level, coaching, clubs, referees, football administration, competition management during our series of meetings here. Developing players at the grass-roots and youth levels are very important. Ten to 12 is the key age to learn the game's technical skills, 13 to 14 is too late, so there is a need to engage the schools in a big way," he explained.

The team will submit its report to the AFC and after studying it, the Asian body will send its draft development plan to the Kerala Football Association by 17 May. The AFC will then invite the KFA officials to its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the project. "From today, in 10 weeks, we'll start the implementation stage," said Mr Menton.

Indonesian men's futsal aims for SEA Games Final

The Indonesia national futsal team has set itself the high target of reaching the finals of the upcoming SEA Games in Thailand, where futsal will be making its maiden appearance in the biannual South East Asian sporting event. "We still have eight months to prepare ourselves. Reaching the finals will be a realistic target," Justin Lhaksana, the national team's coach, was quoted in The Jakarta Post. "Our national team is in top form now with newly-joined young players on board. We've used the recent (ASEAN Football Federation futsal championship) matches in Bangkok as a tryout for our new national team. And they did very well," he said.

Lhaksana added that Indonesia performed well, despite failing to reach the semifinal round of the ASEAN futsal championship. Indonesia beat the Philippines 1-0, drew with Malaysia 2-2 and lost to debutantes Australia 5-3. Indonesia settled third in the group, outrun in total points by Malaysia. "Malaysia had better preparation in the two weeks before the championship, while the Australian team is a world championship regular. I think the Bangkok result was good enough," he said.

Chemby Hutapea, Chairman of the National Futsal Body (BFN) of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), said the body had submitted its list of 20 would-be national team players to Indonesia's SEA Games task force for screening. "They have undergone the first health and physical tests and passed 90 percent of them so far," Chemby said. He said the task force ruled only 15 slots would be available in the men's futsal side. Indonesia will not compete in the women's division.

Notes on the wealth of the English Premier League

Ryan Mills of Bloomberg looks at the power of the English Premier League in global football:

Today, the most successful Premier League teams have moved well beyond their local fan base; they're worldwide brands. "There aren't many global sponsorship properties," says Nigel Currie, director of brandRapport, a London marketing consulting firm. "The Premiership has become massive, and because of the scale of media interest, it's particularly attractive to wealthy businessmen who have money to spend." In the world of soccer, the Premier League has a special place. Its teams are the best in the country that established the rules for the modern game back in 1863 and formed the first league in 1888. In the last decade, the league's popularity has spread across the globe to Asia, Eastern Europe and the US.

Four of the world's 10 richest teams by revenue play in the Premiership. The 20 teams in the league took in an estimated 2 billion euros (US$2.64 billion) in 2006 -- 47 percent more than the top Italian league, the next-biggest earner, according to accounting and consulting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP. With a new television contract in place, the Premier League's income is set to increase 25 percent by 2008 over its 2006 total, Deloitte says. There's no sign of waning interest on the teams' balance sheets. Premier League clubs earned a total of 1.97 billion euros in 2005 from TV rights, ticket and merchandise sales and corporate sponsorships, up from 513 million euros in 1996 and 992 million euros in 1999, according to Deloitte.

English soccer's new wealth is largely generated by television. UK broadcasters will pay a total of 1.7 billion pounds for the right to air Premier League games for the next three seasons, from August 2007 to May 2010, while overseas networks will shell out 625 million pounds. The total of 2.3 billion pounds is 77 percent more than the teams earned from television under the existing three-year contract. "For years, people have been saying the bubble will burst, but each time they do a new TV deal, the value goes up," says Paul Rawnsley, a partner at Deloitte. "Confidence in the league is very high."

Multinational companies clamor for the right to sponsor the Premiership's teams. Suwon, South Korea-based electronics maker Samsung Electronics Co is paying 14.5 million euros a year to put its name on Chelsea's jerseys. Man U negotiated a new shirt sponsorship deal last year with New York-based insurer American International Group Inc. that will increase revenue 57 percent over a four-year contract, to 56.5 million pounds. AIG said a global fan base that the team puts at 74 million made the contract good value.

To attract more fans and meet a government demand that they improve safety, England's 92 professional teams have spent almost 2 billion pounds on new venues in the past 15 years, according to Deloitte & Touche. Six Premiership teams play in new stadiums. Man U increased the size of its Old Trafford facility this season to 76,000 seats from 68,000. Liverpool FC's new stadium will seat at least 60,000, up from the current field's 45,000. In 2004, Arsenal signed a 15-year naming rights and jersey sponsorship deal with Emirates Airline worth at least 100 million pounds.

