Arsenal investor Usmanov asks Kroenke to reveal plans

A spokesman for Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has called on fellow Arsenal shareholder Stan Kroenke to reveal his intentions for the club.

On Monday, US billionaire Mr Kroenke raised his stake to almost 30% - the point at which he would be forced to make an offer for the whole club.

A spokesman for Mr Usmanov's Red and White Holdings said Mr Kroenke should say if he intends to launch a takeover.

"Mr Kroenke has never taken the opportunity to reassure the fans and it would be good for the club's stability if he were to do so," the spokesman told the BBC.

Mr Kroenke bought 25 more shares in Arsenal this week for £212,500, or £8,500 a share, and is within 17 shares of the threshold that would force a takeover bid.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8427031.stm

I AM GONNA BE ON NEO CRICKET!!!

unbelievable !!! just on Friday i posted that i have not won any thing in the intel inventor competition and on Saturday i got a call from NEO CRICKET saying my entry has been shortlisted.Furthermore,today a camera crew had come down to my place and i had to explain all my ideas using props and diagrams.It was really a great experience.This is going to be aired be on NEO CRICKET this week.

A five minute slot took 2 hours to shoot.Well, that's showbiz for you :)

I'll post in advance as soon as i come to know of the day and slots.

My entry in the intel sports inventor competition

I had posted earlier that Intel was running a competition where you could suggest some revolutinary changes in a sport of your choice.there was a limit of 400 words.

here's my entry

"In spite of all the big money flowing into football, incorrect referee decisions continue to dog the game. Several crucial matches have been lost due to human error. From Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ to Thierry Henry’s handball on Nov 18 which, knocked Ireland out of the 2010 world cup, the financial impact of these decisions has increased manifold over the years.

<>>

Top Deals of the week

Ticketmaster has been named an official ticketing supplier of the Football League and has become one of only four companies with 'approved ticketing supplier' status.

Wasserman Media Group will coordinate the sales process for naming rights to Tottenham Hotspur's proposed new stadium.

Advisers Media International and the Premier League have agreed a deal giving AMI exclusive broadcast and new media rights in 15 regions across Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

BNP Paribas will continue its long-running sponsorship of RSC Anderlecht for the next four years after reaching a $23 million deal.

The Premier League has increased its broadcast revenue in Eastern Europe after the lucrative sale of rights for the next three seasons in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.

http://www.leadersinfootball.com/business/647/

OFFF TOPPPPPIC :It's vacation TIMMMME

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE weeee uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

woooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhh

am off work from today all the way to 4th Jan..

hurrrrraaaaay

The champs league Draws are out

Inter Milan v CHELSEA
Lyon v Real Madrid
AC Milan v MANCHESTER UNITED
Olympiakos v Bordeaux
FC Porto v ARSENAL (woo hoo get in there ,son)
CSKA Moscow v Sevilla
Stuttgart v Barcelona
Bayern Munich v Fiorentina


All 3 english clubs play the return league at home...my final 8 are

CHELSEA
REAL MADRID
AC MILAN ...yes i have a feeling they will upset the apple cart
Olympiakos
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARSENAL FC
Sevilla
Barca
Bayren Munich


In terms of EUROPA this is what the draws have thrown up....

EUROPA LEAGUE LAST 32 DRAW
Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht
FC Copenhagen v Marseille
Panathinaikos v Roma
Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray
Ajax v Juventus
Club Brugge v Valencia
FULHAM v Shakhtar Donetsk
LIVERPOOL v Unirea Urziceni
Hamburg v PSV
Villarreal v VfL Wolfsburg
Standard Liege v SV Red Bull Salzburg
FC Twente v Werder Bremen
Lille v Fenerbahce
EVERTON v Sporting
Hertha Berlin v Benfica

Tiger Woods: The financial impact

As expected figures have now started coming in on the Tiger drama.

News service Bloomberg has put a figure of $220m on the potential cost for the PGA Tour and Nike of the Tiger Woods scandal.

Bloomberg bases the figure on two estimates which say that, because of Woods' indiscretions and disappearance from the PGA Tour, television advertising for the PGA Tour may drop by 40 per cent and Nike stands to lose $30 million in sales.

