SoccerexPro Issue 04

SoccerexPro (Print) - ISSN 2056-3604 Issue 4

Issue 4

www.soccerex.com | www.sportspromedia.com

LA LIGA TO THE FORE How Spanish football can still conquer the world

BEYOND EUROPE’S BIG FIVE LEAGUES

INDIAN FOOTBALL’S NEW ADVENTURE

REFLECTIONS ON THE FIFA WORLD CUP

Image rights protection helps footballers stay ahead of the game Fiona Le Poidevin, Chief Executive of Guernsey Finance, explains

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One player currently ahead of the rest is Hull City FC and Scottish international goalkeeper Allan

Premier League player to take advantage of the

to protect his image from unauthorised use by third parties and to enable him to realise its commercial value.

His image rights application was made to the Guernsey Registry in June by Romanillos & Cook

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responsible for the image rights registration of Manchester City Manager Manuel Pellegrini last year. Jose Luis Romanillos, Managing Director of R & C, said McGregor’s image rights application ' (

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opportunities, namely protection, evidence, value, * +

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“Guernsey’s image rights legislation provides an additional layer of protection of one’s image and ‘brand’, against abuse or infringement by a third party. The image rights registration can be used initially as a threat to infringers, but ultimately a court order can be sought in Guernsey, which in turn could be applied in the jurisdiction of the infringement. The image rights registration is concrete evidence of the individual’s image rights,

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said Mr Romanillos. “The registration creates a ‘tangible’ asset that can be valued, licensed, monetised and even sold.

Unlike with its ‘elder brother’ Trademark, additional images can be bolted into the same image right

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) This follows Guernsey Football Club (GFC) – where the President is Guernsey born Matthew Le Tissier,

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by a football club to register its corporate personality under Guernsey’s image rights

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an asset, in the form of intellectual property.

As a result of GFC registering its personality in March this year, any unique and distinctive attributes of the club personality may receive statutory protection against the deliberate infringement and unauthorised economic +'

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include such elements as its insignia, club strip, catch phrases, slogans, merchandise and – most importantly – images of the club’s players wearing the GFC strip.

GFC’s application has been made through image rights registration specialists, Icondia. Keith Laker, # ) + ( )

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more than a decade ago, in attempting to control the sale of unauthorised memorabilia. The point was

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McGregor is not the only footballer on the image

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Natkho and Arsenal FC ladies player Jordan Nobbs are others who have signed up. As well as the )

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and musicians have been among the other registrations since the inception of the law in December 2012.

Our key message will be that individuals and corporates can hold their image rights as part of a wider wealth management structure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and it can all be done in Guernsey through the use of private banking services; an aircraft registry; company, trust, foundation and family limited partnership vehicles; and newly introduced Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs). This provides an ideal environment for managing private client wealth and assets â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including image rights.

The new football season will undoubtedly deliver new images but the question is whether anyone else will join McGregor in being ahead of the game. flp

Tel: +44 (0)1481 720071 |

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INSIDE ISSUE 4 6

EDITOR’S LETTER

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A WORD FROM THE CEO

10 THE BIG PICTURE - Germany’s time - Brazil welcomes the world - The World Cup stars realign

18 LIGA OF LEAGUES Spain produced both the winners of both of Uefa’s continental club trophies last season, with Sevilla taking the Europa League and Real Madrid finally reclaiming the Champions League. At home, Atlético Madrid took a surprise league title ahead of Barcelona. The flow of talent into La Liga’s leading clubs continued over the summer and while the Spanish club game faces serious challenges, Liga de Fútbol Profesional president Javier Tebas gives a confident appraisal of its prospects.

22 IN DEPTH: BEYOND THE BIG FIVE European football will once again confirm its financial and sporting pre-eminence this year as the world’s brightest talents return to play for the club game’s greatest prize, the Uefa Champions League. Yet as television income and sponsorship euros stuff the coffers of teams in the continent’s big five leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France, even the most powerful clubs elsewhere must find new ways to compete.

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Celtic: Lonely at the top Galatasaray: Highway from Hell Red Bull Salzburg: Growing wings FC Basel: Setting an example

SOCCEREXPRO | 3

40 ON ITS FEET Ever since its national team turned down an invitation to the first Fifa World Cup in Brazil, football has been in decline in India. Now, with a second tournament in Brazil at an end, it is hoped that the high-profile Indian Super League can energise the sport. All India Football Federation general secretary Kushal Das explains the concept and plans to revitalise the game at the grassroots.

46 RADAR DETECTION Sportradar is the data specialist helping sport fight for its integrity. Its system is so powerful it can identify a manipulated match before it kicks off, and highlight how and why the fix plays out.

50 FOR ENGLAND AND ST GEORGE England suffered disappointment again in Brazil this summer, recording their worst performance at a Fifa World Cup finals since 1958. But as David Sheepshanks, chairman of the UK£105 million St George’s Park national football centre, reveals, the seeds of recovery have already been planted.

56 A REAL CAPTURE Trackchamp offers cost-effective real-time streaming and data capture, a combination it believes sets it apart from a growing number of competitors in a field professional sport is coming to rely upon.

57 THE UPDATE - The Score: World Cup reflections - Continent-by-continent news and insights - Signings: the biggest football investments

78 GUEST COLUMN Rafa Navarro, a football journalist for GolT, looks at how La Liga partner Mediapro is taking on new digital opportunities.

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Your Entry into the First League

Be one step ahead of your competitors and run your business with SAP® for Sports & Entertainment solutions.

Visit our Booth No. 233 at Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester from September 8–10, 2014.

Find out more at www.sap.com/sports

Studio SAP | 33042enUS © 2014 SAP SE or an SAP a liate company. All rights reserved.

EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LETTER

BACK TO THE GRIND

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t times, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never been away.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a familiar sensation:

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF David Cushnan EDITOR Eoin Connolly econnolly@sportspromedia.com

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PHOTOGRAPHIC AGENCIES Action Images Press Association MANAGING DIRECTOR Nick Meacham

ART DIRECTOR Daniel Brown CONTRIBUTORS James Emmett, Michael Long, Ian McPherson

SOCCEREX

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Bobby Hare bhare@sportspromedia.com

HEAD OF SALES Spencer Hidge

BUSINESS OPERATIONS MANAGER YĂŠwandĂŠ ArulĂŠba

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MARKETING DIRECTOR David Wright

GENERAL MANAGER Philip Gegan MARKETING EXECUTIVE Jamie Barr

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Eoin Connolly 7

SoccerexPro magazine is a joint venture between Soccerex and SportsPro Media.

SportsPro Media Ltd 5 Prescot Street, London E1 8PA, UK Tel: +44 (0) 207 549 3250 Email: info@sportspromedia.com Web: www.sportspromedia.com (SportsPro Media Ltd is part of the Henley Media Group Ltd www.henleymediagroup.com)

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SoccerexPro (Print) - ISSN 2056-3604 | SoccerexPro (Online) - ISSN 2056-3612 PRINTER: Buxton Press Limited NOTICE: SoccerexPro magazine is published quarterly. Printed in the EU. EDITORIAL COPYRIGHT: The contents of this magazine, both words and statistics, are strictly copyright and the intellectual property of SoccerexPro. Copying or reproduction may only be carried out with written permission of the publishers, which will normally not be withheld on payment of a fee. Article reprints: Most articles published in SoccerexPro magazine are available as reprints by prior arrangement from the publishers. Normal minimum print run for reprints is 400 copies, although larger and smaller runs are possible.

Please contact us at: info@sportspromedia.com

A WORD FROM THE CEO

FOOTBALL â&#x20AC;&#x201C; TRULY THE GLOBAL GAME

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â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like most of you, I am sure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thoroughly enjoyed the football at this summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fifa World Cup in Brazil. In an age when domestic football is threatening to become the priority for players, media and fans alike, the tournament was a fantastic advert for the international game and a timely reminder of just how global football is.

Although eventually the established

stages battled out between powerhouse nations from Europe and South America, the teams that really caught the eye â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and the imagination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; were the smaller footballing nations of Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica and, dare I say it, the USA. The spirited and skilled performances of Team USA brought them many new fans, nowhere more so than back home with record audiences tuning in to cheer on their team â&#x20AC;&#x201C; providing real hope that

of the Beatles and break America!

As the guardians and administrators of the global game, Fifa have long sought to bring football to the entire world and future Fifa World Cups will continue to take the game to new destinations, =>?@ ( ) 7 =>== Middle East. Other Fifa tournaments will continue this trend, with the 2017 U17 ' ( ) / major tournament hosted by footballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sleeping giantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. '

in the 2014 Soccerex Global Convention

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in Manchester, helping to ensure the & N

the modern game. I am deeply honoured that President Blatter, the man at the helm of Fifaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive to bring football to the world, has agreed to open this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event. It will be the ninth time the president has attended a Soccerex event and we are truly grateful for his support.

He will be joined by seven Fifa executive committee members, including Fifa vice presidents from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, along with thought leaders and decision makers from around the world. The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy will be presenting the latest in Qatarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans for the 2022 Fifa World Cup and senior members of the All India Football Federation will be discussing not only Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preparations for 2017 but also the development of the new Indian Super League.

Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier League and Football Association will host a special delegation from the Afghanistan Football Federation and Premier League, Major League Soccer will be using the event to show just how football can grow in the US, the Hong Kong FA will be on hand to talk about

% " and clubs from all across Europe will be taking the opportunity to network with the leading suppliers from across the industry.

The Soccerex Football Festival will include players from France, Colombia, England, Germany, Italy, Holland and Denmark, and their presence will help

to attract the hundreds of international media who attend and spread the football agenda worldwide.

Football is truly the global game and the Soccerex Global Convention truly brings the world of football together.

For those of you who have been able to join us here in Manchester for this

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rewarding and above all enjoyable Soccerex experience. For those of you who couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it, I hope to see you at a Soccerex event soon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and make sure you look out for the next issue of SoccerexPro magazine so you can see what you missed!

Love & kisses.

The largest European media façade

Krakow Arena 4th biggest screen worldwide

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Game presentation | Sports&Statistics | Security

THE BIG PICTURE

GERMANY’S TIME

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ermany won their first Fifa World Cup as a unified nation to cap a pulsating tournament in Brazil in June

and July.

Argentina were Germany’s opponents in the final (1) at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã on 13th July, having lost to West Germany in their most recent final appearance in Rome in 1990.

A powerful German side, after thumping hosts Brazil 7-1 in the semi-final days earlier, were strong favourites. But the game was tense and tight, going into extra time before a smartly taken volley by Mario Götze (2) put the Germans ahead.

Argentina and the great Lionel Messi (3), who had missed a presentable chance in normal time, could find no answer. Germany lifted the trophy (4), becoming the third European World Cup winners in a row and the first on South American soil.

There were wild scenes of celebration at a victory parade back in Berlin, with Germany’s success the culmination of a project to revive the country’s footballing fortunes after a first-round exit at Uefa Euro 2000.

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THE BIG PICTURE

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BRAZIL WELCOMES THE WORLD

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fter years of sometimes fraught build-up, Brazil staged a Fifa World Cup which was enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Fans came in from around the world (1) to soak up the atmosphere in

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Brazil’s stadiums, cities and beaches.

The US brought the most travelling supporters to matches (2), with record numbers of Americans cheering their team on until a heroic second-round defeat to Belgium.

Fifa’s Fan Fests were popular, too.

An estimated total of over five million watched games across the tournament at the 12 venues, including one on Copacabana Beach (3) in Rio. The competition also brough the host nation together - at least until a traumatic exit (4) in the semi-finals.

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THE BIG PICTURE

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THE WORLD CUP STARS REALIGN

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s the Fifa World Cup captivated hundreds of millions over the summer, Europe’s richest clubs found themselves pushed to the margins. They were soon the centre of attention again, however, spending huge sums on some of the tournament’s leading performers.

Uefa Champions League winners Real Madrid were the prime movers.

Colombia’s James Rodriguez, the World Cup’s leading scorer, was bought from AS Monaco for a reported €80 million fee. He was joined in Spain by new world champion Toni Kroos (1), who signed from Bayern Munich.

Rivals Barcelona, now set to start a transfer ban until January 2016, were not to be outdone. They paid Liverpool €81 million for Uruguay’s Luis Suarez (2) despite his four-month suspension for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.

Premier League Arsenal could not even wait until the end of the competition to complete the transfer of Chile’s Alexis Sanchez (3), who moved from Barcelona in early July. But events in Brazil took the gloss of Paris Saint-Germain’s marquee signing, David Luiz (4), whose €62 million move from Chelsea was completed in June but confirmed soon after his country’s 7-1 defeat to Germany.

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LIGA OF LEAGUES Spain produced both the winners of both of Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continental club trophies last season, with Sevilla taking the Uefa Europa League and Real Madrid ďŹ nally reclaiming the Uefa Champions League. At home, AtlĂŠtico Madrid took a surprise league title ahead of Barcelona. The ďŹ&#x201A;ow of talent into La Ligaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading clubs continued over the summer and while the Spanish club game faces serious challenges, Liga de FĂştbol Profesional president Javier Tebas gives Eoin Connolly a conďŹ dent appraisal of its prospects.

La Liga enjoyed remarkable success in European competition last year, with Spanish clubs winning the Champions League and Europa League, but was it more important for the health of the competition that AtlĂŠtico Madrid won the domestic title?

Last season was great for our football clubs. We are really proud of Sevilla FC, AtlĂŠtico de Madrid and Real Madrid for their international success. It means that our clubs are the strongest in Europe and our league is on the top.

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if it is more important the Champions League title for Real Madrid or La Liga title for AtlĂŠtico, but in La Ligaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2013/14 season, we enjoyed the best championship in the world.

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positionsâ&#x20AC;Ś La Liga BBVA showed to the world that it has the strongest clubs and a really competitive grid.

How would you rate the overall condition of the league?

In terms of competitions, we are the strongest league. Our clubs are among the most professional in the world and our football is attractive and exciting.

Obviously, we know that we have to "

problems, but we are on this way.

What do you make of the summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transfer activity in La Liga? Is the arrival of players like Luis Suarez, Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez at Barcelona and Real Madrid encouraging for the league or a sign that the big two could pull away again?

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember any season when FC Barcelona and Real Madrid didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sign the best players in the world.

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Last season they signed Gareth Bale, Neymarâ&#x20AC;Ś and AtlĂŠtico de Madrid, even after Radamel Falcao was sold, won the league. Our clubs are very competivive and an example of this could be also Sevilla FC, who won the Europa League.

What will the effect of Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance at the Fifa World Cup be on La Ligaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand?

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance in Brazil shall have any effect in La Liga.

The Fifa World Cup is a really short and intensive competition where the best national teams in the world play each other. What happened this year is part of football rules. Now, we are not the worst team in the world just after this early defeat. You will see that Spain will be a title challenger again.

What has the impact been of the staggering of kick-off times across the weekend last season?

We believe this has been one of our best

( hard to understand, but week after week, people were accustomed to it. Now not only have national audiences stabilised, but we are growing fast internationally.

What prompted that decision? How much consultation was there with broadcasters before you went ahead with the change?

Of course this is a decision that we took after the OK from the broadcasters and Spanish football clubs.

What has the reaction been from clubs, supporters and broadcasters in Spain?

From clubs and broadcasters, as I said before, the decision was mutual and

we all really think it will be positive for the growth of the league. From the supportersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; side, I know that maybe it

from the beginning, but it has been demonstrated that this decision was not bad for the fans and the stadiums.

Moreover, there are some kick-off times that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist before and now they are some of the favourites for the fans.

There is no doubt that the growth of the Spanish league is increasing every year. It is true that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the capacity to attract that the Premier 3 & but it is also true that the population in our country is half that in England.

7& and we will continue working to attract fans to the stadiums What can the league do to address the level of debt among Spanish clubs?

Since we have been leading the league, &

to control the economical situation of our clubs. We know that some decisions in the past were wrong, but now we are on our way to solve the economic development of all our clubs.

Now we have some economic control " =>?@ /

world reference, too.

Is this purely a matter for football clubs and authorities or does the Spanish government have a role to play as well?

Of course, we are at this point after a lot of bad decisions in the past that the government permitted. But now we are all in the same way, and this is what really matters.

SOCCEREXPRO | 19

LFP president Javier Tebas will appear as a speaker on day three of the Soccerex Global Convention on 10th September at Manchester Central

It is obvious that clubs must regain track

that they cannot recover in a year what has been marred for many years.