Cigarettes to sponsor Indonesian futsal final

The National Futsal Board (BFN) of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) has confirmed the 2006/07 Final Four competition of the Indonesian Futsal League will be played on 12-15 April in the Senayan Basketball Hall in Jakarta. The four partuicipating teams are Cosmo FC Jakarta, Electric PLN Yogyakarta, Biangbola Jakart, and Mastrans (Department of Jakarta Communications). As the series is being sponsored by PT HM Sampoerna, a cigarette company, its title will be Dji Sam Soe the Futsal League Filter. Prize money will be Rp 50 million for the winner, Rp 30 million for the runner-up, and Rp 20 million and Rp 10 million for third and fourth. Rp 10 million is allocated for the best player and Rp 5 million for best scorer.

Asian clubs seek to poach cheap A-League players

Australian football officials have warned against panicking and raising the salary cap in response to the headhunting of A-League stars by wealthy Asian clubs. "Australia's switch to the Asian Football Confederation from Oceania has benefited our club and national sides with more games and greater exposure but the flipside is that players may elect to go to Asia and swell their bank balances and set themselves up post-football," wrote David Davutovic in the Daily Telegraph.

Since the Sydney and Adelaide clubs have played in this season's AFC Champion's League, several A-League players have reportedly been approached by North Asian clubs with offers of more than A$490,000 net per season.

The Newcastle Jets have offered Jade North a revised two-year deal but he is desperate to play ahead of the Asian Cup in July while realising the financial opportunities in Asia. "The A-League's great and you've got the sun and the beaches in Australia, but at the moment you've still got to get a full-time job after your career's over and that's the reality," North said. "You're only in the game at the top level for 10 years, maybe more if you look after yourself, but the top dollar is still overseas and Asia is something players are really starting to look at."

Football Federation Australia Head of Operations Matt Carroll and players' chief Brendan Schwab both warned against drastic measures. "As it stands with the A-League clubs, it would be irresponsible to raise the cap substantially," Carroll said. "We have a cap for those good reasons and raising the cap is about affordability and prudent financial management." The Additional Services Agreement (ASA) also allows for third party sponsorship of players. It sits at A$450,000 per club, which is on top of the A$1.8 million salary cap.

Schwab believes Australian football must work hard to ensure the stepping stone for Europe is the A-League rather than Asia but warned there are more pressing issues than merely raising the cap, which should be a long term goal. "Player retention is not just about player payments, it's about the quality of Australia's player development system and the Australian based career path," he said.

"Player payments have to be balanced with initiatives that boost the quality of the Australian career path, including coaching, increasing game time, establishing an elite second tier competition and supporting players with professional and personal development programs."

ASEAN Football Federation executive elections

ASEAN Football Federation President, Ahmad Rithauddeen Tengku Ismail was unanimously re-elected to lead the South East Asian football management body for another term at the recent 14th AFF Congress. Rithauddeen, a Malaysian, has been the AFF President since 1995. Paul Mony Samuel, the Asian Football Confederation General Secretary, was also unanimously returned as the AFF's Honorary Secretary for another term. Four new Vice-Presidents, Pengiran Matusin Matasan from Brunei, Ravy Khek from Cambodia, Juan Miguel Romualdez of the Philippines and Duong Vu Lam of Vietnam, were elected. Phouvanh Vongsouthi of Laos and Francisco Kalbuadi of East Timor were appointed to the AFF Executive Committee.

Both Australia and the Maldives are members of the Asian Football Confederation's ASEAN Group for administrative reasons but have not been accepted into membership of the ASEAN Football Federation and its ASEAN Football Champrionship (formerly Tiger Cup).

Guam enters both men's and women's EAFF Cups

Guam entered the East Asian Football Championship 2008 qualifying rounds after defeating the Northern Mariana Islands 9-0 in the second leg of their home and away Marianas Cup which also served as the preliminary qualifying recently. Guam had won the first leg 3-2 in Saipan. In the qualifiers from 17-24 June, Guam will go up against Hong Kong and Taiwan in Group B, while hosts Macau take on Mongolia and North Korea. The top team earns the right to play in the Finals for which China, South Korea and Japan have automatically qualified.

The Guam women’s national team defeated the Northern Mariana Islands 6-0 in a friendly match. Guam will play in the qualifiers for the EAFF Women’s Championship from 8-12 July against Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea in Guam. The top teams will qualify for the finals which will be played from 17-24 February 2008, in China. North Korea, China and Japan have qualified automatically, AFCMedia reported.

