Australia´s 2018 World Cup hopes dim

January 27, 2010

Australia’s football chief Wednesday admitted the nation’s push for the 2018 World Cup was in jeopardy, after FIFA president Sepp Blatter indicated preference would likely be given to a European bid.

Blatter said this week there was a “movement at the moment among the various candidates” for 2018 eligibility to be limited to bidders from Europe, according to widely published reports.

The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) said it had been aware “for some time” that a Europe-only deal was being considered by FIFA, the sport’s governing body.

“Hence FFA is not surprised by the president’s comments as they are reflective that those discussions have occurred in some quarters,” it said in a statement.

But FFA chairman Frank Lowy said Australia remained committed to its 2018 bid until convinced otherwise.

“If we come to the view that we have a better chance for 2022 than 2018 we will act accordingly,” he said.

FFA chief Ben Buckley was en route to the African Cup of Nations and congress of the Confederation of African Football to press Australia’s bids for 2018 and 2022, Lowy added.

Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands/Belgium, Russia, and Spain/Portugal have bid to host both World Cups, while Qatar and South Korea are only interested in 2022.

England and Spain are viewed as the leading contenders for 2018, while the United States is seen as a top candidate for 2022.

The FFA has drafted Oscar winner Nicole Kidman to tout Australia’s credentials in a promotional film.

But damaging infighting between the FFA and rival football codes has plagued Australia’s bid, with the powerful Australian rules and rugby league bodies refusing to make venues available or demanding financial compensation.

Sports Minister Kate Ellis last month urged the codes to put aside their differences, saying the government supported FFA’s World Cup campaign as benefiting both the sporting and general community.

SYDNEY (AFP)

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Australians fume over Kuwaiti lasers: reports

January 7, 2010

Australian footballers have claimed Kuwaiti fans shone lasers into their eyes during their Asian Cup qualifier in Kuwait City, reports said on Thursday.

Goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic and midfielder Dario Vidosic complained that they were targeted by fans armed with a laser pointer during the game, which ended in a 2-2 draw on Wednesday.

Galekovic claimed a light was shone into his eyes, while Vidosic told team officials he was distracted by a laser beam while attempting to take corner kicks, Australian Associated Press reported.

Australian coach Pim Verbeek said he had mentioned the incidents to match officials pitchside during the first half.

“It was the goalkeeper (and) also at the corner kicks — Dario Vidosic was taking the corner kicks and they were pushing a laser on his face,” Verbeek told Fox Sports television after the game.

“I mentioned it to the officials, but that’s okay. Things like this happen.”

Verbeek was also highly critical of the state of the Al-Kuwait Sports Club Stadium pitch.

The Dutchman declared the bumpy playing surface was one of the worst pitches he had encountered in international football and said he had complained to the match commissioner about its condition on the eve of the game.

Reports said it was likely the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) would investigate the Australian team’s complaints.

Australia need at least one point from their remaining home game against Indonesia in Brisbane in March to qualify for next January’s Asian Cup finals in Qatar.

SYDNEY (AFP)

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Australia held by Kuwait in Asian Cup qualifier

January 7, 2010

Australia’s hopes of qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup were left hanging in the balance on Wednesday after being held to a 2-2 draw away to Kuwait in a qualifying match.

Luke Wilkshire fired the Socceroos in front after just four minutes on the volley from close range after he latched onto a loose ball in the area, and Dean Heffernan extended the advantage to 2-0 just two minutes later when he bundled home off a free kick.

It appeared that Australia would coast to victory in the game, but Kuwait pulled it back to level terms within a few minutes of half-time.

With 41 minutes played, Fayez al-Enezi darted through the Aussie defense and laced a shot beyond goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic to cut it to 2-1, and Youssef Nasser equalized on the stroke of the interval with a tap-in from point-blank range.

Both sides had chances at the winner in the second half, but they could not break through to secure qualification for the finals in Qatar.

Kuwait and Australia are atop qualifying Group B on eight points with one match to play. Australia host Indonesia in March while Kuwait travel to Oman, who are just a further point back.

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Britain backs England World Cup bid with guarantees

December 15, 2009

The British government confirmed Tuesday that it had signed off on financial guarantees of 300 million pounds (487 million dollars) required for FIFA to accept England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe also confirmed that other requisite commitments regarding security, visas and tax had been made, ahead of the May deadline set by world football’s governing body.

Sutcliffe said the move reflected the government’s desire to see the bid succeed — which had been questioned following a decision to provide only loan rather than grant finance for the bid itself.

“The Government is completely behind England’s bid to host the World Cup and getting these guarantees signed off well in advance underlines that continuing commitment, as does the availability of a loan to support the bid itself,” Sutcliffe said.

“A World Cup in England would be a fantastic event embraced by football fans from across the globe. We would deliver a superb legacy from the tournament to football worldwide.

“It would, of course, also bring huge economic benefits to this country.”

England 2018 is due to announce on Wednesday which cities will be put forward as potential match hosts as part of the bid.