What are your thoughts on foreign investment into Spanish clubs? What do you see as the beneďŹ ts of this, and what are the risks?

We always thought that foreign investment is something that we need to control and to watch very carefully. We had a lot of bad experiences in the past, like in Racing de Santander, and now we want to make sure that international investments are guaranteed good.

How are negotiations going between the clubs on collectivising TV rights?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember any season when Barcelona and Real Madrid didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sign the best players in the world.â&#x20AC;?

Have the recent changes to the scheduling changed matters in this respect?

No, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. For the moment, our thoughts are on the way to get collective TV rights negotiations.

How important will collective TV rights be to the league in the future?

You recently launched the LFP World Challenge concept for pre-season tours, taking some of the leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clubs without their own international schedules to play friendlies in other countries. How does this work?

It is important to equal the league, to do it more competitive and to make sure that all the clubs have good chances to grow up.

This year we have started the LFP World Challenge. It is an international football tournament that will take place during 2014, 2015 and 2016, and in which some

They are on the right way. This is something that most of the clubs want, so we will get it in three or four seasons.

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of Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top teams will challenge top local opposition in a framework of a global â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Spanish Experienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, both on and

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international development of our clubs, to make our brand stronger all over the world.

How was the concept developed?

Where did the idea come from?

This idea came from the thought that people have given too much to football, and sometimes, football has to give something back to them. In time of crisis, football should help Spanish companies to be internationalised. Thus, the economic and social growth and sportive development can travel together.

Did you approach the Spanish trade commission to play a role or was it the other way around?

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say that this has been something that both sides have agreed. It does not matter 6

thing is to be in the same way.

Have you been satisďŹ ed with the way the tour concept has progressed? What are your targets for the years ahead?

The results of this project canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be evaluated right now. You cannot increase your value in six months or one year.

This is something that we will see in &

/ convinced that we will be successful.

What other moves would you consider to build the international proďŹ le of the league? Would you ever consider playing competitive games abroad?

We need to keep pushing in all areas.

Our idea is to be the leading league in the social networks, with the most valuable TV rights. But this is something that will take us some time. We know that the English Premier League has made things right, and now we need to get their level.

AtlĂŠtico Madrid fell agonisingly short in Europe but their fans revelled in a domestic title win in May

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league season. We showed the most exciting championship in Europe, living the emotion for the title and relegation until the last game. AtlĂŠtico de Madrid is a great champion and we are really proud of having the most competitive league in the world, with the best players and the best teams. This could be an opinion, but

How important is your title sponsorship deal with BBVA?

What are your targets for La Liga between now and the next Fifa World Cup?

BBVA is our main sponsor and we are very happy with it. They are really linked to La Ligaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development.

Our main objective is to grow up our league all around the world. It means the international development of our brand and competition as the best football association beyond the two major brands â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

We are also focusing in the economic health of our football with a target for 2016/17 of increasing revenue from the sale of international TV rights.

Are you satisďŹ ed with the way your sponsorship model is structured?

Are there any changes you would be interested in making?

( &

relationship and there are no changes in mind for the moment.

What do you see as being the strengths and weaknesses of the other major leagues in Europe?

What are you most looking forward to about the new season?

We know that the English Premier League is the strongest league in terms of organisation.

They are 20 years ahead, and so we try to learn from their business model.

In what ways is La Liga stronger than any of the other European leagues? What can it learn from its competitors?

facts talk about it. As you know, the two European champions and three of the

0 ( & &

state and today we can talk about a healthy league. We know that we still have some things to improve, but the increase is going on year after year.

James Rodriguez was the major signing of the summer as La Ligaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clubs spent big once more

For the future we want to continue with our development. We would like to

N

determination is to grow up every year to become the world reference as a sporting organisation, not only through our teams and players. Maybe this is something we could learn from leagues like Premier League or Bundesliga.

In terms of competition, we hope that our clubs will repeat their success.

SOCCEREXPRO | 21

IN DEPTH

BEYOND THE BIG FIVE European football will once again conďŹ rm its ďŹ nancial and sporting pre-eminence this year as the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brightest talents return to play for the club gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest prize, the Uefa Champions League. Yet as television income and sponsorship euros stuff the coffers of teams in the continentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s big ďŹ ve leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France, even the most powerful clubs elsewhere must ďŹ nd new ways to compete.

T

hey are the big teams beyond the big time. History has brought prestige, success has brought cachet, but geography has betrayed them.

In the past two decades, money has not transformed the European football landscape but it has forced its peaks higher. Clubs in England, in particular, and Spain, Germany, Italy and France &

broadcasters and sponsors throwing good money after good â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and sometimes bad. + % ~ & *

* storied and popular clubs have faced new challenges. Even as domestic success has become more assured, they have faced a widening international gulf.

FC Basel of Switzerland, Red Bull 0 1 0 * )

are all national champions, and favourites to retain their titles; Galatasaray were runners-up in the Super Lig last season but would be expected to regain top

6 * successful club. Yet while all of those teams will enter European competition this year, their chances of making a serious impression can be coloured in varying shades of pessimism. Â&#x20AC;/ * &

because when you look at the top six or seven clubs, their revenues are a little bit over â&#x201A;Ź500 million or close to â&#x201A;Ź500 million,â&#x20AC;? says Galatasaray board member Ebru KĂśksal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And as number 16 [in Â&#x201A; * 3 * richest clubs], we are only at â&#x201A;Ź160 million.

So obviously each time we are in the [Uefa] Champions League, at least two or three of our opponents have revenues that are two or three times higher than us and squads that are two or three times more & / *

Â&#x2020;

22 | www.soccerex.com

Pivotal to that balance, nevertheless, is a regular place in the Champions League.

Three of the four featured in the group stages last year and there is a chance that they will all be there this time around: - + * &

) 0 1

% writing. Participation is crucial to gaining international relevance and maintaining domestic pre-eminence â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and a run in the secondary Europa League is rarely an adequate substitute. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a big difference between what Salzburg gets from Uefa and a big club from the Premier League or Germany,â&#x20AC;? says Red Bull Salzburg general manager Jochen Sauer, referring to a weighting system in broadcast rights distribution which awards more money to teams from bigger TV markets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But in the end being in the Champions League as Red Bull Salzburg is a sure income for us which would be, I would say, a big part of our overall budget.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would be an important income source for us even compared to the Europa League. Last year when we got through the group stage and played against FC Basel in the [last 16], the overall income from European football was around â&#x201A;Ź4 million, which was not too bad for us but compared to the starting fee in the Champions League, usually three sold-out matches in the group stage, and all the marketing that

*

Champions League and Europa League

& bigger difference in terms of attracting players for our club.â&#x20AC;?

0 *

KĂśksal putting the value of a place in the Champions League at around & 7 3 and FC Basel president Bernhard Heusler estimating it takes at least a % competition to even put the club in /

talent and, increasingly, the attention

bridging the gap. Â&#x20AC;/ *

* why some countries have focused on selling players and then raising revenues from that,â&#x20AC;? says KĂśksal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some countries have focused â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if they have a big fanbase â&#x20AC;&#x201C; on trying to monetise the social media power and the new media, digital rights, trying to generate some revenues out of that. We are seeing more and more globalisation.â&#x20AC;?

On the other hand, Heusler believes that competing in European tournaments and membership of the European Club Association (ECA) creates opportunities for an â&#x20AC;&#x153;exchange of experiencesâ&#x20AC;?. Inspiration can come from anywhere â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Heusler himself has an eye on a Swiss ice hockey team which makes â&#x20AC;&#x153;50 per cent of its entire revenue from hospitalityâ&#x20AC;?, and, he notes: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Luckily we have experience now â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in the last few years when we have played against teams from Hungary, from Israel, they have also mentioned that we are sort of a role model for them.â&#x20AC;?

But for all of these clubs, national conditions give rise to a variety of priorities and approaches. Each must make their own way between hinterland and wonderland. EC SOCCEREXPRO | 23

IN DEPTH

CELTIC: LONELY AT THE TOP Celtic were Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst European champions but even with domestic dominance increasingly assured, it is becoming ever more difďŹ cult to compete across the continent. On the eve of a season where several of Celticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rivals will compete in a lower division, chief executive Peter Lawwell takes coffee with David Cushnan and talks about how Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lone power can be felt on the international stage.

Once upon a time, Glasgow took on Europe and won.

In May 1967 11 men born within 30 miles of Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second city travelled to Portugal to take on the might of Internazionale, a continental superpower whose remorseless defence accrued two European Cup wins in three years.

These men of Celtic would become the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Lisbon Lionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, sweeping aside their more famous and

European champions.

That is an age ago now. When Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest game returned to the Portuguese capital in 2014, it would feature two teams from the same country for the third time this century. The Uefa Champions League is still a celebration of the continentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very best but the real elite, those with a chance of winning the competition,

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because their competition at home, now known as the Scottish Professional Football League Premiership, has withered in the shadow of the Premier League to the south. The 45-time Scottish champions have never looked lonelier in their domestic excellence: this year, Edinburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian will join Celticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mortal rivals Rangers, still working their way back from liquidation and relegation in 2012, in the division below. !

meaningful competition overseas, from both 24 | www.soccerex.com

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of publication, Celtic only retained a chance of rejoining Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best in the Champions League thanks to a clerical error on the part

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6-1 aggregate play-off win. ;

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Lawwell sat down to talk to SoccerexPro in July but the challenges facing this unique football club were already clear. Celtic Park had hosted the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth

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centre of the sporting world again.

How important was hosting last nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opening ceremony to Celtic FC?

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the most fantastic story to tell, Celtic, in terms of the beginnings of the club, the history, the traditions, the characters, the successes, the failures, the achievements, the disappointments. We believe we are a global brand, a global football club but we play, unfortunately, in a very small domestic market. The way the football world has gone, the major nations and the media values associated have driven a huge chasm between the top nations and the second-tier nations.

And the way thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s broadcast around the world, particularly in developing countries like China, India now, the 7 &

( get frustrated that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough

platforms to tell the Celtic story. For Glasgow, for Scotland, for Celtic last night [the opening ceremony] was a great

Hopefully it intrigued a lot of people and

)

Once they do scratch the surface and ) /* theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be enamoured and smitten by it.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an interesting scenario coming up, with Rangers, Hearts and Hibs all playing in the second division â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your take on that? Is that bad for business, for Celtic?

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two aspects, the one youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve touched on and the other is that if you

Jason Denayer opens the scoring for Celtic in a 6-1 thrashing of Dundee United in August, as the Scottish champions began a probable title defence

go back 25 or 30 years and compared Celtic to, say, Manchester United before the Premier League, before the explosion in terms of global media, peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest, media values, there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a lot in it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in fact, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d argue weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a stronger story to tell. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the Scots-Irish diasporas around the world. What has changed? The English Premier League has done a fantastic job, and a marriage made in heaven between Sky and the EPL at the time got them off and running, brought the best players, gave the best product and Richard Scudamore and the guys have done a fantastic job â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as have the clubs, in terms of promoting that. That has

gone on and for Celtic, in Scotland,

& * & &

% 6 * one aspect. But we are a Champions 3

playing in Scotland is there is regular participation through the Champions 3 & revenues to keep the club, which I think it still is, a top European football club in everything we do â&#x20AC;&#x201C; our stadium, our training facilities, our players and the way we treat our players, our staff. We benchmark against the best, so we are still a top-class European football club,

& The second aspect is the domestic

league. Competition is the lifeblood of sport. You need meaningful games to keep our supporters engaged and interested. They are entirely bought on the Champions League and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where they see us. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been in the group stages seven out of the last 11 and in the last 16 twice, so that is a

so disadvantaged.

But in a domestic sense you need a competitive league, meaningful games and that is a problem, because we are dominant and have been dominating.

We need to have that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;something to play for feelingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for supporters in a domestic situation.

SOCCEREXPRO | 25

IN DEPTH In this kind of situation, with a few traditional heavyweight clubs missing, do the dynamics of Celticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationship with the league change â&#x20AC;&#x201C; because Celtic is by some distance the biggest brand in Scottish football?

I think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to look at it as that being short-term. We have tactically made changes in terms of our offering, in terms of season books, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still in the renewal process at the moment, but last year we were still the third highest paid attendance on season books in the UK â&#x20AC;&#x201C; United, Arsenal, Celtic.

Our fans have been fantastic, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve stood by us and they come here not only to watch football, thankfully, but also to express their identity in terms of who they are and what they stand for.

That has kept our season tickets up high and the renewal process has been as successful as it was last year, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll end up around about the same as last year, the third biggest in the UK. We made some tactical changes to help that process, but I think looking longer-term, strategically, Rangersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fundamentals are strong in terms of the supporter base, their story, their traditions and therefore they will be back at some stage. Hearts, I think, likewise and Hibs, likewise. Aberdeen are making a good show of themselves at the moment. I think looking forward the challenge for Scottish football is getting competition, getting meaningful games and getting supporters to buy into it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;something to play forâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and whether that reverts back to Celtic and Rangers in the coming years, I would suspect it will because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been so far

other clubs.

One of the biggest strengths of Scottish football is that even now it is the second highest in Europe per capita

& ! )

Scotland is second, but in terms of big nations weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re number one. Secondly, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s huge dormant support out there â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Aberdeen, a fantastic, traditional club, with big support, came here to the 3 ) Â&#x2039;> >>> supporters. Dundee United came for the Scottish Cup Final and brought 30,000, St. Johnstone 15,000. There is a dormant support in Scotland that is still engaged with football if there is something to play for and we need to unlock that, we need to get these people back in and for 26 | www.soccerex.com

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell accepts that â&#x20AC;&#x153;every penny is a prisonerâ&#x20AC;? for the club

there to be a competitive environment and something to interest them.

In attempting to do that, is it about Celtic, the workforce here, being more creative in the way you go about packaging up ticket offers, making it attractive proposition to come, and online to tap into the wider support?

One of the advantages if you like â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and I hope some of the clubs down south forgive me for this â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is the fact it appears to come too easy. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re relegated from the EPL, you get UKÂŁ60 million from television; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re champions and we get UKÂŁ1.5 million. We have to work very, very hard â&#x20AC;&#x201C; every penny is a prisoner. We have to work with every sponsor to make sure thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real value and maybe when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a bit easier somewhere else that focus comes off, so we need to work so hard with sponsors, supporters and staff. We have a term

then itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about investment in intellectual capital. We have an excellent marketing and multimedia staff. When the last charts came out, I think we were eighth in terms of Facebook and Twitter, and with the huge popularity around the world of the EPL thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a phenomenal achievement. We have to work harder, be smarter, be cleverer on the commercial side, on the organisational side and on the football side.

On the football side, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford

the best, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford to pay them or buy them, so we have a strategy, around the investment in intellectual capital, of creating Champions League players â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we have a centre of excellence, we have coaches who develop players, we have a sports scientist who will develop them, we have a scouting team who will go out and identify undervalued talent like Victor Wanyama, Ki Sung-yeung, like Gary Hooper, Virgil Van Dijk, Fraser Forster â&#x20AC;&#x201C; undervalued talent that we can bring here, polish up and create value, sell them on and then reinvest the money back in the club. We run as a cash breakeven, self-sustaining business, football club, but the commitment from the board is every penny that does come in in the short-term will be reinvested back into the club, no dividend, on the basis of a long-term perspective.

In terms of the quest for competition, at various points over the years there has been talk of Rangers and Celtic moving into the English system or an Atlantic, or North Atlantic, league â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are either of those things still on the agenda and what were the major barriers as you saw them at the time?

I think the Atlantic League model N / ' ! * put together, for maybe a short term lift %

In terms of a British concept, or Celtic, Rangers or other clubs going to the EPL, you need someone to want you. That was the barrier. We think it would have made a lot of sense for everybody, for Celtic, for the professional game in Scotland, for Scottish football. But youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to need someone to want you. The EPL has been such a fantastic success so you can understand it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; why would the turkeys vote for Christmas? Celtic and Rangers are massive clubs.

In the quest for a competitive league, things change and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not alone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I think Scotland ranks along with Scandinavian clubs, for example, or eastern European clubs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Serbia, Bosnia, the Czechs, Slovak, Romania, Bulgaria, nations who have identical problems. Belgium, possibly, as well.

We are not alone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for similar solutions. You need someone to want you and I think as time changes opportunities will arise that will hopefully

lead to the coming together of some leagues that will create value for both sides. The EPL has been such a success but I think the Football League at the moment, for example, is not at its best, in terms of commerciality. The point Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m making is there is a recognition that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not alone, a recognition that a solution has to be found and therefore through time maybe there will be willing partners for the marriage.