Blatter to be re-elected FIFA president unopposed

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, will be the only presidential candidate for football's world governing body at the 57th FIFA Congress in Zurich on 31 May 2007. By the 31 March deadline for submitting candidatures, provided for in art. 24 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes, no other candidates put their names forward. Only the member associations of FIFA may propose candidates for the office of president. No fewer than 66 associations from all six confederations nominated Blatter for a third mandate at the helm of FIFA. Having announced his readiness to stand for a further period of office at the last Congress in Munich in June 2006, Blatter was pleased with the show of confidence in his presidency. “I wish to thank all of the associations who have demonstrated their trust in me in this way,” he commented.

Blatter was first elected as the eighth President of FIFA at the Congress in Paris on 8 June 1998.

AC Milan TV goes global internet through YouTube

Italy's AC Milan FC is to to launch a football branded service on YouTube - the first Italian channel on the site. It will include AC Milan content in Italian in English, daily news and archive video footage, plus feedback and contributions from fans, Soccer Invester reported. "With 55,000 Italian subscribers and numerous viewers outside Italy, Milan Channel remains actively dedicated to the most popular Italian football club. Through numerous international agreements, the channel is already available in 46 countries across the world," said Riccardo Silva, Milan Channel President.

Group stage of Asian U-19 Youth Championship

The draw for the Asian Football Confederations U-19 AFC Youth Championship Qualification Competition, to be played during 1-11 November, has put reigning champions, North Korea in a relatively easy group with China, Malaysia, Macau, Singapore and East Timor. The top-two teams from each of the seven groups advance to the 2008 Finals along with the best third-placed team. Finals host Saudi Arabia qualifies automatically. The top-four finishers of AFC Youth Championship 2008 will advance to the 17th FIFA World Youth Championship 2009.

Forty-two teams came out of pots and were divided into two zones, with each zone being divided further into six technical levels based on the AFC Youth Championship 2006 ranking. All the matches will be played in one centralised venue hosted by one country in the group.

Group A: Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mongolia
Group B: Pakistan, Iran, India, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon
Group C: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Syria, Qatar, Turkmenistan, Bhutan
Group D: Jordan, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Nepal, Palestine, Afghanistan
Group E: Japan, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Maldives, Taiwan
Group F: North Korea, China, Malaysia, Macau, Singapore, East Timor
Group G: South Korea, Australia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Guam

Indian states seek to modify new Pro-League rules

Collective objections by two of India's traditional football states, Goa and Bengal, reportedly infuriated the All India Football Federation President Priyaranjan Dasmunshi during a Professional League planning meeting in New Delhi and caused him to accuse them of trying to sabotage the ambitious new top-level compeition due to kick-off later this year. According to Professional League guidelines, "teams playing in the Professional League will not be allowed to play in the State league" and "teams still willing to continue in the State league should field a different set of players - either amateurs or junior players."

At the meeting, Goa and Bengal sought concessions, most particularly in the fielding of "reserve teams" for the local leagues. Instead of fielding a completely "amateur or junior side," Goa Football Association Secretary Savio Messias and his Indian Football Association counterpart Subrata Dutta asked the AIFF to allow reserve players take part. The two also suggested the local leagues run simultaneously with the local leagues. It was suggested, "the Pro League matches be held on weekends while local league matches can be played in-between."

IFA and Goa pointed out that if the players in the Pro League are not allowed to play in any other tournament, the players would end up playing less than 25 matches a season. The new system also severely hampers the flow of sponsorship at the local level, the two argued.

According to goal.com, both Dutta and Messias made it amply clear to the committee they had no objections to the Professional League, but said they wouldn't support the idea of diluting the local leagues. "Under-fire Dasmunshi, quite unusually, flared up and accused both Goa and Bengal of stalling Indian football's progress. The meeting then ended on an unpleasant note with no solution in sight. Interestingly, Dasmunshi made his displeasure known in no uncertain terms when he said he would get the proposal passed by the AIFF executive committee, and, if needed, the General Body," the football website disclosed.

Malaysia's Chow found guilty of bribing in Singapore

The former coach of Malaysia's national football team has been convicted of match-fixing in Singapore. Chow Kwai Lam was found guilty of attempting to bribe the Paya Lebar Punggol FC goalkeeper up to S$300 (US$197) plus a further undisclosed sum to let in goals in a June 2005 S.League match. Sentencing was set for 10 April and he faces a maximum S$100,000 (US$66,000) fine and a five-year jail term. Chow, who resigned from Paya Lebar Punggol in May 2005, coached Kuala Lumpur to victory in three Malaysia Cup finals in the country's M-League from 1987 to 1989.

