Inside World Football - Page 1709 of 2159 - For the Business of Football

Barca and Real Madrid face TV revenue caps under new Spanish Sports Law

Javier Tebas

By Paul Nicholson
February 11 – Details of the proposed new TV rights distribution law that will govern Spain’s top 20 clubs in La Liga are emerging. The legislation, designed to reduce the big gaps in broadcast revenue between the top two clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, and the rest will mean that the top earning club will not be able to receive more than four times as much broadcast income as the bottom earning club.

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CSKA Sofia to be first East European club to offer public shares

Alexander Tomov cska

By Alexander Krassimirov
February 10 – CSKA Sofia president Alexander Tomov has announced the club will launch the sale of 3 million shares in the Bulgarian club. He is targeting both fans and institutional investors with the share offering, though has not revealed a price as yet. He has said that some of the club’s former playing veterans and legends will be gifted shares.

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Budweiser drop £9m a year FA Cup sponsorship

FA Cup

February 10 – Budweiser is dropping its £9 million-a-year sponsorship of England’s FA Cup, the oldest Cup competition in the world. The FA has said it is now looking for a new sponsor partner starting with the 2014-15 season.

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Werder Bremen boost revenues with Wiesenhof sponsorship renewal

werder bremen

By Jaroslaw Adamowski
February 10 – Werder Bremen has extended its sponsorship deal with German poultry processor Wiesenhof until the end of June 2016, the football club said in a statement. The two-season extension builds on the first deal signed in 2012.

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Brazil unrest as protest turns violent, in Manaus worker dies on stadium site

Rio protest

By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Television pictures of violent Rio demonstrations plus the accidental death of yet another stadium worker in the Amazon city of Manaus have heaped yet more unwanted publicity on Brazil’s World Cup organisers.

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English fan groups get ‘stadium standing’ areas back on the agenda

Terrace standing

By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Limited standing areas could be re-introduced immediately below the top flight in English football following a campaign by grassroots fans’ groups who say better policing and attitudes have changed the landscape of the game.

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Argentina’s Valdano says Qatar will ‘surprise’ and praises Aspire

Jorge Valdano

February 10 – Argentinian legend Jorge Valdano has painted an optimistic picture about Qatar’s footballing future, insisting the country is “well-placed to surprise many people” with its hosting of the 2022 World Cup.

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Leeds takeover saga ending as Cellino does deal but waits for League approval

Leeds United

By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – The latest foreign incursion into English football club ownership is on the verge of completion after controversial Italian agricultural entrepreneur Massimo Cellino finally bought a 75% stake in Leeds United – subject to the takeover being approved by league authorities.

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Eight own-goals in frenzied 10 minutes of craziness sparks match-fixing probe

Coppa Sicilia

February 10 – Italian football has been hit by another possible matchfixing scandal after an unheralded lower-league side conceded eight own goals in the last 10 minutes of a regional cup game.

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Portuguese storm forces Lisbon derby call-off minutes before start and disaster

Stadium of Light debris on pitch

By Andrew Warshaw
February 10 – Portuguese football authorities say they had no choice but to call off Sunday’s hotly anticipated Lisbon derby between arch-rivals Benfica and Sporting in order to “avoid a tragedy” after strong winds caused part of the roof to collapse.

Osasu Obayiuwana

Osasu Obayiuwana: Substitutes for experience; but will they be Supersubs?

When Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager, was recently appointed as UEFA’s coaching ambassador, he gave what I thought was a logical piece of advice for the next generation of managers.

“I would say to every young coach – make sure that you prepare and give yourselves the best opportunities by getting their (UEFA) licenses. It is very important.

“Even when they get their licenses, they need to ensure they attend all the coaching seminars…

Mihir Bose

Mihir Bose: IOC turns attack on America

Just hours before the Sochi 2014 Games open the IOC President , Thomas Bach, launched a surprising attack on the US and, in particular, former President George Bush junior for using the Olympics for political purposes. Although he did not name Bush the reference to the former US President was clear and this follows Bach’s remarks three days ago when he attacked western leaders, including Barrack Obama and David Cameron, for not coming to the Olympics as an “ostentatious gesture”

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Spurs boost international coverage with new TV deals

Spurs flags

February 7 – Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has increased its global footprint with the licensing of its Spurs TV weekly television package to four international broadcasters who will screen exclusive club content on their platforms across four continents and 35 countries.

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NWSL adds Army National Guard as league sponsor

NWSL

February 7 – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has added the Army National Guard (ARNG) as the Official Armed Forces Partner of the NWSL. The ARNG joins Nike and the US Soccer Foundation as main sponsors of the league. No figure has been released for the value of the deal.

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Continental adds Euro qualifiers to sponsorship roster

Continental board

February 7 – Tyre manufacturers Continental has expanded its sponsorship agreement with UEFA to include rights to the qualifiers for both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup stretching over the next three years.