You mentioned the type of clubs you would envisage being part of that conversation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is there any sort of formal body that can discuss matters like that?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m on the ECA board and I know from my colleagues within the sub-divisions that I represent and the board the same problems are being discussed and people are looking for the same solutions. My understanding would be that Uefa would look at propositions that come along and what has to happen is that a proposition has to be created and put forward, so I think there is an interest. It is an interesting time for European football, there is a general realisation that the gap between the top and the bottom is so great that something has to be done or that competition will go forever.

With that in mind, could you put into context how fundamentally important, both ďŹ nancially and from an image point of view, it is for Celtic to be a regularly participant in the Champions League?

The Red Arrows ďŹ&#x201A;y over Celtic Park during the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony

and bigger nations are investing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Barcelona have 25 million Facebook fans â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but my understanding is that the payback on that is still to arrive. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s &

& / thing would be, for anyone interested in football here or around the world, winning, entertaining football. There is a direct correlation between winning, entertaining football and commercial success and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never break that. But around that we, for example, have done what others are doing through Twitter and Facebook, Celtic TV and touring â&#x20AC;&#x201C; pretty standard in terms of what the big clubs are doing. Touring has become more of an issue because we have the Â&#x152;9 ) 3 Â&#x2018; 6 15th July, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very early, and the big clubs donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go on tour until later on * &

& / different, because we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the eyeballs around the world, what we try

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very important for both reasons.

Financially, it is a transformer year by year for Celtic, and it gives us the platform â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like last night did â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to tell the story and because of the fabulous job the broadcasters do, not only in the UK but in Europe and around the world, it gives us the chance to tell the story. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very, very important for us.

You have the fans in the stadium, the local market in Glasgow and a little bit beyond, but you also have Celtic fans around the world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; do you have an overarching strategy in terms of how you engage the wider group? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your take on how to generate revenues from that wider global support?

We know how much the bigger clubs

and do is create partnerships â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we have one with Santos Laguna in Mexico, who are owned by Grupa Modelo, we have a partnership with Mahindra, the fourth largest Indian company, on a grassroots project. We have a partnership in China doing the same thing. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more of a slow-burner, where

brand being spread as opposed to shortterm commercial income. Mahindra would have been courted by many EPL clubs for sponsorship, but they had little interest in short-term gain. We went in with a different proposition, for a grassroots tournament where there were six cities, 32 teams, and we were a technical partner. We picked four kids from the team that won and they came and trained here. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a long-term build.

Basically, the objective is to get the platform and get the Celtic story out there. People become intrigued â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they understand itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Celtic, they understand itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s football, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commerce, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charitable means, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social projects, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;we love their values and we want to partner thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as opposed to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get 10 million people watching every game at homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a different proposition, through partners who want to be associated with Celtic.

The other initiative is Global Celt, which was built on the Global Scot â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Celts who have done very well in industry, commerce and media around the world who are Celtic supporters and who are

N disciplines. We have a whole host of global brainpower around the world that we can tap into and we get a lot of ideas and links. We have to be innovative because we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide the eyeballs, apart from in the Champions League.

Are there particular markets where you feel there is a great deal of potential that you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite cracked yet?

In signing the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Celtic aim to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;creating Champions League playersâ&#x20AC;?

North America is traditional and would be a good market for us. China, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve appointed an agent there who is looking at potential partnership and sponsorship opportunities. The Middle East, clearly, where thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s huge interest in football. And India, where we have these partnerships â&#x20AC;&#x201C; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re setting up this new IPL, which weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in discussions with at the moment about partnering one of the new clubs. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where everybody SOCCEREXPRO | 27

IN DEPTH

Financial Fair Play outside the ďŹ ve

M

ay 2014 may be remembered as the date Uefa ďŹ nally decided to play fair. Faced in 2009 with spiralling club debts and owners threatening to undermine their competitions with unchecked spending, European footballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s governing body chose to introduce a requirement that participants in its competitions would have to break even, over a three-year period, by 2013/14.

Earlier this year, the new reality was brought to bear on nine clubs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; oilfuelled, free-spending Paris SaintGermain and Manchester City chief among them, suffering a combination of ďŹ nes, transfer restrictions and European squad reductions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think it was absolutely necessary,â&#x20AC;? says Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good thing. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve run the club under these principles for a number of years and I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting the beneďŹ ts of it. I think Uefa are taking it seriously. The ďŹ rst round of sanctions was just that, a ďŹ rst round, and I think they will get tougher as time

is focusing: when economies develop, footballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not far behind and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at these big markets.

We do take players â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they always have to be good enough to play football â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but we do look at taking players from particular markets, for example, Ki Sung-yeung from South Korea. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got Africans, from Nigeria and Kenya, just to get the brand out there â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rather than getting clubs we have quite a multinational squad, because they can play but also because it gives us that

the world.

Uefa issued sanctions to nine clubs in May for falling foul of its new restrictions on spending

goes on. I also believe that the clubs are realising that they are serious.â&#x20AC;?

Galatasaray were among three Turkish clubs hit by FFP penalties, albeit a relatively modest â&#x201A;Ź200,000 ďŹ ne and a one-year wage freeze. Nonetheless, board member Ebru KĂśksal is ďŹ rmly supportive of the regulations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think Financial Fair Play is a blessing,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really helping the clubs to look to the future rather than just the current operations. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s encouraging balanced budgets. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s encouraging investments in stadiums and training facilities, in youth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all these spendings are exempt from the break-

their bets in terms of possibly a global Â&#x201A; well as city and getting the Abu Dhabi brand out there. Who knows where the game goes eventually, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a global league situation, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the States, the UK, Australia, the Middle East. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost as if they believe through time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it may be, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just surmising â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there will be some form of consolidation around the world and

& &

continent or area.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your take on the model Manchester Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s owners have created where they have taken control of a network of clubs, almost taking those local initiatives a step further?

As youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re spreading the Celtic message around the world, how careful do you have to be, how ďŹ ne a line do you have to tread, when it comes to some of the sectarian elements that have at times surrounded the club?

It is very visionary. They obviously have a vision, which is I think a global development of the game. Where that will lead, I think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re covering all

Â&#x2019; ' debates and images. I think we have a pure brand, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth reminding that Celtic have never had any sectarian policies, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

28 | www.soccerex.com

even calculations. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s further helping clubs to plan better for the future.â&#x20AC;?

Still, this support must be tempered by realism. FFP only caps spending where it relates to income and for the biggest clubs in the richest leagues, that is still some way in excess of what is available elsewhere. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the budget we have, we have to focus on our sportive competition and try to be better with players, on recruiting, on scouting and on a coaching level than clubs with a 200, 300 or 400 million budget,â&#x20AC;? says Jochen Sauer, general manager of Austriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Red Bull Salzburg. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have to try to compete against them and go as far as possible in the competition. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think we have any beneďŹ t if Manchester City or PSG is investing 50 million less. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more relevant for maybe [Borussia] Dortmund or Bayern Munich or maybe clubs in the second row in England, like Tottenham [Hotspur], who have a better chance if Manchester City spend a little less than they do now. For us, in a small league, it makes no difference.â&#x20AC;?

not a sectarian club, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been open to all, inclusive, diverse, since day one. These are values that we hold dear and values weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always had and always will have. I think the understanding of the situation and issues around Scottish football are misinterpreted as sectarian and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re misunderstood as sectarian, certainly today. You will not

&

around Celtic. It just doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen. We believe our brand is pure, our values are pure and genuinely wherever we go â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and it is a big world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that genuinely has never been raised as an issue.

Is that something, to have that pure brand, you feel youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to work for in the decade youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been your role here? Has there been a shift or is it a misconception?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a misconception and my challenge, in terms of the brand development, has not been around that, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been around the modernisation of it in a hugely fast-changing market. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been the

challenge, rather than any baggage.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talk about your time in this role â&#x20AC;&#x201C; could you pick out a couple of milestone moments?

On the pitch, the participation in the ) 3

to the last 16. I think last night, for example, was fantastic, as was the

0 ) 3 ) / fact that over that ten years we have unquestionably become the dominant force in Scottish football is a bit of a landmark. The participation in the Champions League gives coverage. The charity and foundation recalibration, in terms of our roots and the amount of money weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re raising and the coverage and outputs weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting from that have been astonishing. The fact that anyone who comes here in the Champions League, regardless of who it is, says itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best, the best atmosphere, the best night.

Rather than milestones, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably achievements along the way. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a real step-change to say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wow, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re playing in the English Premier League.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been evolution rather than revolution, no real giant steps but I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken it on.

Where we are today, I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re modern and progressive, we run the club in the right manner and I think everybody in here, the contribution everyone has made from the major shareholder and the board to the staff, has been fantastic.

On Celtic Park, you have the team and the brand but to what extent do you use Celtic Park as a marketing asset, given its history, its character?

It has its own brand. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Paradise, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Celtic Park. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hosting the England game here in November and the Republic of Ireland game. It is part of our history, part of our DNA, part of the brand.

In terms of the practical use of it I think Glasgow is one of the only cities in Europe to have three stadia of over 50,000, so there is competition. Hampden is a neutral stadium so in terms of events, they would normally migrate to Hampden rather than Celtic or Rangers. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very proud of, when people come here thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing like it.

Celtic boast the third-highest season ticket sales in the UK, behind Manchester United and Arsenal, and Lawwell cites their connection to â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Scots-Irish diasporas around the worldâ&#x20AC;? as an asset

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your view of the football industry in general? Often we speak to people who say football has much to learn from the corporate world in terms of how it goes about its business. How much do you think there is to still learn? How well is football doing in that regard?

It still has a bit of work to do. In Scotland, a lot of good work is going on. A lot of clubs have probably lived beyond their means over the years & %

/ UK, likewise, I think new ownership coming in to the EPL have increased governance levels.

In Europe, maybe western Europe is getting there but eastern Europe still maybe has a bit of work to do â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only progression, development.

The relationships with the national associations is obviously an aspect of football that is different to any other business. There has to be a realisation of the parts that the association and the professional games play and each side should understand the roles. That, I think, has to be developed.

Project forward ďŹ ve years: where would you like Celtic to be, as a club, as a business?

One, we want to continue dominating Scottish football. We want to continue to participate in the Champions League and try and take that as far forward as we possibly can.

We want to, thirdly, develop the

brand internationally through the tactics, the propositions, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing at the moment and, lastly, I think nothing stays the same and I think the European football environment, the world football environment, will continue to change and I would hope Celtic would be in a position to take advantage and be part of any environment and change that happens " &

That may involve playing in a different environment on a regular basis, who knows where that might be but I believe there is enough willingness and demand for it that things might change.

And ďŹ nally, on a personal level â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what kind of responsibility do you feel running one of the great football clubs?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a privilege, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an honour. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a football fan, raised as a Celtic supporter so in many aspects itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a dream job.

But with that comes a high degree of responsibility that you take on. The way football goes and the cycles you go through, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a challenge because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always a new cycle and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what keeps you going.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re beginning to start a new cycle now under a new management team, a change in culture or philosophy possibly within the football side of the club.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m privileged. There is a weight of responsibility but I thrive on that and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m really excited about this new cycle.

SOCCEREXPRO | 29

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IN DEPTH

GALATASARAY: HIGHWAY FROM HELL Turkey is a major football market but its biggest club have their sights set on international expansion

Galatasaray have an enormous fanbase in Istanbul and beyond, and those in the Turk Telecom Arena are renowned for their vociferous support

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

T

urkey is the seventh largest European market in terms of football,â&#x20AC;? says Ebru KĂśksal, citing the football analysts at Deloitte, â&#x20AC;&#x153;so the sponsorship and TV and licensing and merchandising is quite advanced compared to a lot of the other European countries. So weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very lucky in that sense.â&#x20AC;?

Running from the east of the continent into western Asia, Turkey is in more than one sense the big European market beyond the big European markets. Based in Istanbul, Galatasaray is at the heart of it in every respect. When Turkish football emerged from decades of inadequacy to become a major force in the 1990s, it was introduced to the world in Galatasarayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guise: their

32 | www.soccerex.com

supporters welcoming visitors to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the stands, their teams beating the likes of Manchester United on the pitch and winning the Uefa Cup in 2000.

Today, even as it lies beyond the traditional heartlands of the European game, there are few who would not take Turkey seriously. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Football is by far the most popular sport in Turkey and I would say 80 to 85 per cent of the population is totally following football and the supporter base is quite high,â&#x20AC;? says KĂśksal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The two largest clubs, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, are each said to have about 20 million fans locally â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which is even larger than the population of some other European countries, if you think about it.â&#x20AC;?

But in the modern game, strength

at home is not enough. Turkey is an emerging market; Turkish companies and sponsors are making their presence felt across the world. It is time for the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading football clubs to follow suit and it is Galatasaray who are taking on the world again. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because Turkey was such a large market, up until two years ago we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really focus too much outside of Turkey with the exception of Germany,â&#x20AC;? admits KĂśksal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But last year we did a new

! & %

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and tried to identify which markets make sense for us to start looking into and start making contact and start generating some revenues. And the initial expansion plan includes the Middle 7 "%0 &

which are of Turkish origin. Those are the immediate targets that make sense for us because there is a history of culture together from the Ottoman Empire times, obviously, and especially with Qatar 2022 there is an increasing awareness and interest in football.â&#x20AC;?

Galatasarayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new outlook is motivated by a need to get ahead of the competition at home â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fenerbahçe drew level on a record 19 Turkish titles in 2013/14 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and to make ground on those abroad. Even so, the club are playing

% 7 & the pitch as well as on it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody is looking up to Manchester United and Barcelona,â&#x20AC;? says KĂśksal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The two of them, I think, are the most successful in the regional development strategy. But to reach that &

be better known internationally. Â&#x20AC;/ -

recognised internationally but people need to be able to watch the team, either live or in delayed highlights, and get

unfortunately the Turkish league is not really broadcast live in any other territory.

Only the derby matches are sold in some territories but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty much just the local market. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just Galatasaray trying to move outside of Turkey, it has to be a joint effort of the league as well.â&#x20AC;?

Other circumstances have conspired to create a need for fresh revenues. After three consecutive failures to qualify for the Fifa World Cup, and unencumbered

by EU employment law, Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s football authorities now insist on a maximum &

starting XI and a further three on the substitutesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bench. This has in turn pushed up demand for domestic talent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the supply of which, KĂśksal says, has been stymied by a failure to properly plan player development in the country â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and salaries have risen as a result.

Not only that, but a dramatic 25 per cent drop in the value of the Turkish lira against the euro â&#x20AC;&#x201C; stimulated by the widespread protests in the country last year â&#x20AC;&#x201C; had an unfortunate effect on - *

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most of our player contracts are in foreign currency denominations, as well as our bank debts,â&#x20AC;? explains KĂśksal, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and this resulted in foreign currency losses which, under Financial Fair Play [FFP], is not an exempt expense, unfortunately.

No other club or country is facing this problem in Europe.â&#x20AC;?

In May Galatasaray were among the

9 for falling foul of its FFP regulations,

& Â&#x2013;=>> >>> % year pay freeze. That will put added pressure on a club for whom European

& â&#x20AC;&#x153;The revenues we make from the Champions League is almost 20 per cent of our overall budget,â&#x20AC;? reveals KĂśksal, Â&#x20AC; * &

have a sustainable operation.â&#x20AC;?

Work has been ongoing, KĂśksal adds, to reduce the impact of the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wage

The Galatasaray players celebrate a Champions League win over Italian champions Juventus in 2013

bill by bringing it within 65 per cent & + %

planning is not always easy to execute within the limits of the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s structure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In some countries there is foreign ownership, in some countries there is local company ownership,â&#x20AC;? says KĂśksal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are individual owners of some of the British clubs, for example, which doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen in Turkey. Most of our clubs are associations which are controlled by the members; elections are every two or three years so the frequent

% & ! the president and the board â&#x20AC;&#x201C; also usually results in changes in technical directors or in the professional staff as well.â&#x20AC;?

As a sports club, Galatasaray must fund the activities of teams in basketball, volleyball, athletics and 12 other disciplines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have 1,200 athletes participating in competition on behalf of us in all these different sports,â&#x20AC;? notes KĂśksal, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and

"

7

90Â&#x2014;=Â&#x2DC;%Â&#x2122;> * % professional sports or amateur sports.â&#x20AC;?