FIFA will decide on the 2018 and 2022 hosts in December of next year. England is the favourite for the 2018 tournament but faces competition from Australia, Indonesia, Japan and Russia as well as from joint bids from Belgium and the Netherlands and Spain and Portugal.

LONDON (AFP)

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Blatter says Russian World Cup bid has ´good chance´

October 16, 2009

FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Thursday said he thought that Russia had “a good chance” of winning the right to host the 2018 World Cup.

“You have a good chance,” Blatter said in a meeting with Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin here, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

“Russia made a very attractive bid.”

Blatter said that the Eastern European country had never hosted the World Cup before adding that this fact may become an additional forcible argument in the favour of Russia’s bid.

“Competitions of such a high rank should be hosted by countries that have never staged a World Cup before,” Blatter added.

“I had a chance to become acquainted with your plan of preparations for the hosting of the World Cup,” Blatter told Putin. “All of the documents that I have seen looked very impressive.”

Putin, whose support was key to Sochi winning the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, replied: “I think that organising a tournament of such prestige would without doubt provide a catalyst for the development of football in the whole of Eastern Europe and particularly in the former Soviet Union.”

On October 9 Russia presented their candidature for the right to organise the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022.

The executive committee of world football’s governing body FIFA will announce the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups at the end of 2010.

England, Australia, the United States, Indonesia, Japan and joint bids from Spain and Portugal and Belgium and the Netherlands are the other candidates for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, while South Korea and Qatar have bid only for the 2022 edition.

The 2010 World Cup will take place in South Africa, with five-time world champions Brazil hosting the tournament four years later.

MOSCOW (AFP)

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Own goal?

September 14, 2009

Standard Chartered bucks the trend of banks making a dash from sports sponsorship deals and will pay $130 million to put its name on Liverpool Football Club’s shirts for four years from next summer. It is one of the most lucrative deals in soccer history.

But AIG, Citi, RBS and Northern Rock offer a stark reminder that big sports deals can be high-profile signals of waste. AIG sponsored Manchester United and RBS and ING pumped millions into Formula One, and Northern Rock was better known to millions as the sponsor of Newcastle F.C. than as a mortgage bank — until its collapse.

Citi raised anger after sticking with a controversial $400 million deal with baseball team the New York Mets. All those banks needed taxpayer rescue funds.

Critics say big sports deals can reflect poor corporate governance and misguided priorities. Advisory firm Advisor Perspectives this year said a study of 69 U.S. sports “naming rights” deals showed the performance of the companies buying the rights trailed the S&P 500 index by almost 5 percent over the course of the deal.

But it could be a good fit for StanChart, which gets 80 percent of its profits in Asia. Liverpool is a big, iconic name in Asia and English Premier League games are screened into millions of homes each week. The prize for the bank is not the domestic or European fields where Liverpool has enjoyed regular success, but the potential customers in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and across the region.

At least there can be few complaints the bank’s board is following its heart. Former chairman and CEO Mervyn Davies was a staunch Spurs supporter, current CEO Peter Sands is an avid Arsenal fan and Finance Director Richard Meddings may have struggled to find a global reach with a deal with his beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Source

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Kuszczak eyes goalkeeper´s jersey

July 26, 2009

Manchester United’s Tomasz Kuszczak has his sights set on succeeding Edwin van der Sar as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, despite competition from England international Ben Foster.

The Polish stopper conceded twice against FC Seoul on Friday but could do little about either goal and overall put in a solid performance.

Kuszczak, who has made 37 appearances in three years for the English Premier League champions, told MUTV he hopes boss Sir Alex Ferguson took note of the performance.

“I?ve been trying my hardest to impress the manager for three years now and I hope this year I can impress him so much that he gives me more and more chances to show what I can do,” he said.

“Pre-season is an important environment for me because I can get some games and work hard.

“I?m at United to play games and I want to be a regular here. That?s my focus. I feel settled here in the team and I feel I’m making steps forward all the time. I hope this will be a good season for me.”

Kuszczak said the Red Devils’ Asian tour, which ends with a match against Hangzhou Greentown on Sunday, had been a success but he was disappointed that the club missed out on playing in Jakarta.

A scheduled match there was called off after the hotel the team were due to stay in was bombed in suicide attacks.

“The trip has been great, although it?s disappointing we couldn?t get to Indonesia,” he said.

“I hope we end up there at some stage, however, because we know we have a lot of supporters there and it would be nice to play in front of them.”

And he said the tour had highlighted the global appeal of the Premier League champions.

“There?s a big following wherever we go in Asia and I always enjoy trips like this. It?s great to see the world and experience different cultures and people.

“The fans are everywhere — wherever we go they?re screaming and it?s impossible for us to go out anywhere. You feel like big pop stars.”

HANGZHOU, China (AFP)

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We´re not just here to cash in, say Liverpool

July 21, 2009

Liverpool insist they are not just in Asia to cash in on the lucrative commercial opportunities the region offers, but to give their fanatical fans a chance to see them in the flesh.