Thailand friendlies against Qatar, China and Holland

Thailand will play friendlies against China and Qatar as part of its preparations for this year's Asian Cup. The matches with Group C qualifiers China and Group B side Qatar have been tentatively scheduled for 16 May and 30 June respectively, an official at the Football Association of Thailand told Reuters. Both games will be played at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium. Thailand is co-hosting the July 7-29 Asian Cup with Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. Thailand face Oman, Iraq and 2006 World Cup qualifiers Australia in Group A. The Netherlands have already confirmed they will play a friendly with Thailand in Bangkok on 6 June.

Europe widens its Champions League brand in Asia

The UEFA Champions League is promoting its brand profile in Asia and building a licensed merchandising business similar to that of the FIFA World Cup as a new revenue stream. ''Definitely, one of our strategies is to increase sub-licensees and the availability of Champions League products,'' said Robert Faulkner, head of media services for the Union of European Football Associations. ''But as our brand is very strong, we control very strictly the use of the logo, image, and the name of the Champions League.'' Faulkner outlined the strategy to Charoen Kittikanya of The Bangkok Post during a visit last week to Thailand, part of the first UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour of Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand that has been sponsored by Heineken.

UEFA currently has a certain number of sub-licensees that produce specific target products, such as Panini sticker albums, and Smoby, which makes table football games, DVDs and computer games. Discussions are now under way with Warner Bros to produce all the licensed merchandise products including cups, mascots and mini-balls. Warner Bros Consumer Products has a long-term strategic licensing agreement with UEFA and has been appointed the exclusive worldwide licensing representative for the UEFA Euro 2008 national club tournament, which will be held in Austria and Switzerland.

However revenue from licensed merchandise remains relatively small for UEFA which earns most of its money from TV rights sales and sponsorship fees. The gross income for the UEFA Champions League for the current 2006-07 season is estimated at US$750 millionwith television and commercial contracts contributing US$743.3 million and new media US$6.7 million. Under its regulations, 75% of the total revenue from television and commercial contracts, up to maximum of US$530 million, will go to the competing clubs, while the remaining 25% covers organisation and administrative costs, as well as football development in Europe.

"By creating initiatives like the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, we are making the UEFA Champions League experience more accessible to local football fans and enabling them to share in the magic of Europe's best club competition," said Michele Centenaro, UEFA's head of club competitions, last month. "It is such an important trophy for the players - it symbolises the ultimate peak for all great footballers. They see the trophy as something sacred, as the holy grail. And that is exactly why we have brought it to Asia - to allow fans to come close to this ultimate football prize," added UEFA's marketing and media rights director Philippe Le Floc'h.

Internet database to launch UK football academy

An internet database will start its own football academy in September 2007. The FootballCV.com Academy will be based in Northamptonshire, England, and will use the stadium, training pitches, sports hall, study centre, canteen, gym and physio room of Rushden & Diamonds FC. Successful candidates will be selected on their football ability following football trials early in 2007. For the first year the program will cater for forty students, aged sixteen, from anywhere in the world.

The football course will be overseen by former professional football players and coaches and will run for two years. Along with up to 30 hours a week spent on intense football training and playing, students will also study for a nationally recognised qualification, which will open up options for a number of careers including physiotherapy, sports coaching, sports development, the fitness profession or sports teaching.

The cost of the course will be £15,000 per student, per year and this will include all kits, equipment, transport, tutoring, coaching, entertainment, excursions, guest speakers, accommodation and meals for seven days a week. Further details at info@footballcv.com.

Thailand beats Australia in ASEAN Futsal final

Thailand has won the ASEAN Futsal Championships title for the fifth straight time. In an almost repeat of the last FIFA Futsal World Championship in 2004, Thailand beat Asian Football Confederation newcomer Australia 7-1 before a capacity crowd of 6,000 at the Hua Mak Indoor Stadium in Bangkok. “I don’t think that it will be a problem playing against Australia who have physically bigger players. We will just have to move a lot more,” Thailand's coach Pattaya Peimkum said earlier. “The win is very positive for our preparation for the AFC Futsal Championship,” he said after the final. The next edition of the annual AFC Futsal Championship will be held in May followed by the FIFA Futsal World Championship in 2008.