Undeterred by these impediments, Galatasaray are now looking to change the way they build football teams. With the club now less able to depend on foreign imports like Wesley Sneijder, Fernando Muslera and Emmanuel EbouĂŠ, greater emphasis is being placed on bringing younger players through the system. Galatasaray currently spends around â&#x201A;Ź2 million of its â&#x201A;Ź160 million budget on its youth academy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And in the next three years we will gradually

& hopefully maybe one day even to ten per cent of our revenues,â&#x20AC;? KĂśksal says.

Galatasary are also looking beyond Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s borders, again, for sources of talent. They will begin in Germany, where partnerships are in place with % &

Turkish communities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We think this is also a good opportunity to give not only 6 % kids the ability to play within a team,â&#x20AC;? says KĂśksal, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and look forward to joining % &

6

maybe, one day.â&#x20AC;? EC Ebru KĂśksal is set to appear on day three of the Soccerex Global Convention, 10th September at Manchester Central, as part of a panel on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;How to Run a Club Successfullyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

SOCCEREXPRO | 33

IN DEPTH

RED BULL SALZBURG: GROWING WINGS The investment of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top energy drinks brand could carry Austriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champions beyond national borders

Jonathan Soriano celebrates a goal against Ajax in the Uefa Europa League but regular Champions League participation is Red Bull Salzburgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aim

I

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

n Austria, we are in a football league that is not among the big leagues in Europe so, for sure, our club here is a little bit special,â&#x20AC;? says Red Bull Salzburg general manager Jochen Sauer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our main target is to compete in the Austrian league and if it is possible to win the Austrian league, but because our main sponsor is Red Bull we are focusing very much on European competition.â&#x20AC;?

Austria, it is fair to say, is not often seen as a hotbed of club football. It has so far failed to produce a European Cup 9 ) 3 & 34 | www.soccerex.com

mind a winner. But Red Bull has high hopes for Red Bull Salzburg, the club it acquired as Austria Salzburg in 2005.

Energy drink investment has had its perks, even if Salzburg have yet

counterparts in the bigger leagues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our budget is, for sure, higher than the average budget of an Austrian club,â&#x20AC;? explains Sauer, who believes it equates to that of a top-tier German club ranked between 12th to 14th, or a team in the upper reaches of Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second-tier Championship.

Â&#x161;

Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s money has been the links it has in place with other clubs in its ownership group, like the New York Red Bulls and Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Red Bull Leipzig. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we

player transfers or loaning players,â&#x20AC;? says Sauer, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but to establish a football philosophy in the clubs that is the same. /

from another club it is easier to have the same style of football, the same way of playing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier, then, for players to change clubs, to adapt and to develop.â&#x20AC;?

Sauer believes this goes further than links between clubs such as Premier

League Chelsea and Vitesse Arnhem of Belgium. Sporting director Ralf Â&#x161; " & % matters at both Leipzig and Salzburg.

It is an ambitious concept, but one in keeping with Red Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans for the

0 1 & & Bundesliga titles in the Red Bull era but that is only the means to an end. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For our main sponsor Red Bull it is more valuable if the club is playing Champions League football than becoming champion in Austria,â&#x20AC;? Sauer admits.

That is in keeping with the ownerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marketing strategy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Red Bull is a company with its headquarters in Austria,â&#x20AC;? notes Sauer, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and a very strong position especially in the Austrian and German market â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with or without football. There is no big need for Red Bull sponsoring a football club or being on a jersey to strengthen its position in Austria or Germany, because they are number one in the market anyway. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But besides Formula One, I would suggest that football is one of the few sports that is really broadcast almost

everywhere in the world and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of relevance for a company like Red Bull that the sponsored club competes on the Champions League level.â&#x20AC;?

The Champions League, in which the club are known as FC Salzburg for regulatory reasons, also makes it easier to recruit leading talent to a relative footballing backwater. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hunting for young players is very important for us in a comparably small league,â&#x20AC;? says Sauer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we can offer a player if we are in the Champions League is competing on a Champions League level maybe aged 18, 19 or 20, and this is what many big clubs in the big leagues cannot offer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you are switching to Manchester United as an 18 or 19-year-old player, it is 99 per cent sure that you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play one minute on the pitch in the Champions League â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the big clubs have big pressure, it is nearly impossible for them to put & " ?@% %

the Champions League. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably our advantage, even playing in a small league, in attracting players.â&#x20AC;?

Red Bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s takeover of Austria Salzburg, a club founded in 1933, caused some friction within the fanbase at the time. Some supporters even broke away to form their own club â&#x20AC;&#x201C; reclaiming the Austria Salzburg name â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which now takes a place in the third tier.

By Sauerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own admission there were â&#x20AC;&#x153;surely some problems in the beginningâ&#x20AC;? but he now believes it is clear that the Red Bull set-up is here to stay. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The club is competing on a high sportive level,â&#x20AC;?

Sauer says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;with an average attendance of 12,000 in the Austrian league, which is good for the Austrian league and a city with a population of 120,000. In the European matches we are sold out with 30,000 in matches against Basel, Ajax, and even in friendly matches against Bayern Munich. I would say that we have gained back our fanbase.â&#x20AC;?

The new Austria Salzburg have the â&#x20AC;&#x153;respectâ&#x20AC;? of their bigger neighbours but Red Bull Salzburg are now operating in a different sphere altogether. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to go as far as possible,â&#x20AC;? says Sauer. EC SOCCEREXPRO | 35

IN DEPTH

FC BASEL: SETTING AN EXAMPLE The Swiss champions have capitalised on Uefa quali๏ฌ cation rules and exploited the Champions League to the full

The signing of Yoichiro Kakitani in July has opened up the Japanese commercial market to FC Basel

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CLUBE RECREATIVO DESPORTIVO DO LIBOLO

President Rui Campos and Liboloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trophies since 2006

RECREATIVO DO LIBOLO â&#x20AC;&#x201C; FROM CALULO TO THE WORLD Calulo is a village located 300 kms southeast of Luanda, in the region of Libolo, province of Cuanza Sul (South Kwanza) in Angola. For those less acquainted with the reality of African football, Calulo and Libolo would be best known for its sumptuous coďŹ&#x20AC;ee beans and lavish landscape. However, it is the Clube Recreativo e Desportivo do Libolo that is sending the right message about the place all over the world.

Refounded in 2006 by Rui Campos, the son of one of the original 3 founding members of the club back in 1942, Recreativo do Libolo has been serious about its operations since the ďŹ rst day.

Set with the aim of achieving sporting success by raising standards of technical and organizational excellence, the club has been the driving force behind eďŹ&#x20AC;orts of economic and social signiďŹ cance in the region, ensuring that hundreds of children have access to proper sporting activity.

Recreativo do Libolo has never been shy about its ambitions, the double championships in 2011 and 2012, and the performances in the 2013 CAF Champions League that took the continent by surprise, bearing witness to the quality of the work done in the club under Rui Camposâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; leadership.

Since the beginning, the club made an eďŹ&#x20AC;ort to recruit top level management personnel as well as technically

knowledgeable coaches, which were instrumental in their policy of setting clear goals not only on the ďŹ led of play, but also in terms of raising standards of living and quality of life in the region of Calulo. In addition, Rui Campos, along with other relevant stakeholders, has been very active in raising the proďŹ le of the sport in Angola and Africa, putting his weight behind the eďŹ&#x20AC;ort for greater certainty and commercial proďŹ ciency in the management of football business in Angola.

Recreativo do Liboloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent achievements have been under the media spotlight, and several publications have ran in-depth articles on the club, namely ISMO Sports Magazine, as well as leading general and sportsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; publications written in Portuguese (Sol, A Bola, Jornal dos Desportos, etc.). In addition, Recreativo do Libolo has a dedicated TV show airing on leading african sports network SuperSports, which gives viewers a comprehensive and insightful view of the club and its structure. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little wonder then that Recreativo do Libolo has been writing a name for itself, and great things are expected from the club in the near future.

The challenge is set and clear: Recreativo do Libolo aim to be one of the leading football clubs in Africa, perennially competing for international and national silverware, ensuring that the principles of transparency, fair play and eďŹ&#x192;ciency are adhered to.

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LIBOLO FOOTBALL ACADEMY 2014 was the year Rui Campos announced Recreativo do Libolo are going to build a new stadium, which will include the construction of an Academy, with all things necessary for the training of young football talent. Under the rule of principle that better people make better players, this is a project that Recreativo do Libolo is tremendously passionate about. In many ways, Africa still holds many secrets and untapped talent sources, none more so than Angola and the South Kwanza, where the population is young, immense and football-mad. Therefore, the sporting potential of such a venture is limitless and sure to raise training standards in a country were training is still much a random act of self-exploration. But more importantly, the Academy will allow Recreativo do Libolo to have a significant and positive impact on the lives of thousands, giving them access to proper housing, nourishment and schooling, as well as, of course, top level football coaching.

Libolo’s Academy final project

Libolo’s players and staff celebrate the Double in 2012

GLOBAL OUTLOOK Recreativo do Libolo is a global market player and will always make a conscientious effort to find ways to maximize the value of its partnerships and associations. Africa is best know for its natural resources, but football passion and talent should not be dismissed as great riches in this amazing part of the world.

A new vision is required, one that will allow football to blossom. Recreativo do Libolo will spare no efforts in searching and welcoming all those who may contribute to its programme, while ensuring that they too meet the aspirations of their association with one of the most recognisable symbols of quality in Angola and Africa.

We welcome the World to Libolo.

We welcome you to our vision.

President: Vice-President: General Manager: Head of Football Operations: Head Coach:

Rui Costa Campos Augusto Correia Bruno Vicente Manuel Cacharamba Miller Gomes

www.recreativolibolo.ao

ON ITS FEET Ever since its national team turned down an invitation to the ďŹ rst Fifa World Cup in Brazil, football has been in decline in India. Now, with a second tournament in Brazil at an end, it is hoped that the high-proďŹ le Indian Super League can energise the sport. All India Football Federation general secretary Kushal Das takes Eoin Connolly through the concept and plans to revitalise the game at the grassroots.

H

istory only seems inevitable on the second reading. In 1950, fresh from a promising display at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, the Indian national team turned down a place at the Fifa World Cup in Brazil. Legend has it that a mercurial side was withdrawn after being denied the right to play barefoot; the more prosaic retellings suggest the All India Football Federation (AIFF) misjudged the value of the competition against the penury of long-haul travel.

Either way, India never earned the right to go back.

Today, sport in India means cricket â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or, at least, the sports industry does. Cricket World Cup glory in 1983 ignited a potent mixture of national pride and latent post-colonial aspiration. When the game commercialised in the 1990s and early 2000s, it went stratospheric. The presentday status of cricket as one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s richest sports owes almost everything to the obsessive interest of the billionstrong, media-savvy subcontinent.

The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s richest sport, football, took the opposite journey, but its decline was as much to do with fecklessness as fate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They actually won the Asian Games gold medal twice, in â&#x20AC;&#x2122;51 and â&#x20AC;&#x2122;62, but what happened after that is that the other countries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; south-east Asian countries like Japan and Korea, and some of the Middle Eastern countries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; put in place a very robust youth development plan which helped them create better players,â&#x20AC;? says Kushal Das, the general secretary of the AIFF. â&#x20AC;&#x153;India, for now, was unable to put that plan in place, and for quite some time we carried on with the same structure, where it was essentially competitions but no real development programme being carried out. The consequences were that over that the years, the quality of the players who were coming through the system went down drastically and, as a result, the national team were unable to perform too well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because of that and because of the general fall in the standard of football

AIFF general secretary Kushal Das wants the ISL to create resources for the rest of the Indian game 40 | www.soccerex.com

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as compared to the other countries, especially with the European leagues being telecast here in India â&#x20AC;&#x201C; people felt that Indian football was not really up to the mark. So a lot of viewership went away from Indian football and obviously, therefore, the money also dried up and

( in a situation where we needed money to develop Indian football and at the same time the money would only come in if they saw a better Indian side or football in the country was developing. So it was a chicken and egg situation.â&#x20AC;?

The answer to that apparently insoluble problem may have come in the form of IMG-Reliance, a joint venture created in the spring of 2010 by the global sports and entertainment agency and the Indian conglomerate. It was seeking new sporting investment opportunities in the country and quickly decided that football had considerable potential for growth.

The secret of football in India is that its popularity never disappeared, but became increasingly diffuse. While satellite television has given most supporters a foreign focus for their interest, there are still pockets of local fanaticism. The century-old Kolkata derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, for example, remains one of the most keenly watched in the world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; six 6

/ -%Â&#x161;

hoped to bring resources and expertise.

In December 2010 it entered a 15-year, US$155 million development partnership with the AIFF. The national governing body could now address the grassroots of the game, which had withered with neglect. Rob Baan became the AIFFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

2011. Academies were launched, coach

Children play football at a camp in Kolkata - the AIFF has worked to build up the game at the grassroots since partnering with IMG-Reliance in 2010

development pathways enhanced, despite

projects across Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vast and diverse system of states.

The other end of the structure also needed urgent attention. The I-League, a typical domestic competition â&#x20AC;&#x153;played & & "

home and away basis, with relegation, promotionâ&#x20AC;?, had grown moribund,

interest. It would not be able to provide

the AIFF and IMG-Reliance on its own. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we felt was also necessary was something at the top of the pyramid to bring in the visibility, to bring in the money,â&#x20AC;? recalls Das, â&#x20AC;&#x153;and our partners felt that at this point in time it would be good to have a short league which would try and get some of the better players in the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big challenge, as we all know, because leagues across the world are happening at that time, but we felt that if we could at least get some good players and create a package which is more attractive, automatically it would help Indian football. There would be a trickledown effect across Indian football, it / would get the resources required for the development of Indian football.â&#x20AC;?

The eventual result was the Indian Super

League (ISL), a short, sharp, franchisebased competition which borrows self-consciously from cricketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Indian Premier League (IPL), in which IMG was a founding party. Set to launch in the coming months, the ISL will feature eight teams in cities across the country. Player line-ups formed mostly of local talent will be leavened by international imports and % ~ * apiece, with the stars of Bollywood and Indian cricket set to appear pitchside to draw the attention of the mass media.

The ISL was announced in October 2013 when broadcast giant Star agreed a deal for a one-third stake â&#x20AC;&#x201C; alongside IMG-Reliance and the AIFF â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and ten years of media rights for a reported sum of US$324.7 million. The individual franchises were put out to tender earlier this year, with the owners

Bidders were required to put forward a US$1 million bank guarantee to enter with a base price for each franchise set at an annual US$2 million. Franchises were sold in eight of the nine listed cities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with Chennai a late entrant after Bangaloreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s withdrawal in August â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with a smorgasbord of owners including media entities like Videocon Group,

cricketing legends Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, and Bollywood icons Salman Khan and John Abraham.

Speaking to the SportsPro website in April, IMG Media senior vice president for global business development in football Jeff Slack said the organisers were â&#x20AC;&#x153;thrilledâ&#x20AC;? with the winning franchise bids. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you took our dream list, this would be it,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an amazing combination of some very strong industrial, commercial entities with a whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who of Indian sports and Bollywood.â&#x20AC;?

He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we were trying to do was create a situation of partnership with these owners. I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll manage this differently from the IPL. We know we need these guys to make the sport successful. This is not cricket.â&#x20AC;?

The bid evaluation process was managed by EY, formerly Ernst & Young, while the commitment to transparency was such that tender documents were published in national newspapers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had 30 groups come and pick up our bids,â&#x20AC;? said Slack. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We answered over 200 questions from those bids; we tried to answer every single question. And if somebody asked a question we sent that and our answer to everyone who picked up a bid.â&#x20AC;?

Once certain criteria were met, the new ISL teams and owners were chosen in part on their business case and in part on the interest in football in each city. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So we have places like Goa, where probably SOCCEREXPRO | 41

ISL teams and owners Team

City

Owners

AtlĂŠtico de Kolkata

Kolkata

Former cricketer Sourav Ganguly, Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, Utsav Parekh, AtlĂŠtico Madrid

Delhi Dynamos FC

Delhi

DEN Network

FC Pune City

Pune

Bollywood actor Salman Khan, Wadhawan Group

Goa

Goa

Videcon Group, Dattarao Salgaocar, Dempo

Kerala Blasters FC

Kochi

PVP Ventures, former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar

Mumbai City FC

Mumbai

Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, Bimal Parekh

NorthEast United FC

Guwahati

I-League team Shillong Lajong, Bollywood actor and producer John Abraham

Team Chennai

Chennai

TBC

the market is not so developed but it is

Â&#x2020; Â&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kolkata is both, because it has a market and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a huge footballing state.â&#x20AC;?

