30 March 2007
ITV and Setanta Win FA Cup & England Rights
ITV and Setanta have won the rights to show live FA Cup and England home internationals in a deal worth €626 million over four years from August 2008.
Highest Paid Footballers
In the latest rich list published by Forbes magazine Barcelona's Ronaldinho has replaced David Beckham as the richest soccer player in the World (wages and endorsements). The top ten is as follows, all fees in Euros millions.
1. Ronaldinho - Barcelona & Brazil, 23.50
2. David Beckham - Real Madrid & England, 23.20
3. Ronaldo - Milan & Brazil, 18.60
4. Wayne Rooney - Manchester United & England, 13.70
5. Michael Ballack - Chelsea & Germany, 13.40
6. Thierry Henry - Arsenal & France, 12.60
7. Zinedine Zidane - Real Madrid & France, 12.40
8. Fabio Cannavaro - Real Madrid & Italy, 11.60
9. John Terry - Chelsea & England, 11.40
10. Steven Gerrard - Liverpool & England, 11.30
Leverkusen To Renovate BayArena
Leverkusen have announced plans to increase the capacity of the BayArena from 22,500 to 30,000 at a cost of €56 million. Work will start at the end of the year and is scheduled to be completed in time for the start of the 2009-2010 season.
Hamburg Sell Stadium Rights For €25 Million
Hamburg have announced that their stadium, previously known as the AOL Arena, will now be called the HSH Nordbank Arena after the German bank paid €25 million to purchase the naming rights for three years with an option to extend the deal for a further three years.
Having been previously known as the AOL Arena, after Hamburg's 2001 deal with the American Internet providers, from next season the stadium will be called the HSH Nordbank Arena. A club spokesman said :
"We were the first to have sold rights on the name of our stadium and we are proud to be the first to re-name our stadium, it shows that the club and our brand attract well-known advertisers."
27 March 2007
Three Killed During Nigerian League Match
Three people were killed by police gunfire when a riot erupted after a referee awarded a late penalty during a league match between Enyimba and Akwa. As fans began to attack the referee Enyimba policeman opened fire. State sports official Chris Ekong said :
"Policemen attached to Enyimba shot dead three fans. "The police came to the stadium with live bullets and opened fire on fans when trouble began."
23 March 2007
World Cup Makes €156 Million Profit
The German organising committee were paid €111 million by FIFA from the 2006 World Cup profits. FIFA retained €45 million.
15 March 2007
Domenech Hits Back At Wenger
France national team coach Raymond Domenech has hit back at Arsene Wenger after he suggested Henry's injury problems this season were down to his handling by the French national team :
"I don't take responsibility for that (the injuries that ruled Henry out of the last few months of the season) because I feel Thierry has been badly managed by the French national team."
Domenech responded with :
"Once and for all, this problem needs to be sorted out. I'm starting to get seriously tired of Mr Wenger, and he is starting to get on everyone's nerves. He doesn't know absolutely everything. He is not the only one who has a right to exist in the world of football. I don't know how he can explain what he means when he says that a player who plays in August gets injured in March. He forgot to say that every time Thierry Henry played a match for France, three days afterwards he was playing for Arsenal. He was never injured whilst playing any of the matches for France. We never allowed ourselves to take the risk with a player. We have a clear conscience. Every one does their job. I don't need any lessons here. I am tired of these attacks, which are not especially against me. Mr Wenger has criticised the France team for a long time. He criticised Michel Platini the day he was elected (President of UEFA). After awhile it becomes tiring. It is not because you have trouble at your club that you look towards others."
9 March 2007
Bin Hammam Re-Elected AFC President
Mohamed Bin Hammam has been re-elected president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
3 March 2007
Goal-line Technology Gets Go Ahead
The antiquated International Football Association Board (IFAB), which consists members from the football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and four members from FIFA, have agreed to calls for the introduction of goal-line technology. English FA chief executive Brian Barwick said :
"Any system should meet four principles. It should only apply to goal-line technology, it must be 100 percent accurate, the indication of whether the ball has crossed the line or not must be instantaneous and the signal should be communicated only to the match officials. These principles set out our position for those who want to develop a system."
The IFAB agreed to ban players from wearing masks as part of the goal celebrations.