The television advertising figure was estimated by Aaron Cohen, chief media negotiating officer at New York agency HOrizon Media. The Nike loss was estimated by Claire Gallacher, analyst at San Diego-based Capstone Investments Inc.

Test Cricket to get a face lift

About time it happened...I have stated earlier too that test cricket is definetley the real deal


International Cricket Council (ICC) has said it expects day-night test cricket within two years and described a world test cricket championship as a "work in progress".

Reuters reports that ICC president David Morgan said yesterday: "I'd be be "surprised" if we don't see day-night test cricket within the next two years - surprised and disappointed."


The test cricket world championship is a bit further away from seeing the light of day. "The test championship is best described as a work in progress," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said yesterday.

"We are aspiring to create some sort of test championships model and a working group was set up at the last chief executives' meeting on December 1 in Dubai. They will put together concepts for a test championship and we hope to consider a proposal at our next meeting in February."

Lorgat also said the ICC was aiming to reduce the amount of top level cricket matches played from next year.

Real Madrid is now a "brand"...

....and they join Liverpool and Chelsea

Real Madrid has been declared a 'Superbrand' by the independent branding arbiter Superbrands at a gala award ceremony in Madrid.

Real Madrid received the status at the Superbrands Spain event, alongside other top brands Google, Heineken, L’Oréal Paris, Bimbo, Samsung and Campofrío.

Other European football clubs to have received Superbrand awards in their own countries include Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool, Juventus and Benfica

http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171206/superbrand-status-awarded-to-real-madrid?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dec16

Off Topic : out of action

yes i have been out of action cause there is so much ()#$*(%&*#%()&*()&#%(*%& work
anyways...2 weeks of leave starting this weekend....and i will be updating the blog regularly through the course of my holidays

wooo hooo

~ Zaphod Beeblebrox

off topic : here's an alternate look at the tiger woods debacle

was expecting something funny from good ol' chris on this and he was bang on target

http://thefinanser.co.uk/fsclub/2009/12/tiger-woods-and-accenture.html

La Liga puts strike plan on hold

Spain’s La Liga is to intensify discussions with the government over plans to scrap tax breaks for high-earning players

Spain’s top flight football league has threatened to suspend matches following a government decision to abolish a law that allows international professionals who earn more than €600,000 ($905,000) to pay only 24 per cent tax instead of the 43 per cent charged to local citizens.

La Liga’s general assembly said recent conversations with the government indicated a compromise can be reached

http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171132/la-liga-puts-strike-plan-on-hold?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dec7

Adidas hoping World Cup marketing will rally global sales

German sports apparel producer Adidas is hoping its sponsorship at the 2010 football World Cup and new products associated with the tournament will help slow sales in 2009 pick up next year.

In its latest financial statement, the Adidas Group reported Q32009 sales of $3.2 billion, down 7 per cent year-on-year. Operating profit fell 29 per cent.

The 2006 World Cup in Germany gave Adidas a huge sales surge, selling over 15 million balls around the time of the tournament. The company, which has produced the match ball for every World Cup since 1970, says pre-sales of the 2010 ball have already exceeded that volume.

Rival apparel brands Adidas, Nike and Puma compete fiercely with their respective sponsorship of the teams and players involved in the tournament. In 2008 Nike paid a reported $64 million a year to acquire the sponsorship of the French national team from 2011 to 2018, four times what Adidas was paying for the same sponsorship on a previous contract.

http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171130/adidas-hoping-world-cup-marketing-will-rally-global-sales?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dec7

Sliverstone to host the British Grand Prix 2010

Officials from Silverstone are holding a press conference today expected to announce that a deal has been struck with Formula One's commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone for the racing circuit to host next year's British grand prix.

According to UK newspaper reports an agreement was reached on Friday for Silverstone to host the British grand prix for a number of years from 2010.

Silverstone has been the front-runner to stage the race after Ecclestone ruled out Donington Park’s chances of hosting the race in October. The company re-developing Donington failed to show it had the £135 million funding required.

http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171131/silverstone-announces-british-grand-prix-future-today?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dec7

The Bayren Munich business model

While every other club in the premier league is rumoured to be taken over these days (or has already been taken over) , while real madrid screwed up the basic economics of trading and recruiting players, while the italian league is running to an empty house, the efficient German machine has been chugging along in it's typical no nonsense quite style.Last year the German FA boasted of the highest profit percentages and the maximum stadium attendance for the Bundesliga.