Commercially, at least, the initial signs have been promising. In July, Hero Motorcorp agreed a three-year deal to become the title sponsor of the ISL for

Â&#x201A; & Â&#x20AC;

more than probably any sporting property in India except for cricketâ&#x20AC;?. Â&#x20AC;3 Â&#x2020; Â&#x20AC; good thing is theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve moved out of cricket; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to concentrate on football, which is good news for us. In fact, Mr Brijmohan Munjal, who is the chairman and managing director of Hero, recently met Mr [Sepp] Blatter in Brazil and he indicated that they would like to be associated with football in a big way and especially Fifa as a property, mentioning the U17 World Cup.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201A; Â&#x20AC; & "Â&#x2020; associate partners to prop up the

4

promoting the tournament. The primary advocate for the league, though, will be broadcaster Star. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Star is very well known for promoting the events and very well known for the quality of its production. The quality of football production in India hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been too good so far â&#x20AC;&#x201C; mainly because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a

Â&#x203A; & ?=% % up and do a good production requires

(

42 | www.soccerex.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have strong partners like IMG, Reliance and Star together â&#x20AC;&#x201C; money is probably not such a huge constraint. So we expect the quality of the production to be very good compared to the level of international football. We think that the promotional strategy that Star is going to adopt will certainly bring in the necessary eyeballs. â&#x20AC;&#x153; What remains uncertain is the appeal of the action on which those eyeballs are trained. There are high-calibre individuals taking part, particularly among the marquee players, like French World Cup winners Robert Pires and David Trezeguet, and the former England goalkeeper David James. But there is no disguising the fact that these are talents whose primes have long since passed.

Das accepts that this is one of the risks attached with launching any new league, but believes that while they may be slower in step, they can carry the ISL forward. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of them are legends and Indians like history and like to watch legends,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;so I think we are reasonably

watch. You know, this system or this practice of getting some slightly older players from around the world to come has been done fairly successfully in Japan and even in Australia. So we also think that we will be successful in this model.â&#x20AC;?

The ISL is set to run from 12th October to 20th December. Its start date has been pushed back on more than one

the latest move made to accommodate

The former England international goalkeeper David James will play for the Kerala Blasters

the Champions League T20 cricket tournament in September and a brace of India friendlies in a Fifa-mandated window in early October. Wary of their â&#x20AC;&#x153;new babyâ&#x20AC;? being â&#x20AC;&#x153;stillbornâ&#x20AC;?, Das says, the organisers were keen to ensure they were neither taking on a major bat-andball event nor setting off without Indian international footballers.

The ISL experience is one which could prove valuable to domestic players. Its place in the wider context of Indian football has not been forgotten. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a very, very onerous developmental aspect to it which has been cast upon the franchisees,â&#x20AC;? says Das. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have

on the grassroots, starting from year one, and from the third or fourth year they have to set up their academies.â&#x20AC;?

For the time being the ISL will co-exist with the more established I-League, serving as its lead-off event in the Indian domestic calendar. Certainly, one of the central challenges in spiriting the ISL into being was making sure that clubs in the I-League, which was itself only relaunched a few years ago, were not scared off or disenchanted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Initially, there was resistance, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be honest about it,â&#x20AC;? says Das. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because most of the I-League clubs felt that this was a product which was competing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and maybe they are right, in a way. In some ways, this is a product which is competing with another product owned by us called the I-League. But when we explained to them the whole basis and

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The Fifa U17 World Cup

T

he autumn of 2014 may prove auspicious for the All India Football Federation as it launches the Indian Super League, but there is another date ahead which could prove just as signiďŹ cant to the national development of the sport. In 2017, India will host its ďŹ rst global tournament for international teams, the Fifa U17 World Cup. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very young nation, and the youth of the country will be very, very excited about the U17 World Cup happening in India,â&#x20AC;? says AIFF general secretary Kushal Das. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will

Fifa president Sepp Blatter is greeted by AIFF counterpart Praful Patel in India in March 2012

rationale behind it, I think the response

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deďŹ nitely spread and improve the popularity of the game. So I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very important aspect. And on top of that, it puts pressure on us to improve the infrastructure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the stadiums, the training ground, etc â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and prepare a very competitive U17 World Cup team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you look at it, this team â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the U17 World Cup team in 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if developed properly, can also go on to play in the U20 World Cup in 2020. And Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hoping that we would be successful in making a bid for the U20 World Cup in 2020. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a clear pathway from the U17 to the U20 and then to the senior team.â&#x20AC;?

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There will also be an international launch of the Indian Super League at the event.

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RADAR DETECTION Sportradar is the data specialist helping sport ďŹ ght for its integrity. As James Emmett discovers, its system is so powerful it can identify a manipulated match before it kicks off, and highlight how and why the ďŹ x plays out.

N

estled among the period buildings that line a pleasant square in Richmond, south-west London, is the UK home of Sportradar, the Swissheadquartered company that has become the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading supplier of sports and betting related data. The setting is

the technology housed within regularly unearths the rotten core that sport so often refuses to acknowledge.

The Sportradar system has been honed since its initial set-up in 2001, and essentially comprises a global collation of odds changes and betting data from over 400 bookmakers around the world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some of them fully licensed and signed up to Sportradarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister service for the gaming industry, Betradar, and some of them, predominantly in Asia, not.

From its St Gallen home, Sportradar has grown into a business of around Â&#x;>> ?Â&#x17E; ?= different nations. It has some 400 clients â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bookmakers, sports federations and government agencies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; across 80 countries worldwide.

There are three core areas to the business: Betradar, which provides realtime odds suggestions to bookmaking clients; Scoreradar, which provides statistical information to media entities; and the Sportradar Security Services, comprising a fraud detection system and a fraud prevention system. Â&#x161;

in mid-May, it is the latter two services that create a real impression. In total, Sportradar employs 200 statisticians, 200 highly trained data operatives-cumanalysts. A number of those analysts are based here. Chris McKenzie is one of them. He is a Security Services senior trading analyst at Sportradar and, like most of his colleagues, he used to work within the bookmaking industry.

46 | www.soccerex.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes European bookmakers act like a domino effect: if one of them goes, a lot of them go.â&#x20AC;?

Before giving a demonstration of the Sportradar technology, McKenzie declares with some pride that it is by far the most sophisticated integrity system currently being used to monitor the betting activity around sporting contests.

" ~ * been described in various lofty circles as the single largest and looming threat to the integrity of sport. According to the Sportradar data, however, it is not just a threat, but a near-quotidian occurrence that goes more or less unchecked across large swathes of the sporting world.

Sportradarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s security services were founded on the back of one of the most

" history of soccer. Bundesliga referee Robert Hoyzer scandalised German soccer in 2005 when he was found to & " &

round of the German Cup. The cup game was between Paderborn and Hamburg, with Hoyzer giving away two suspicious penalties and sending off Hamburg striker Emile Mpenza. It ended 4-2; Hamburg lost; second division Paderborn progressed; the whole affair stank. That was the springboard for Sportradar, who approached the league and the German FA (DFB) to offer an early warning system based on the betting data that was already being collated via Betradar. Later that year, a fruitful collaboration with Uefa was begun that continues to this day.

The Sportradar fraud detection service now comprises more than simply an early-warning system, since in-play betting has become such a large part of gambling on sport. And the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roster of partners has grown so that it is now monitoring 46,000 European soccer matches per year â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including,

% games in all the leagues of the 54 Uefa member nations, and domestic cups, as well as international games. Friendly internationals will soon join the list of monitored matches, too.

Of those 46,000 matches per year, a staggering one per cent throw up suspicious betting patterns. Starkest of all is the statistic that Sportradar is happy to make public: since 2009, the system has recorded 1,400 games as being likely to have been manipulated. The company

" the level of accuracy with which it is able to predict precise actions in soccer games in particular, based on suspicious betting data patterns, is uncanny.

As luck would have it, McKenzie is in the process of scrutinising what must be the 1,401st manipulated game thrown up by the Sportradar system on the day of SoccerexProâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit.

Although Sportradar can and does assist

% " &

"

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in a position to accuse any individual

The case of Robert Hoyzer, a Bundesliga referee who ďŹ xed games in 2005, stunned German soccer and prompted Sportradar to approach the DFB

of manipulation directly. Once the information has been passed to the client, it is up to that client to take action, and

remains paramount. For this reason, and to avoid legal repercussions, Sportradar cannot have the details of the dubious 0

is a league game in eastern Europe, and & " of Sportradarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system.

; 1 "

gives off a series of automatic alerts when certain abnormal events are registered, both in pre-match and in-play Â&#x20AC;3

& & Â&#x2020; " Red and yellow alerts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; levels one and two â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are serious enough to necessitate analysis and a write-up into the system.

The third level of alert is relatively minor, and only represents a very small deviation from Sportradarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pre-plotted odds graphs. English Premier League games ( )

; 1 "

alerts whatsoever, or at worst a handful of minor level-three alerts. For the eastern European game today, the Sportradar system has registered 16 level-one alerts and 28 level twos.

McKenzie drills down into where those alerts have been triggered. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Â&#x2020; " â&#x20AC;&#x153;there are only really three markets you can make substantial money from fraudulently, particularly on the highly

liquid Asian betting markets: who will win the match, Team A, Team B or a draw; the Asian handicap market; and the totals market, which is number of goals.â&#x20AC;?

Scrolling through Sportradarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s database of bookmakers, 48 of them have offered a market on this game. 11 of those have then removed that market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They will have noticed potentially suspicious betting and be unwilling to incur further liabilities on that match,â&#x20AC;? says McKenzie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But sometimes European bookmakers act like a domino effect, though: if one of them goes, a lot of them go.â&#x20AC;?

At random, McKenzie pulls up the data from a European bookmaker, which opened its win-draw-lose market on the match at 1.09 in the away teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favour. In other words, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have to put UKÂŁ100 on the away team winning to " 9;¨Â&#x153; 0

the time stamps, the bookmaker gradually brought those odds in further, ending up at 1.01 on an away win â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the lowest price a bookmaker can ever go. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen enough money to move it into 1.01,â&#x20AC;? says McKenzie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s backing it in from 1.09? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite an " & 6 I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of any league in which one team effectively has a 99 per cent chance of beating the other team. That automatically generates an alert for us: as soon as the trader changes those odds, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re alerted in real time.â&#x20AC;?

McKenzie switches to the Asian

handicap market for more information.

Popular, as the name would suggest, in Asia, the Asian handicap market aims to balance a particular game so thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roughly a 50 per cent chance when betting on either team. One such market has been opened on this game at a 2.5goal line. Essentially, a bet on the away team is only successful if the away team wins by three or more goals. Â&#x20AC;6 "

the same,â&#x20AC;? says McKenzie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Asian bookmakers will try to set a total goals line, competitively priced on over goals or under goals, and in this instance the handicap is 3.5 goals. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a huge price crash on overs, and then they change the line to a higher line to try to deter betters, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still really strong and it closes at 1.24. Irregular trading & "

~6

team are going to win by at least three and I know thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be at least four goals.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; This is very rare to see.â&#x20AC;?

6 0 stream of the game in question and there must be more people watching the game

True to form, the in-play betting triggers a number of alerts as well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a series of algorithms which says Team A are this price to win the game, the draw is this price, the away team is this price, and at every minute that passes those

Â&#x2020; " McKenzie.

SOCCEREXPRO | 47

Match-ďŹ xing and the law

C

hris Anderson, in his book The Numbers Game, pointed to the outcome of any football game as being 50 per cent down to skill and 50 per cent luck.

Recent controversies have suggested, however, that with increasing frequency the outcomes of games may be inďŹ&#x201A;uenced by those seeking to gain through betting on a result of or incidents within a match. A two-year study by the International Centre for Sport Safety and Security (ICSS) and the Paris Sorbonne estimates that over $140bn is being laundered by illegal betting markets on sport.

The threat of inďŹ&#x201A;uence over any aspect of a game eats at the heart of the integrity of sport. The uncertainty of outcome is vital. We need to know that the game is being decided by the skill of one team or another. It is this ethos which underpins the beauty and value of the game for supporters, owners, broadcasters and sponsors alike. It preserves and enhances the experience that makes sport the last bastion of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;must watch liveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; events, attracting the rights values it does.

Whilst historically match-ďŹ xing was linked to an intention to lose a game, the concept has been transformed as online gambling has proliferated to the point where bets can be placed online, in-game and on anything from the result to the award of a penalty. It now requires substantially less effort to be successful in terms of who has to be inďŹ&#x201A;uenced to deliver a particular outcome â&#x20AC;&#x201C; player(s), the referee and/or linesmen, the manager or member(s) of the backroom staff.

With inquiries launched in Ghana, Kenya and Cameroon, over 400 games supposedly inďŹ&#x201A;uenced across Europe, six footballers in England arrested

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Man United are playing Arsenal, each side have got the same odds to win the game. After 30 minutes and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still 0-0, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d see the draw odds go in and both teams go out because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s less time remaining for one of the teams to score the goal for that outcome to be successful.

We represent that in a line on a graph. So for this game, the line keeps static rather 48 | www.soccerex.com

Former Whitehawk FC player Michael Boateng was jailed in June for conspiring to ďŹ x matches

last year in relation to alleged spotďŹ xing (in particular, the deliberate attempt to earn a booking), and the recent conviction in England of two Singaporean â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;businessmenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Michael Boateng (formerly of Football Conference South team Whitehawk FC), it is an issue that threatens sporting integrity globally.

There is no easy solution for addressing the problem. Typically, it is the laws of a country concerning criminal activity that are used to punish any crime. The United Kingdom relies on the Criminal Law Act 1977, which makes illegal a conspiracy to commit an offence even where it is unsuccessful or it does not actually take place. The Bribery Act 2010 prohibits bribing another person, accepting a bribe or failing to prevent a bribe. It also captures players with close connections to the UK but competing abroad who accept, or offer to accept, bribes or

than rising as the game goes on.â&#x20AC;?

As the goals go in for the away side, the betting for more gets a hammering. When the match ends, McKenzie hurries away to write up a report for the client â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an in-depth analysis of the game, looking to " & "

That report will be submitted within 48 hours. At 4-0 to the away side after 79

gifts to inďŹ&#x201A;uence a match. Clubs could also ďŹ nd themselves liable where a bribe was paid by one of its players or employees in order to beneďŹ t the club.

Notwithstanding the law, it is highly unlikely that the mere threat of criminal sanction will prevent the activity.

From August 2014, Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Football Association (FA) has prohibited participants in football from betting, either directly or indirectly, on any football match or competition or any other football-related matter that takes place anywhere in the world. The previous regulations only prevented betting in relation to matches or competitions a participant could inďŹ&#x201A;uence or was involved in.

There is hope that these measures will lead to the actual frequency of match-ďŹ xing being reduced. The irony, however, is that it will have most effect in the regulated markets where information is most plentiful and it is often those bookmakers or betting companies involved that provide sponsorship monies that support the game itself. In the unregulated, grey or black markets the thirst for gain and ability to inďŹ&#x201A;uence will likely continue unchecked.

It has sadly brought a whole new aspect to wondering just why a game turned out the way it did.

Written by Trevor Watkins, global head of sport, Pinsent Masons, and Ben Elliott, solicitor, Pinsent Masons.

Pinsent Masons are a leading multinational law ďŹ rm with marketleading expertise in all areas of the business of sport. Their website thebriberyact.com is acknowledged as the global reference point for all issues relating to bribery and corruption.

minutes, as another goal goes in, most bookies closed their markets, well and truly rinsed. They didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what was coming, but McKenzie and the Sportradar team did.

Sportradar director Darren Small will appear on day three of the Soccerex Global Convention, 10th September at Manchester Central, on the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Fixing Footballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dark Sideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; panel.

FOR ENGLAND AND ST GEORGE England suffered disappointment again in Brazil this summer, recording their worst performance in a Fifa World Cup â&#x20AC;&#x201C; those in which theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve reached the ďŹ nals, at least â&#x20AC;&#x201C; since 1958. But before the tournament began, the seeds of recovery had already been planted at St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park, the UKÂŁ105 million national football centre opened in October 2012. Chairman David Sheepshanks tells James Emmett what the facility can do for the English game on and off the pitch.

Tell us what else St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park is about.