The Reds arrived here Monday, minus Steven Gerrard who is embroiled in a court case back home, to play Thailand on Wednesday before jetting to Singapore for the second leg of their Southeast Asian visit.

Clubs in the past, notably Real Madrid, have been criticised for planning worldwide tours purely for the financial reward.

But Liverpool commercial director Ian Ayre insists his team wants to leave behind a legacy.

“We have a duty to contribute to these football markets and to our supporters over here,” he said on the club website.

“We have in place a strong legacy programme encompassing many different initiatives and which can be broken down into different areas.

“For example, we have a knowledge transfer programme at which Rafa will meet coaches from Thailand and Singapore, I will be meeting representatives from the local businesses and the medical team will also be having sessions.

“We will be running a kids programme with open training sessions to try and show people what we do and how we do it.

“The important thing is that when our plane lands back in Liverpool there will still be things going on in our name over here which we can continue to support.”

Like Manchester United, who are also touring Asia, Liverpool has a huge fan base in a region which provides lucrative television revenues from screening live English Premier League matches.

Ayre said it had been tough picking which countries to tour.

“It’s always difficult deciding where to go on tour because we have so many fans all over the world,” he said.

“But we feel by choosing Thailand and Singapore we are capturing most of Southeast Asia and making it possible for fans from other countries to come and see the team.

“Both countries are traditional hot-beds of support for Liverpool and I know from speaking to our partners out here how excited everyone has been waiting for us to arrive.”

Manchester United have visited Malaysia and are also due in South Korea and China. Their first-ever visit to Indonesia was cancelled last week twin bomb blasts in Jakarta last Friday.

BANGKOK (AFP)

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Man Utd cancel Indonesia trip after bomb blasts

July 17, 2009

Manchester United cancelled the Indonesian leg of their pre-season tour to Asia after a bomb exploded at the Jakarta hotel where they were due to stay next week.

“Following the explosions in Jakarta — one of which was at the hotel the team were due to stay in — and based on advice received, the directors have informed the Indonesian FA that the club cannot fulfil the fixture in Jakarta on the 2009 Asia tour,” the club said in a statement.

They were due to fly to Jakarta after their match in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday evening and play an Indonesia XI in front of a sell-out 100,000 crowd.

The club said it was trying to reorganise that leg of the tour, which also includes matches in South Korea and China.

“We are working on a revised itinerary outside Indonesia with the promoters and we will make a further announcement when these decisions have been made,” the statement added.

“We are deeply disappointed at not being able to visit Indonesia and thank the Indonesian FA and our fans for their support. Our thoughts go to all those affected by the blasts.”

It would have been the first ever trip to the sprawling country by the team which was booked into the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

But the hotel, along with the JW Marriott, was hit by explosions that have left at least nine people dead and more than 40 injured, many of them foreigners, police said.

Two blasts shook the Ritz-Carlton and the nearby Marriott in the upscale Mega Kuningan business district in the centre of the city around 8:00 am (0100 GMT), sending a huge plume of smoke into the sky.

A third explosion was reported near a shopping complex in the north of the Indonesian capital several hours later, but police later denied initial reports that it was also caused by a bomb.

The team have a huge following in Asia, with everyone from poor street vendors to wealthy businessmen donning Red Devils shirts.

The huge fan base and the commercial opportunities it offers makes their visit as much about business as football, and a chance to play in Indonesia for the first time was earlier cited by Ferguson as important for the club.

“Our fans in Asia generate money for the club, there are no two ways about it,” said United chief executive David Gill before they left Manchester.

Ferguson has brought a 22-man squad, but a glaring omission was Park Ji-Sung.

The South Korean was not on the team list on United’s website and was not seen arriving in Kuala Lumpur. No reason was given for his absence.

Also missing was defender Nemanja Vidic. Again, United gave no reason for the Serbia international’s absence although an ankle injury forced him out of a World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands last month.

The only other familiar face not to travel was Brazilian full-back Rafael Da Silva, although he too was suffering with an ankle problem.

Other than that United has a strong squad, with Michael Owen set to make his debut after his shock move from Newcastle earlier this month.

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)

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Man Utd hand Gibson 3-year contract extension

July 16, 2009

Manchester United have handed promising Republic of Ireland international Darron Gibson a three-year contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2012.

“I am very happy to commit my future to United,” the 21-year-old told the club website, ahead of their arrival in Malaysia for a pre-season tour of Asia that also includes matches in Indonesia, South Korea and China.

“Last season I enjoyed every opportunity and when I got my chance I wanted to prove what I could do. I hope to continue that this season.”

Gibson, highly regarded by manager Sir Alex Ferguson, made 14 appearances last season, playing an integral part in United’s Carling Cup triumph.

He also scored three goals and Ferguson expects even more this season from the central midfielder, who will be pushing for a regular first team place.

“Darron was one of the young players who emerged last season as a United first team player,” Ferguson said.

“His appearance ratio did not really reflect the high regard in which we hold him, as he has constantly worked hard to challenge for a first team spot.”

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)