This week Bayren Munich announced their annual accounts for 2008 and have posted a 17th year of profits.A further testimony to the fact that the German FA is one the most forward thinking and pro-fan football association ever.

Some more facts that shows how Bayren Munich and the German FA are miles above any competition

http://www.leadersinfootball.com/column/61/



- Football is clearly recognised, in law and in action, as a national legacy; to be nourished and cherished as a loved child of the folk-family. Its cultural value is set too high to allow the outright predations of international capital to buy and sell 'ownership' of social institutions as precious as football clubs, as if they were trading baked bean factories.

This doesn't prevent significant investment in the clubs by commercial companies - but they can never own it. The Bayern Munich 'members' association is over 150,000 strong and, collectively, they own just over 80% of their club, with adidas and new investor, Audi, holding just under 10% each. Bayern were the fourth richest club in the world in 2008, generating revenues of $295m. The members group (FC Bayern München e.V.) even delivered a profit itself - nearly $1m - independently of their Club. What a thrill it must be for those member/fans to take their seats in the magnificent Allianz stadium and watch their team run out, thinking, 'this belongs to all of us..... forever'.

So what's this world cup worth ?

EDIT: my 50th post....woo hoo

Football’s 2010 World Cup will see a total of $420 million in prize money handed out, a 61-per-cent increase on the last tournament in 2006.

FIFA announced the prize money after its Executive Committee meeting on Thursday on South Africa’s Robben Island, the site of the jail where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

Bloomberg reports that the
- 2010 World Cup winner will get $30 million
- The runner-up will get $24 million,
- and all teams participating will get $1 million.


EDIT : And probably the most interesting fact.
Clubs who contribute players to teams competing in the World Cup will get $1600 per day, per player. This payment was agreed with clubs, who have promised not to pursue any claims or compensation through civil courts, but only through FIFA, or the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

At the executive meeting, FIFA also decided to keep the existing Olympics football tournament rules for the 2012 London Olympics, allowing teams to use players under 23 years old, plus three over-age players.

http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171117/world-cup-prize-money-420m?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dec4

Pot Luck : The world cup draws

I am sure this is all over the net but here it is on my blog

Pots for Friday's draw: eight groups of four countries to be drawn, each group containing one country from each pot.

Pot 1 (seeds): South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina, England

Pot 2 (Asia, Oceania and North/Central America): Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Mexico, Honduras

Pot 3 (Africa and South America): Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay

Pot 4 (Europe): France, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Greece, Serbia, Denmark, Slovakia


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/8390084.stm

Usain Bolt to rock Delhi....EDITED

Usain Bolt will be the star attraction at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, according to Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi.

Speaking at a Sports Breakfast held alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Port of Spain, Tobago, Kalmadi confirmed Bolt would take part in the October 3 to 14 event, the Times of India reports.

The announcement is a shot in the arm for the event, which has been plagued by venue construction delays and organisational problems. Kalmadi said that the preparations were on track and venues would begin to be completed by May.

http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171076/bolt-boost-for-2010-commonwealth-games?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nov30

****************

Edit: As per the times of india today, Mt Kalmadi has denied any such confirmations.He alleges that his words were misinterpreted by the press.He has only spoken to Bolt's agent and had invited Bolt over.

Dubai ruler continues spending on racehorses (1.95 million dollars to be precise !!!)

Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum has not let the credit crisis gripping Dubai curb his spending on racehorses, after he spent $1.95 million on eight foals at the Tattersalls sales in Newmarket, England

Bloomberg reports that the Sheikh’s main bloodstock adviser and buyer John Ferguson said: “The horse side of the business is the private enjoyment of Sheikh Mohammed, so therefore has nothing whatever to do with the government, or government funds and the restructuring.”