Our biggest priority is our focus on coach education and the long-term

Equally important as todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s England Team, St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park [SGP] is also

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& % ÂĄ & 7 peak performance for England teams, and the other is all around education, coach education, sports psychology,

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David, will England win the Fifa World Cup because of their visits to St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park?

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thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no question that over the years

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raised standard of coaching right across

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profound, at all levels, from Level One in the FA [Football Association] counties

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( 50 | www.soccerex.com

engage them at a very young age to use

their career and football development in a

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hopefully retain that same hunger to go on learning, and of a lifelong learning, &

* but have a better chance of remaining

& Is it fair to distil the purpose of SGP into coaching England teams, and coaching those coaches?

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consultants, physios and other specialists &

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The fourth important area is our role as ( have a cohesive effect here at St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $

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sports and business St Georges Park is predominantly for football and all ÂĄ $ 3 Football League, FA, referees, League

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formally or informally, the opportunity for peer groups to come together and

6 & * & courses, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the informal learning thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is every bit as important if not more so, especially as managers and coaches

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been open for 18 months now. Is it everything you hoped it would be when it was initially conceived, or was it adapted in the set-up process?

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St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park opened in October 2012 as the training base for all of Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national teams and home of the FAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coach development project

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had to be inspirational â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and you can be 8 ! / many and the environment is right and

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on short-termism, somebody has to take the best interests of English football so

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in this venture and continue to back us

What hole in the English football setup was this conceived to plug, and are there any models worldwide that you can point to as inspirations?

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And that is proving to be correct given

& SOCCEREXPRO | 51

St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park chairman David Sheepshanks sees himself as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;chief evangelistâ&#x20AC;? for the facility, having consulted widely on its development

How is this place funded and what is the business model?

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a sale and lease back on the hotel 3 - ( &

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able to capitalise and advance over the

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52 | www.soccerex.com

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facilities themselves, really a cost centre,

The object is to make more in sponsorship than it costs to run the

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Is it 100 per cent owned by the FA?

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How deeply do you allow sponsor integration into the facility? What type of thing do you give your sponsors, and how much more is there for them to do?

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food industry most of my life, and in =Â&#x2DC; / & &

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hard here to make sure that Nike guys totally involved and immersed in the way that they want to be. The same goes for Continental, Topps, BT, Sport England and all those who have got behind us.

We are still in our infancy and we are keen to develop further business alliances.

As of now, we are still searching for a synergistic new â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coaching partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Is there any room for a title or presenting sponsor? Or is there a clear strategy not to do that?

No title sponsor as such, as Nike are our principal headline sponsor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this

was originally Umbro. Both we and they recognise that the name â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;St Georges Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; evokes a strong sense of national pride. We do not want to interfere with that. Nevertheless, Nike have widespread rights for branding around the site Do you want the man on the street to immediately recognise the name SGP and know what it stands for? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the plan for the brand?

Our next challenge is to be able to communicate the culture and the purpose of SGP to the man in the street in simple, easy to understand fashion. So

that everybody can easily identify with what we stand for. We will be judged on our results and I am very happy with that, as long as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s over a realistic time period. You have to give the new

N

the young players who grow up into older players to then deliver the results.

That is our focus.

Winning England teams will be how most people will judge us, if we win a World Cup or a Uefa European Championship. However, it is the performance and the behavioural improvements that will, I believe, make

Michael Johnson on St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park How did the relationship with between Michael Johnson Performance and Perform at St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park come about?

Through relationships that I have within the FA. When St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park was in its conceptual stage, they indicated to me â&#x20AC;&#x201C; David Sheepshanks indicated to me â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that the vision of St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park was to be a centre of excellence for all things football, but also all things sports performance and not necessarily just football. The idea was to attract other partners out of St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park that would assist in number one, elevating the level of excellence and expertise around sports. Our specialty at Michael Johnson Performance [MJP] is in athletic development and athletic recruitment. There was a desire to have a company like ours out there with a globally recognised brand and expertise in that particular area, and there was a desire to attract athletes to St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park from outside football.

The enticement from my side was the collation of sports facilities out there, the high-performance environment that was being planned. So before St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park even broke ground we were intrigued and ready to be involved.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your assessment of the facilities at the SGP complex? Where does it rate?

Right up there amongst the best. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve built two different sports performance

54 | www.soccerex.com

Michael Johnsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eponymous performance consultancy runs courses at St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park

training centres for MJP here in the States; we operate out of different facilities around the world; we have a consultant on projects to build world class sports facilities. Obviously here in the US with the college system there are phenomenal sports facilities available for athletes. SGP is right up there amongst the best. What you want when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re tying to attract athletes for multiple days of training is a very focused environment where thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very limited distraction, minimal travel between the different services, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what you have at SGP. You couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ask for much more. We bring the performance, Perform brings everything you need from a medical and rehabilitation standpoint, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real a one-stop shop for everything you could need.

How big is MJP in terms of global reach, and how far do you see it growing?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very pleased with where we are.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re about to go into our eighth year and we have operations in six different countries. I would not have envisaged this when I started the company eight years ago in the US. We work with teams in Brazilian soccer, we work with teams in the UK, like Arsenal, we work in Formula One, we work with multiple national Olympic federations, we are now working developing talent identiďŹ cation programmes for different countries, as well as physical education programmes to implement into the school systems. So we have established ourselves quite well and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still passionate about working with young athletes, kids, and athletic development done the right way. I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really where we have been able to develop quite a reputation globally, taking advantage of the critical windows of opportunity to develop different aspects of athleticism in a young person.

Our mission is to try to help every athlete in any sport, anyone who considers themselves an athlete, to reach their full potential, regardless of age, sport, or limitation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we work with paralympians as well. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll continue to do that.

Multiple Olympic and world champion sprinter Michael Johnson will be a keynote speaker at the Soccerex Global Convention, delivering a talk on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gold Medal Performanceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the opening day, 8th September, at Manchester Central.

the most difference: peak performance, approach to life, personal leadership, having coaching working alongside sports medicine and sports science, a coaching philosophy.

How do long do you expect to have to bat away questions about the performance or underperformance of SGP if England donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t win major tournaments?

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think we have anything to say about it, really, if I am candid. [FA chairman] Greg Dyke has laid down the challenge for us to win 2022 and I like challenges. Eight years is not long for what I was saying about the new

N

young players who then grow up to be the senior players, to then win.

That said, I like to have targets for everybody to focus on and we will do our damndest to make that happen.

However, I hope football people will not see it as being just about one World Cup. The legacy of SGP has got to be several World Cups, and several European Championships and positioning &

& in the world.

When we spoke to some of the coaches at SGP just after it opened, they were saying there was this idea to create a technically proďŹ cient English style of playing, of coaching, like Spain has with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tiki-takaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Is that still the goal, and can it fed back into the brand?

I think we need to distinguish between an England football DNA, which is about playing styles, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not for me to set. That is the remit of Dan Ashworth, who is head of elite development, essentially head of football. He and his &

our DNA. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made a number of great acquisitions in terms of recruiting top people, like Gareth Southgate as head of all development teams, Dave Reddin as head of performance, Matt Crocker, formerly of Southampton, as head of coach education, and Mark Sampson, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s come in as head of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s football. And there are a number of very bright young coaches like Jamie Robinson, who represent the future.

The other side of the DNA coin is the culture 3 /

as the vision, values, heritage, ethics and

Spanish giants Barcelona made use of St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park during pre-season in July and August

the discipline, all wrapped up into one, ie: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is how we do things around here and this is why.â&#x20AC;?

If we look at the really effective organisations they insist on agreeing the culture before anything. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the relevance of the American lecturer Peter Druckerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous statement: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Culture eats strategy for breakfast, operational excellence for lunch and everything else for dinner!â&#x20AC;? Not that strategy and operations are not important but they are not sustainable without the whole organisation, team or squad agreeing and being bound together by the culture.

How do you divide your time?

We have a brilliant team who run this: Julie Harrington is our managing director and she has assembled an exceptional * &

the senior management team has more women than men. We are very inclusive that way!

Julie runs the whole site day to day, and then Dan Ashworth runs the football side. Greg Crawford runs the hotel and Phil Horton runs the Spire Sports Medicine centre. So they work together very closely to make sure it is a collegiate and cohesive unit. And Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m here to support them as chief evangelist.

Where does this rate in your career in terms of how challenging the job is, and how satisfying the job is?

At the top. I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all on a journey in life and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m certainly still learning.

I had the privilege of chairing Ipswich Town, which was my love and is still my love in football terms, I could never devalue that. It was great fun and great hardship wrapped into one over the years. It was a privilege and something I enjoyed doing. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to underplay that, but how many times in life do you get the chance to help mastermind and lead the creation of a national centre? I have been privileged to lead this, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not about me, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about a fabulous team of people. It is that old leadership thing: surround yourself with lots of people who think differently and do other things better than you. I hope Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done that quite well; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got lots of very clever people around and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all done their bit and more and deserve every credit. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a passionate guy, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m even more passionate now that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve built it to make sure that we really see it deliver. I am here probably on average two days a week something like three times a month. Even then, when I am not here, I am working on St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park things in London or wherever it may be. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to do the day job â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Julie Harrington and Dan Ashworth do that â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but I hope I am the advocate, the evangelist, the stick, the carrot, the prompter, the challenger, the supporter and the encourager all wrapped up into one!

SOCCEREXPRO | 55

COMPANY PROFILE

A REAL CAPTURE Trackchamp offers cost-effective real-time streaming and data capture, a combination it believes sets it apart from a growing number of competitors in a ďŹ eld professional sport is coming to rely upon.

Martin FĂźreder of Trackchamp with Andrew Johnstone of the Northern Ireland Football League, one of several leagues and clubs to use the system

I

n a rapidly growing sector, companies specialising in sports data and streaming are each looking to stamp their own mark. Trackchamp, with its tagline â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Capture the Gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, is no exception, and the company believes its cost-effective, real-time offering makes it the go-to company for sports teams â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly in soccer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Imagine that you are the president of a second division football league or even a chairman of one of the clubs,â&#x20AC;? says Martin FĂźreder, who heads up businessto-business for Trackchamp. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With our services your fans around the world will be able to see live broadcasts of all your matches via video streaming on the internet. They will also see all the basic and in-depth performance match data in

unique video and data analysis software for evaluation of players and teams. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We offer worldwide visibility for lower division leagues and, of course, the players that will help to boost a leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visibility and consequently help to increase much needed revenues in a cost-effective way.â&#x20AC;?

Trackchamp is a joint venture between real-time tracking specialists Chyronhego and Bwin.party digital entertainment, the publicly traded online gaming company.

At its heart is a focus on real-time video

56 | www.soccerex.com

and data. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We strongly believed in its potential and in the summer of 2012

to form a joint venture,â&#x20AC;? FĂźreder explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, we are proud to say we are running a successful entity with a strongly branded and state of the art product powered by unique technology.â&#x20AC;?

The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology is based on the TRACAB image-tracking system, a market-leading piece of kit used in the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Major League Baseball and the National Football League. In combining it with real-time video, Trackchamp believes it has found a winning formula. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our competitors mostly use expensive systems producing only video or only data, which in many cases cannot be used in real time,â&#x20AC;? FĂźreder says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are committed to collecting accurate and detailed real-time video in a cost-effective way which can be used immediately.

Nobody else in the market can do this in a cost-effective way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The technology is complex but the camera systems are small and easy to operate. And the best thing is you only need two systems, two operators and a dedicated internet connectivity to be up and running.â&#x20AC;? The set-up time at a stadium is only three hours.

While FĂźreder says Trackchampâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

service would suit any arena-based sport, soccer is the current focus. In 5

streaming and data partner of the Northern Ireland Football League, which will see all matches and data streamed live and Trackchampâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TCoach player performance product offered to clubs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re delighted to work with the second oldest league in the world,â&#x20AC;? FĂźreder says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With rebranding and a new structure they want to increase the leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visibility and performance and make a bigger mark in the football world.â&#x20AC;?

Trackchamp is now in the market for similar partnerships. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to

sports data,â&#x20AC;? FĂźreder says, matter-offactly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you want a cost-effective way to be seen around the world, capture both video and in-depth data in realtime, increase your revenues and offer your club a chance to boost their performance, then Trackchamp is a perfect match for you.â&#x20AC;?

To contact Anze Gantar at Trackchamp call: +43 (0) 664 850 8101 email: anze.gantar@trackchamp.com or visit: www.trackchamp.com

A US record crowd watches Manchester United beat European champions Real Madrid 3-1 in a friendly at Michigan Stadium on 2nd August

THE UPDATE NEWS AND DEALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

SOCCEREX PRO | 57

THE SCORE: WORLD CUP REFLECTIONS A few weeks on from one of the most memorable and eventful Fifa World Cups of recent times, SoccerexPro writers pick out a handful of the stories that will outlast it.

A temporary measure It is a common Fifa World Cup theme â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the unknown quantity that makes a striking impression, but quickly evaporates. In one case at Brazil 2014, that was the point.

Already familiar to viewers of South American club football, refereesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; vanishing

global audience at the tournament. Few sights were more welcome this summer than that of players scuttling back behind a temporary line at free-kicks, toeing it nervously like the edge of a swimming pool, ten yards from an opponent who resisted the temptation to steal a foot or two of his own with a well-disguised throw of the ball.

Inspired by shaving foam, the spray itself is based on a mixture of around 80

58 | www.soccerex.com

per cent water, 17 per cent butane gas, one per cent surfactant and two per cent ingredients like vegetable oil. It is the solution to a vexing long-term problem.

Much was made before the tournament of the debut of goal-line technology (GLT) and, in fairness, the GoalControl system performed with elegant distinction when called upon to award goals for Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Karim Benzema and Costa Ricaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bryan Ruiz. But the cost of installing GoalControl and the other Fifa-licensed GLT products â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Hawk-Eye, GoalRef and Cairos â&#x20AC;&#x201C; currently runs into "% 0

price, and the unpredictable frequency of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;goal-line incidentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, that Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bundesliga, as recently as February, could

8

GLTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s introduction.

Vanishing spray, on the other hand, retails for under US$10 a can and is used several times a game. In the weeks since Mario Goetze put Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s status as the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best team beyond argument, the Bundesliga has found no reason not to introduce it this season. Neither has Uefa, nor the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which will adopt it in its top two leagues in 2014/15, along with Franceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ligue 1, Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Serie A and the Premier League. In fact, vanishing spray will be used further down the English pyramid in the Johnstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Paint Trophy and such is its affordability and simplicity, it could easily be seen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and then not seen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at amateur level before too long.

320 cans were used in Brazil at a theoretical cost of US$1,600 borne by the company which produces it, 9.15 Fairplay â&#x20AC;&#x201C; named for the 9.15 metres players must stand from the ball at a freekick. Fifa approval and mass marketing should mean a windfall of millions for inventor Heine Allemagne, who thwarted bankruptcy to bring the product to life but has nevertheless insisted his creation was motivated by player discipline rather than personal gain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I dedicated 14 years of my life to this idea,â&#x20AC;? he said in an interview with the Daily Mirror. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After the referee brought it / & " messages from my family and friends. / /

eyes welled up. I remember thinking, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not crazy. It was all worth it.â&#x20AC;?

Its success could even have further-

reaching implications. Football will continue to wrestle with itself on the proper use of video replays, not least after Luis Suarezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very public bout of mastication in Uruguayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game with Italy. But Allemagneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breakthrough has been to show that some of footballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problems are soluble without recourse to high technology or changes to the laws.

Whether simple refereeing aids become a minor product category in their own right remains to be seen but 9.15 Fairplay has left a mark, possibly a lasting one. EC Why Scandinavia must learn from Brazil 2014

+ 1 =>?Â&#x2039; everything: goals galore, raucous crowds, controversy and, in Germany, deserving champions. It was, in hindsight, a complete tournament in which any preevent fears over Brazilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to deliver were quickly erased â&#x20AC;&#x201C; off the pitch, if not quite on it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; by one of the most exciting and memorable World Cups in modern history.

Yet Brazil was lacking something this summer. Amid all the pre-tournament talk of burdensome national expectation

in the host country, infrastructure delays and other newsworthy subplots such as the remarkable story of Bosniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

overlook the fact that this was the ' ( ) 0 ?Â&#x153;@= without a Scandinavian team.

In Norway, Denmark and Sweden, Scandinavia boasts three similarly established and storied footballing nations but the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most realistic hope of World Cup glory has historically come in the form of the latter. Runnersup to Brazil on home soil in 1958 and with eleven World Cup appearances since 1934, their familiar blue and yellow strip has been a prominent feature of many a tournament over the years. But after the disappointment of failing to qualify for South Africa 2010, the ageing Swedes suffered the same fate this time round

play-off stage by a Cristiano Ronaldoinspired Portugal side.

Denmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s qualifying campaign was a similar tale of disappointment. The 1992 7

second in their group behind Italy but, having amassed the lowest points tally of

the nine European runners-up, narrowly missed out on a spot alongside their Swedish counterparts in the second qualifying round.

The Norwegians, meanwhile, gained ?= fourth in Group E behind Switzerland, Iceland and Slovenia. A commendable effort it may have been for a team ranked outside the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top 50 but the reality is that Norwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World Cup appearance record stands at a meagre three, their last coming at France 98.

So how much should be read into the trioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absence in Brazil? Was their collective failure to qualify a coincidental one-off or evidence of a wider malaise in the Scandinavian game?

Football being football, there is no easy answer. All three nations and their national associations will have drawn their own internal conclusions as to why they failed to make it to this summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s " missed opportunities and points dropped in qualifying to the ruthless class of Cristiano Ronaldo. They may even have already begun to scrutinise their coaching staff, executive leadership and national SOCCEREXPRO | 59

youth development systems as they prepare for Russia 2018.

In any case, it is virtually impossible to pinpoint one single reason for a countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure to qualify for a Fifa World Cup. Instead, in the case of the nearly men from Scandinavia, it is probably more worthwhile to consider the nature of the competition rather than the inadequacies of the team.

While none of the Scandinavian

8

football powerhouse, that established international forces like Sweden and Denmark have struggled to qualify in recent times is exactly what the World Cup is all about. The prestige and appeal of the tournament relies on its eternal competitiveness and power to break hearts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; regardless of the characteristically narcissistic proclamation from Swedenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

ÂŤ / & ÂŹ â&#x20AC;&#x153;a World Cup without me is nothing to watchâ&#x20AC;?, or Uefa president Michel Platiniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s politically motivated idea of expanding the World Cup from 32 to 40 teams to â&#x20AC;&#x153;make more people happyâ&#x20AC;?.

If the Scandinavian trio can take anything away from a tournament they were not part of, it is that Brazil 2014 8 have come in developing sides capable of competing with their bigger, betterfunded counterparts. Costa Rica and Algeria gave but two examples of how the bar has been raised by increasingly professionalised national associations that are making up for a relative lack of resources through teamwork, ambition and, perhaps most of all, heart.

Nowadays, every team can play and nothing is guaranteed. With the qualifying draw for Russia 2018 set for July 2015 and matches set to begin shortly afterwards, the Scandinavian associations must act quickly to avoid further disappointment. ML Head injuries: Fifa must do more to protect players Imagine if Christoph Kramer had

5 * ( ) 2

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is, after all, the biggest game in the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular sport â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so imagine - * able to walk off in a daze but instead required serious medical intervention and a stretcher to leave a pitch where, a full 60 | www.soccerex.com

14 minutes earlier, he had been allowed to continue after an accidental but violent clash of heads grounded and stunned him.

Imagine the reaction had Kramer suffered a (more) serious, possibly & % 8 ' * showpiece game.

For all the problems Fifa faces, a serious 8

( Cup would have constituted a worst-case

& "

weeks of football in Brazil is that the world governing bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regulations on 8

either not good enough or not enforced as stringently as they should be. Several times, Fifa rode its luck.

If there was any doubt about the seriousness of the issue, they disappeared when Kramer, somewhat chillingly, was asked for his thoughts afterwards, as -

( )

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember that much from the game,â&#x20AC;? he conceded. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know

/ later that I went straight off after the incident. How I got to the changing rooms I do not know. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know anything else. The game, in my head, starts only in the second half.â&#x20AC;?

Kramer wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only player to be allowed to continue after suffering what,

8 + 1 / % * 5 &

continued despite appearing dazed after a severe clash, while earlier in the tournament Uruguayan Ă lvaro Pereira played on for an hour against England after being knocked out following a collision with an errant knee.

On all these occasions, television pundits and commentators quickly reverted to clichĂŠ, describing continuing players as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;braveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;toughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; but the incidents set a deeply worrying precedent. It is only natural that players, not to mention their coaches, will always push to carry on, as Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris did after being momentarily knocked out in a Premier League match last season. Adrenaline is a powerful substance, but professional athletes can be their own worst enemies and so it proved in Brazil.

Medical staff, whilst having a professional duty of care, are employed by teams, or in the case of a World Cup

by national associations, and therefore cannot be completely relied upon to offer entirely independent counsel in the heat of the moment.

And even if medical guidelines were being applied to the letter, the sight of players apparently overruling medical staff in Brazil has led to a perception that they were not. That in itself is a dangerous state of affairs for Fifa.

It is true to say that the word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;concussionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was bandied around too often during the World Cup by armchair "

% 8

resulting from contact to the head, but

8

they will warn you of the dangers of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;second-impact syndromeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The second blow does not have to be severe to result 8

In order for a full examination to be

8 ! determining whether a concussion has occurred can take up to 15 minutes according to medical best practice â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fifpro, the world playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; union, has called on Fifa to consider a system whereby teams are not penalised while one of their players is examined. That, surely, has to be a minimum requirement at future tournaments, and the Premier 3 8

8 The science can no longer be ignored.

Fifa got away with it in Brazil, but football cannot ride its luck forever. The heart can no longer be allowed to rule the head. DC

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EUROPE

Real and football mourn Di Stefano Alfredo Di Stefano, one of the most illustrious names in sport, died on 7th July at the age of 88. Born in Buenos Aires, Di Stefano played for River Plate, Huracan and Millonarios before joining Real Madrid in 1953. In an 11-year career in the Spanish capital he played 284 games, scoring 216 goals. Known as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Blond Arrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the forwardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scoring record was prodigious and his all-round game was revolutionary. Instrumental in Â&#x161; * &

& 7 Cup triumphs from 1956, Di Stefano remains arguably Realâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest ever player. Although he played for Argentina, Colombia and Spain, his international career never took him to a World Cup. Suffering for a number of years with ill health, he had a heart attack near Realâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bernabeu Stadium and died in hospital two days later.

Clermont have female manager after all as Diacre replaces Costa Second-tier French side Clermont Foot 63 appointed Corinne Diacre (below), a former captain of the French womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national team, as their coach in late June.

Diacre becomes just the second female head coach at a professional menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s club in

7 0 4 ) Clermont Foot, after the Portuguese quit only one day into training. Costa is believed to have become furious at how she was treated at the club â&#x20AC;&#x201C; expected to be the public face, but with very little power. Diacre made 121 appearances for France and had managed her former club Soyaux since 2010.

Ukraine demands sanctions as Crimean teams make Russian competitive debuts The violent dispute between Ukraine and Russia spilled into football in August when the Crimean clubs of TSK Simferopol, 62 | www.soccerex.com

SKChF Sevastopol and Zhemchuzhina 2 Â&#x161; ) The Ukrainian Football Federation immediately called on Fifa and Uefa to sanction the Russian Football Union for bringing Crimean clubs into its league structure. With disagreements over

N

region making it impossible for Crimean clubs to continue to play in Ukrainian competitions, new Russian-registered teams were set up.

Russian football administrators are believed to be privately worried that Crimean participation in their competitions could lead to Fifa moving the 2018 World Cup from Russia to - 7

MIDDLE EAST Al Ain seek support from women and families 9 7 - 3 FC have launched a ticketing initiative aimed at encouraging more women and families to attend games. The Abu Dhabi team moved into a new 25,000-seater venue, the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, earlier this year and have now become

launch a season ticket offering.

Starting from US$55, the tickets include provisions for women and families to reserve a seat in their own section for the entire season. By far the most successful 9 7 & ?? "

IRIFF secures Japanese cooperation The Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIFF) has signed a memorandum of understanding with its Iranian counterpart, the Japanese Football Association (JFA). The agreement is founded on cooperation on womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s football, in which the Japanese are reigning world champions, IT and the & % " things. It follows a similar partnership the

JFA signed with the Vietnam Football Federation earlier in the summer and comes at a time in which the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is preparing for presidential elections next year.

Football suffers in Gaza conďŹ&#x201A;ict The Palestinian football community is mourning the death of former player and respected coach Ahed Zaqqut. The Â&#x2039;Â&#x153;% % "%$ who set up a training centre in Gaza after his playing career, was killed by an Israeli missile on 30th July.

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of

N / Hamas, Uefa moved in July to ban Israeli

) 3 7 3 notice. As a consequence Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Beâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;er 0 & ) 3 7 3 )

SOCCEREXPRO | 63

ASIA

Borussia Dortmund to open Singapore ofďŹ ce Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund are to & 0 6

open in mid-September, forms part of the Bundesliga clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;to reach out to existing and potential BVB fans in the region, nurture contact to local media and expand commercial partnerships.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dortmund, whose key backers 7& $

Singapore, are said to be eyeing regional partnerships in Asia to add to their existing links in the region with the likes ) % 4 â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are increasingly aware of a rapidly growing interest in BVB in Asia,â&#x20AC;? said Carsten Cramer, Borussia Dortmundâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sales and marketing director.

64 | www.soccerex.com

International Champions Cup to expand into Asia Sports promotion company Relevent Sports has signed a deal to take its International Champions Cup (ICC) summer soccer tournament to Asia$

"

63 (

representation and sports marketing group, Â&#x2019; 3 &

Â&#x2019; 7 ) organise, promote and deliver the offshoot event from 2015 to 2018. Participating teams and the host country for the tournament have yet to be announced.

The ICC, which currently takes place in the US and was formerly known as the World Football Challenge, is one of % in the world, with this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition having featured the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Inter Milan.

Interpol raids cut deep into illegal betting ring Interpol celebrated their own World Cup success this summer with a six-week operation against illegal betting rings in Asia producing considerable gains.

The international police agency carried out more than 1,000 raids, made 1,400 arrests and seized US$12 million over the duration of the Fifa World Cup in June and July. The operations

China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. Codenamed Operation SOGA V, the 2014 raids were / such an initiative since 2007.

Interpol estimates illegal gambling dens saw around US$2.2 billion in bets during the World Cup.

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AFRICA

Ebola fears take toll on African ďŹ xtures The deadly Ebola virus, which, at the time of writing, has claimed the lives of over 1,350 people throughout West Africa, has caused major disruption in African soccer.

In August the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) cancelled its friendly against Uganda, where 16 people have died from the virus since July, while Togoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) - & to Morocco. Nearly 400 people have

7 - Meanwhile, the Seychelles have lost their place in Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AFCON after

Sierra Leone rather than risk spreading the infection to the tiny Indian Ocean island.

4 & '

Club World Cup will go ahead as planned in Morocco this December.

SAFA predicting proďŹ t after ďŹ&#x201A;ying economy class After turning a R$46 million (US$4.3 million) loss in 2012/13, the South African Football Association (SAFA) has announced that it expects to record

their work.

Forcing the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national teams N

& "

hotels saved the SAFA between R$30 million and R$35 million, according to its chief executive Dennis Mumble.

Costs associated with hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup were largely responsible for the 2012/13 loss, Mumble added, while the 2013 African Cup of Nations and the 2014 African Nations Championship, also held in South Africa, are expected not to make a loss. / 0 ' Â&#x161;Â&#x2014;?

6¢ " with start-up broadcaster Siyaya. It will run for six years from the summer of 2015.

6 0 ' Â&#x161;Â&#x2014;Â&#x2122;= in the 2008/09 season.

COSAFA Cup cancelled but may return this year The Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) has cancelled the 2014 COSAFA Cup, which was due to be held in Botswana between 13th and 28th September.

66 | www.soccerex.com

COSAFA president Suketu Patel cited Â&#x20AC;

Â&#x2020; reasons for the cancellation, adding: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cosafa is very grateful to the Botswana Football Association, and in particular to president Tebogo Sebego, for the huge efforts made to actualise this Â&#x2020; Despite the setback COSAFA remains hopeful of staging the annual tournament, which features 14 southern African nations, in a new host country in November and December of this year.

An announcement was expected in early August but has yet to be made.

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SOCCEREXPRO | 69

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SIGNINGS A selection of the major deals agreed by the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading clubs, players and competitions in the past three months. For daily updates visit www.sportspromedia.com or follow @SportsPro on Twitter.

Uefa renews with Fox and ESPN in Latin America Fox Sports Latin America and ESPN International have secured the rights to the Uefa Champions League and Uefa Europa League across Latin America and the Caribbean until 2017/18.

The new deal, which sees both broadcasters continue as Uefa partners in the region, runs for three years, starting in 2015/16, in line with the other Champions League broadcast rights deals negotiated by the European governing body.

Rights to the Uefa Super Cup, the annual match between the Champions League and Europa League winners, are also included. Â&#x20AC;' " 0 8

with Uefa since 2009 and we are very happy to continue this partnership through at least 2018,â&#x20AC;? said Francisco PazmiĂąo, a senior vice president for programming and acquisitions at Fox Sports Latin America.

72 | www.soccerex.com

Talksport renews global Premier League deal until 2019 Talksport has renewed its contract with the Premier League and will continue as its global audio partner until the end of the 2018/19 season.

As with Talksportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current four-year contract, which is set to expire at the end of the 2015/16, the package includes international audio rights in all languages in all territories outside the UK and Ireland for live commentary of all 380 games a season.

Talksport is the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest sports radio station and has broadcast partners in 25 countries including the USA, China, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria and United Arab Emirates.

UTV Mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief operating

0 6 ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;/ two years since its appointment as the Premier Leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global audio partner,

Talksport has established itself as a truly international sports media brand. Â&#x20AC;6 *

extend Talksport into even more markets, as well as creating new opportunities for advertisers and sponsors. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pleased that Talksportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ever growing international audience will now be able to look forward to listening to our world class live coverage of the Barclays Premier League for a further three seasons.â&#x20AC;?

Talksport provided extensive coverage of this summerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fifa World Cup and is

' ) and the Capital One Cup. According to the latest Radio Joint

Â&#x161; ÂŽÂ&#x161; 5 Â&#x161;ÂŻ the UTV Media-owned station attracts 3.4 million listeners per week in the UK, although the new Premier League contract is separate to the broadcasterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deal for domestic commentary rights.

Â&#x20AC;6 9 ) 3 and Uefa Europa League provide our viewers with the highest level of club competition in Europe. We are especially excited about making the Uefa competitions available to our viewers on all Fox Sports platforms so that Uefa fans can view the matches anytime and on any device they choose.â&#x20AC;?

ESPN Internationalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s senior vice president of international programming

6 + ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;6 underscores our ongoing commitment to always deliver world-class content to our fans across Latin America and the Caribbean,â&#x20AC;?

The two broadcasters will share the rights but continue to simulcast the Champions League and Europa League 0 )

Â&#x2019;

made available.

Sunderland and DC United announce transatlantic tie-up $ 3 0 8 3 0

* ÂŽ 30ÂŻ Â&#x201A;) 9 have announced a new deal designed

~ " promotion for each clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

6 '

will see the organisations collaborate on a range of promotional activities on either side of the Atlantic.

Sunderland, who count US international striker Jozy Altidore among their players, are owned by American business mogul Ellis Short. They already had a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;friendship agreementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in place with the MLS franchise.

9 Â&#x201A;) 9 from the Premier Leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global reach â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with an accumulative TV audience of 4.7 billion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;engage with a worldwide

* 0 8

increased presence in North America.

The deal came shortly after a raft of Premier League sides, including Manchester United and Liverpool, played pre-season friendlies in the US. It further increases Sunderlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global footprint, after the club built strong commercial ties to Africa through a % %

business initiative Invest in Africa in June 2012. Â&#x20AC;( & "

opportunity to partner with Sunderland ') Â&#x2020; Â&#x201A;) 9 *

6 4 Â&#x20AC;6 look to share best practices on both the technical and commercial side, while also helping Sunderland increase its brand recognition in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital and throughout the US.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x20AC;/ massively in the USA, and our Â&#x201A;) 9 provide both clubs with an excellent opportunity to grow and evolve in each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market,â&#x20AC;? said Sunderland AFCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commercial director Gary Hutchinson. Â&#x20AC;6 8 for Sunderland AFC and a really exciting development for us in the US marketplace. We are continually looking at new ways to develop our international Â&#x201A;) United will help us to build closer links with this key territory.â&#x20AC;?