Ferguson said that the Sheikh Mohammed’s spending at this year’s December sale in Newmarket was around the same as last year. According to a recent report in UK newspaper The Times, the Sheikh is the biggest racehorse owner and breeder in the sport’s history, with about 700 race horses in training.

http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171107/dubai-ruler-continues-spending-on-racehorses?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dec3

Edit:You've got to admit the guys got guts to pull a stunt like this

Indian football seeks IPL-style revolution

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is considering inviting rich franchisees from the worlds of business and entertainment to buy its clubs in order to kickstart the growth of football in the cricket-mad country.

However, given the staggering amount of money such a project will involve, the AIFF is also keeping a third option open - which would see the existing I-League structure getting a brand-specific facelift, whereby the country's premier club tournament could be managed by a separate entity other than the AIFF, as per the AFC's Pro-League guidelines.

We had preliminary discussions with a few leading businessmen in the country and the project seems to have appealed to them,” said AIFF President Praful Patel. “Talks are also on for a media deal with a television company interested in broadcasting the event. But we don't want to jump the gun and are keeping several options open.”


http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171101/indian-football-seeks-ipl-style-revolution?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dec2

Watford chairman Jimmy Russo loans £1m to stay afloat

Watford chairman Jimmy Russo has loaned the club's parent company £1m for the club to survive the next month.

Russo paid the loan to Watford Leisure PLC on Friday but a statement to the Stock Exchange revealed they need £5.5m more to continue until the end of June.

The current loan will only be enough to cover the holding company's cash needs until 22 December.

The Hornets could need to sell players in January, with England under-21 keeper Scott Loach likely to leave.

If more funding is not available to the club, the board is expected to seek a suspension of trading in Watford Leisure's shares on the Alternative Investment Market.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/w/watford/8387626.stm

Man City biggest contributor to £70m EPL agents' bill

Manchester City paid nearly £13 million to agents in year to end-September 2009, the most out of the English Premier League clubs.

Man City topped the list of clubs, which was published by the Premier League yesterday, with £12,874,283. Next was Chelsea, with £9,562,223, followed by Liverpool (£6,657,305), Tottenham Hotspur (£6,066,935), and West Ham United (£5,527,548). Champions Manchester United were well down the list on £1,517,393.

UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph said the payments represented just over 10 per cent of the clubs' total spending on player purchases in the January and Summer 2009 transfer windows. The clubs spent £682.3 million in those windows.
The payments covered fees paid to agents by clubs on behalf of themselves, and on behalf of players, when acquiring players and renegotiating contracts with players; fees relating to previous transactions that were amortised over the length of a player’s contract; and fees to facilitate the outward transfer of players.

http://www.sportbusiness.com/news/171086/man-city-biggest-contributor-to-70m-epl-agents-bill?utm_source=sbinsl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dec1

Editor : Not surprising that my beloved Arsenal has not even been mentioned here considering the stingy Mr.Wenger :)

2010. Is South Africa ready ?

The chief executive of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Dr Danny Jordaan, has a lot on his plate at the moment.

So how is he feeling?

"I am feeling the tension," he says.

"But it is an extremely exciting time ahead of the World Cup draw - I am always on the go."

Preparations on track?

"We are happy with the state of World Cup preparations," he says, seated amongst the flowing plants of the plush lobby.

"Most of the construction of stadiums is now complete, and work on the perimeter of stadiums is now being carried out.

"We feel comfortable that everything at stadiums will be ready early next year, in fact we are now testing stadium capabilities, for example there was a game in Durban at the weekend."

When Fifa carried out its assessment report of progress following the Confederations Cup this summer it gave South Africa an overall rating of 7.5 out of 10.

"We are expecting roughly 450,000 supporters from around the world to come to South Africa next year, and we know they need a bed to sleep in and transport to and from venues," he says.

"The World Cup draw on Friday will help us to fine-tune our accommodation and transportation.

"Once the fixtures are revealed we will know what is required in each venue city. For example the demand to see North Korea play New Zealand will be less than for an England game."

However, he says that the organising committee has already decided it needs 1,000 more buses and 200 more aircraft.


Budget review

The organising committee had previously estimated a budget of 3.2bn rand (£263m, $431m) to run the World Cup, but he now admits they are "probably 10% over what we envisaged as our budget".

"We have been impacted by the global economic circumstances like everyone," he points out.

"We have to look at the budget further and carry out a final review, and are now engaged in that, but it does seem that there will be some budget over-runs."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8387006.stm