In June, Sunderland agreed a six-year renewal of their kit supply deal with - Â&#x201A;) 9 partner Adidas.

Parkmobile to help supporters drive in Eredivisie $

supplier to the Eredivisie.

The company specialises in providing digital parking solutions for drivers and ?@ %N

the Netherlands to improve the parking experience at their grounds. This will

Star-Type Sport to support Polish Euro 2016 tilt The Polish Football Association has

Star-Type Sport (STS), a betting company.

The deal kicked in at the start of August and will run until after the 2016 Uefa European Championship, taking $ *

the tournament.

According to Matthew Jurosek, the chief executive of STS, illegal operators account for over 90 per cent of the Polish betting market. Â&#x20AC;Â&#x201A;

cooperation with the Polish national Â&#x2020; Â&#x20AC;6 in the development of STS, the largest company in the legal betting market.â&#x20AC;?

8 0

$ ' ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;( with the fact that the Polish Football Association has acquired another partner who wants to pursue its marketing strategy by sponsoring the Polish national football team.â&#x20AC;?

Earlier this year, Poland were drawn to play world champions Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Georgia and

- Â&#x201A; 7 =>?Â&#x17E; $ % of Euro 2012 with Ukraine two years ago.

include free use of the Parkmobile smartphone app.

The deal will also give fans the chance to vote for the Parkmobile Moment of the Week on Fox Sports Eredivisie.

The agreement came soon after the Eredivisie had renewed terms with Burger King and brought back a former title sponsor, KPN, as a partner.

SOCCEREXPRO | 73

EA Sports renews Premier League partnership to 2019 The Premier League has renewed its partnership with EA Sports for another &

The videogame publisher, which is behind the long-running and best-selling '

sports technology partner of the English N =>?Â&#x153; The agreement now includes - Â&#x201A;

System, which is based on Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HawkEye technology and will also make its

EA branding will appear on broadcast overlays whenever the system is used.

The deal is also marked by a deeper integration of Premier League and club properties in the latest entry in the Fifa series, Fifa 15. All 20 grounds in the division have been fully modelled for use in the game, while scans have been made of the heads of over 200 Premier League players. Â&#x2122;Â&#x201A; &

of the renewal at Tottenham Hotspurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s White Hart Lane stadium in August, where Christian Eriksen made a personal appearance alongside his reproduction.

Richard Masters, the director of sales and marketing at the Premier League,

Â&#x20AC; Â&#x2020; ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;/ * & and more real than ever. The guys have $ League stadiums and of players than ever before and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re really excited by that. The Premier League has more fans playing Fifa than any other league and 74 | www.soccerex.com

Juventus agree US$136 million Fiat extension Serie A champions Juventus have renewed their long-running deal with carmaker Fiat.

6 6 % inked a six-year extension to its frontof-shirt sponsorship, which will now run until the end of the 2020/21 season.

The new contract will come into effect from the 2015/16 season and, according to the club, is worth around â&#x201A;Ź17 million (US$22.75 million) per season, with additional performancebased bonuses available. ' N &

to the club, who won their third successive Serie A title in 2013/14.

Juventus and Fiat are both controlled by the Exor group of companies owned by the family of Juventus president Andrea Agnelli. In a continuation of the current agreement, struck in April 2012, the Jeep logo will be branded on the front of the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shirts. Jeep is owned

by American car group Chrysler, a global strategic partner of Fiat.

The previous contract was said to be worth â&#x201A;Ź35 over three years.

Juventus kicked off their title defence against Chievo Verona on 30th August.

6 6

we believe that this partnership will help extend the popularity of the league.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x20AC;/ & "

the world,â&#x20AC;? added EA chief operating

$ Â&#x20AC;/ * important part of the Fifa recipe for success over the past decade, and in fact for the past four years where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken our licensing relationship to a full sponsor relationship.â&#x20AC;?

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, who did not attend the launch event, said in a statement

Â&#x20AC; "

Â&#x2020; ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;Â&#x152;7 Sports] have worked with our clubs to enhance the Premier League element of Fifa 15 like never before and, combined with their sponsorship of the EA Sports Player Performance Index and our Fantasy Premier League game, they continue to engage with football fans in a variety of innovative ways.â&#x20AC;?

In a separate deal, EA Sports is also the lead sponsor of Professional Game

3 ÂŽ$- 3ÂŻ / logo appears on the sleeves of referees and assistant referees throughout the English game.

DHL becomes Chinese Super League partner 3 Â&#x201A;43

) 0 League (CSL).

The contract runs through to 2017 and Â&#x201A;43 )03 and on the pitch during league games.

Further details of the contract were not immediately available but it is likely to

& % & Â&#x201A;43 8 )03 which includes title sponsor Ping / ) 5Â&#x201A;

Samsung, and China Auto Rental ÂŽ) Â&#x161;ÂŻ Â&#x201A; & + & as a global ambassador of the IMGpromoted league.

Ken Allen, the chief executive of Â&#x201A;43 7" ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;- Â&#x201A;43 a long history of partnering some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prestigious events such as Formula One and Rugby World Cup 2015, and the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest football club Manchester United. Â&#x20AC;6

the shared values we have with CSL and the sport of football, including speed, passion and teamwork â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the same ones we strive to deliver for our

(

will be a fruitful partnership where we can deliver the passion and excitement of Chinese football, and foster even stronger brand connections with our Chinese consumers.â&#x20AC;?

SRG SSR renews Swiss broadcast partnership The Swiss Football Association (SFV) has renewed its broadcast deal with SRG SSR until the end of the 2017/18 season.

The free-to-air network will continue to air all friendly matches played by Switzerlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national team, and will take the broadcast rights to womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national team matches and games played

Marseille extend Stade Velodrome lease Top-tier French club Olympique de Marseille will continue to play in the Stade Velodrome after a new lease agreement was signed with local authorities in the city.

The deal was announced by the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3 %Â&#x201A;

president, Vincent Labrune, together with the mayor of Marseille, JeanClaude Gaudin, at a press conference in Marseille in late July.

The three-year deal will see the club

" Â&#x2013;Â&#x2122; for the upcoming season, and then â&#x201A;Ź4 million for each of the two seasons after that. If ticket sales exceed â&#x201A;Ź20 million in any given season, the club will pay the city 20 per cent of any excess. Â&#x20AC;6 acceptable for both parties,â&#x20AC;? said Labrune. Â&#x20AC;6 " sum and a variable sum is a win-win.

If our ticket sales grow, we will share

/ ticket sales do not grow, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean we will be dragging a ball and

/ 8 / * run a company.â&#x20AC;?

The club has played in the Stade Velodrome since it opened in 1937. Work to upgrade the venue - the installation of a roof and an increase in capacity from 60,000 to 67,000 - ahead of the 2016 Uefa European Championship in France is nearing completion.

by agre-group sides from under-15 to under-21 level.

SRG SSR will also continue as the broadcaster of the WĂźrth Swiss Cup. The multi-platform deal covers TV, radio and digital rights.

As part of a separate deal struck with Uefa partner CAA Eleven, SRG SSR already holds the rights to Switzerlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 9 7 =>?Â&#x17E; 2018 Fifa World Cup. SOCCEREXPRO | 75

United conďŹ rm US$1.28 billion Adidas kit deal Premier League Manchester United have

% ~

sponsorship and dual branded licensing dealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with German sportswear giant Adidas.

Adidas will replace Nike as Unitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kit manufacturer from the start of the 2015/16 season in a deal United said was worth a minimum guarantee of UKÂŁ750 million (US$1.28 billion).

A four-line press statement released

by United in mid-July to the New York Stock Exchange, on which the club are listed, did not include any quotes from the club or Adidas.

3 Â&#x2019;

withdrawn from protracted negotiations over an extension to its 13-year partnership with United, saying that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the terms that were on offer for a renewed contract did not represent good value for Nikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shareholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

9 & =>?Â&#x2122;Â??Â&#x2039; * since the retirement of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. New coach Louis ¢ - Â&#x201A; & 76 | www.soccerex.com

Manchester City agree UKÂŁ20m Nissan contract Premier League champions Manchester City have announced Nissan as their new

& 6 & %

July at Nissanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, and is reported to be worth UKÂŁ20 million (US$34.2 million).

The agreement sees Nissan become ) ' Group (CFG), a network which includes Man City, City Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FC, New York City FC, Melbourne City FC and the Â&#x2019; 8 % 5%3 Yokohama F. Marinos, in whom CFG acquired a minority stake in May. The new partnership will see the 5

8

strong branding presence at Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Etihad Stadium, as well as on the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online platforms.

Nissan will be involved with a number of fan engagement opportunities, whilst its electric vehicles will be used in and around The Citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; new football academy, which is opening later this year.

Additionally, the Nissan logo will

) ( * team shirts, as the company becomes the *

Khaldoon al Mubarak, the chairman )'- ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;( Â&#x2019; )'-* group-wide global partner. Nissan is a leader in innovation and sustainability; values which are also at the heart of our own organisation. Â&#x20AC;6 & 2 'Âą become very clear that Nissan and CFG also share a common passion and ambition for further growth and development.â&#x20AC;?

Carlos Ghosn (pictured left, with CFG chief executive Ferrian Soriano), Nissanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s president and chief " & ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;Â&#x2019;

been immensely proud of its place in 2 'Âą

now privileged to be part of the story of CFG and their network of fantastic global football teams. Â&#x20AC;6 & &

Nissanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investment in the game of soccer which is a key platform to further strengthen our brand globally.â&#x20AC;?

Moyesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; replacement in May, took charge of the team after leading the Netherlands ' ( ) % ( 9 Nike, featuring Unitedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new primary shirt sponsor Chevrolet, was in mid-July.

The American car manufacturer signed

a seven-year contract, worth US$559 million in total, in July 2012.

9 8 ) renewal until 2023 in June last year, as Adidas partners, while Nikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier League focus will now be on champions Manchester City.

Asian Cup announces opening ceremony producers A consortium of Australian sport event specialists will produce the 2015 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup opening ceremony.

The two-party consortium consists of Twenty3 Sport & Entertainment and Spinifex Group. The pair has previously

8

+ 8 =>>@ Olympic Games.

The consortium will reportedly produce other creative elements of the tournament, in addition to handing the opening ceremony.

Local organising committee chief " & + ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;) & & creative and activation elements of the

&

task, however, the Twenty3-Spinifex team have the experience and skill needed to bring the AFC Asian Cup to life off the pitch.â&#x20AC;?

John Tripodi, head of the Twenty30 " ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;( * delighted to have been selected to work with the LOC on an event presentation strategy and delivering a football experience with a difference.â&#x20AC;?

The opening ceremony is due to be staged at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium immediately before the opening game, which sees Australia entertain Kuwait on 9th January. Australia will be hosting the 16-team tournament for the

8 ') =>>Â&#x17E;

Sky Italia and Mediaset land Serie A rights Italian broadcasters Sky Italia and Mediaset will both air matches from Serie A over the next three years.

Sky Italia, a division of Rupert Murdochâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 21st Century Fox, and Silvio Berlusconiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mediaset will combine to show matches of the eight largest teams in Serie A, while Sky Italia will also have the exclusive rights to air matches played by the other 12 teams.

In total Sky, which has about 4.8 million subscribers, will broadcast all 380 Serie A games each season from 2015 to 2018. 132 of those will be shown on an exclusive basis.

Both networks already broadcast the

league but the new deal will have altered terms. Mediaset will show fewer games but will pay an increased â&#x201A;Ź373 million, while Sky Italia will pay â&#x201A;Ź572 million â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the same amount it pays under its current agreement â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for more matches exclusively.

The â&#x201A;Ź945 million generated from the Serie A rights for the next threeyear cycle is a record for the league and represents a â&#x201A;Ź114 million increase on its previous domestic deal.

The bidding process, which has been ongoing for several weeks, was handled by the Infront Sports & Media agency, which guaranteed Serie A a minimum revenue of â&#x201A;Ź5.94 billion for the next six seasons after renewing its media rights deal with the league in May.

Monaco take aim with new marketing agency Ligue 1 runners-up AS Monaco have tied-up a long-term deal with AIM Sport.

AIM Sport will serve as the clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sponsorship and marketing agency for the duration of a long-term contract, the exact terms of which were undisclosed.

The partnership sees AIM Sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Henri van der Aat become Monacoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

will be responsible for developing their commercial revenues. + Â&#x201A; Â&#x161; / 0 *

" & ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;6 developments seen over that past ten months are hugely promising and we are proud to have now sealed this partnership. Â&#x20AC;( &

experience of both partners and the innovative technology solutions we develop, AS Monaco shall soon be at the

very forefront of the sports marketing industry in Europe.â&#x20AC;?

Vadim Vasilyev, vice president and

" & 0 ÂĄ Â&#x20AC;'

developments and success seen in recent years, this is the next big step in the development of AS Monaco. Â&#x20AC;6 & &

us absolutely of the huge value of this partnership. AS Monaco will, thanks to the collaboration with AIM Sport, be a trend setter in the industry.â&#x20AC;?

SOCCEREXPRO | 77

GUEST COLUMN

THE INNOVATION CHALLENGE

M

ost football professionals know the Mediapro Group as one of the main companies in the audiovisual rights market. This has been, traditionally, one of its main business areas over the last 20 years. Mediaproâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work has been fundamental in converting the Spanish Liga BBVA into one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most competitive and interesting championships. But, over the years, Mediapro has grown, expanding its activities into audio-visual rights, cinematographic production, the creation of exhibitions, broadcasting, audio-visual engineering, and management of TV channels. These are different areas with one thing in common: innovation.

And the questions are always the same: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is it really possible to innovate in broadcasting and sports events? Is it possible to innovate in the realm of football, where technical areas are still run with an old-fashioned approach, where the idea is often that the road to success is not to share information?â&#x20AC;?

After years of research and development, the answer is clearly, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes.â&#x20AC;?

Over the last few last years, Mediapro has constantly looked for new ways of expanding, leveraging its broadcasting experience. Broadcast events generate a great amount of information, data that can also be handled by football professionals to improve strategies, the analysis of rivals or training methods. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why seven years ago Mediapro decided to create its own R&D department, and Mediacoach was the

Since then, and over the last three years, Mediacoach has become the

& % all professional Spanish football teams

& The product has grown thanks to the contributions of league staff and, in fact, is in constant evolution. Joan Bennassar is the technical director of Mediaproâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovation area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For us,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the

78 | www.soccerex.com

most important aspect is the ability of all users to share information. Other competitions, such as the Bundesliga in Germany or the English Premier League, already have tracking systems, but the most valued add-on in this kind of system is its sharing capabilityâ&#x20AC;?.

These days, information belongs to everybody, with new technologies giving us new ways of consuming it. We live in a Wi-Fi world willing to learn and share, often for mere enjoyment. So Mediapro decided to go one stage further and, following La Ligaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international expansion plans, have launched a second-screen app: ¢ real-time representation of every match.

Virtual Arena is the application for tablets and smartphones (avaliable for iOS and Android) that lets us live football from the inside. An authentic second screen to gather and share information that until now only professional teams had access to, applying the professional Mediacoach technology.

In fact, Virtual Arena is an initiative which allows anybody to feel like a professional coach with real data: stats about every player and team, complete information about every round of

/

before, during and after matches regarding all aspects of the game: defence, build-up, attempts, discipline, physical stats. Users can follow any match virtually in real time and analyse the tactics and movements of any team or player. The app allows for comparative analysis across a range of variables and over a number of weeks, with weekly and seasonal rankings allowing fans to measure one player or teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance against another. The aim is for this to encourage longer, deeper engagement with the app, and sharing.

New technologies are what allow Mediacoach to exist, and new devices are ideal for brand new proposals like Virtual Arena. Working

with new technologies and new devices, the Mediapro Group has gone beyond broadcasting solutions and is now introducing Automatic TV, a system that generates video production with no need for personnel. In theory, this means that footage of events can be captured and

Its creators hope that this will help clubs and schools improve training methods, and create new business opportunities for brands, betting companies and more.

In order to follow the action,

6¢

intelligence engine, developed for a / N " that can also incorporate a prodution centre, a remote control to allow the user to launch a production from a web interface, a player and editor to allow for user-customised production, and statistical data integration.

Is there anything else beyond this horizon? Of course. Mediaproâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s R&D area is working hard on 4K broadcasting.

Last season, they tested this new technology as well as its broadcasting solutions. For this new season, the aim is to offer one 4K match every week. The innovation challenge continues.

Rafa Navarro is a football journalist for GolT.

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