May/June 2010 edition


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  Nadal is back on form with a faultless 'no-sets dropped' French Open. As a result, he claims the top spot in the world of men's tennis.  And for the first time in many years, Queen Elizabeth II will attend Wimbledon. Clutching 2010 silverware, Jose Mourinho has moved to Real Madrid in a four year-deal.  His 'wish-list' includes Gerrard, Kolarov, Maicon and di Maria. David Beckham's will not be alone in an 'on the bench' role at the upcoming Soccer World Cup.   He will be joined in a similar 'supporting role' by ex-England captain Rio Ferdinand who has withdrawn after an injury during training in South Africa.  The England World Cup team has claimed first place in the most luxurious training camp contest. Players will be happily resident at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus.  The governing body of Formula One has agreed a legal settlement that will allow former Renault boss, Flavio Briatore to return to F1 after the 2012 season, after previously being handed a life time ban for his involvement in race fixing. Workforce wins the Derby in only his third race. Ryan Moore was in the saddle winning his first Derby in a record time and a by seven lengths.  The pacemaker - much to everyone's surprise kept going to take second place at 100-1 and perhaps was an equal star of the show.  The Diamond League athletics meeting in Oslo found a new superstar in David Rudiaha, the 21-year-old Kenyan.  He shattered Sebastian Coe's 800 metre track record set in 1979.  Francesa Schiavone became the first Italian woman ever, to win a Grand Slam at Roland Garros, Paris. Golfer Tom Watson has accepted a special exemption from qualifying for this year's US Open at Pebble Beach.  The sixty-year old, who won the title at the Californian course in 1982 is an example to all elite athletes.  Who is that says the older athletes are 'disadvantaged"? While Zara Phillips - the Queen's eldest grand-daughter and reigning eventing world champion has helped design a collection of equestrian clothing for sports outfitter, Musto.... her father, also a past top eventer is giving 2012 Olympic organizers a hard time as he complains bitterly about their poor choice of Greenwich for the equestrian events during the Games - its lack of legacy and escalating costs.  And the casualties of the World Cup keep coming with German, Rene Adler; Jose Bosingwa, Portugal; Ghana's Michael Essien; Ivory Coast star, Didier Drogba Ivory; Algerian, Mourad Meghni; German Captain, Michael Ballack; and several others all looking like potential non-starters.  And finally, Salvador Cabanas from Paraguay was shot in the head during a robbery in Mexico - so he won't be playing.  Perhaps the other injured footballers should be mindful of just how bad an injury can be! Leonardo Gryner has been promoted to general director of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Organizing Committee, from his former position within the organization as communications and marketing. Unconfirmed statistics indicate that it is Americans who are making the journey to South Africa to see live action at the South African World Cup.  But if you don't feel like a trip to Africa, why not take on a New York restaurant tour where nearly every nation can claim a few bars or restaurants with national flags and idiosyncratic behavior to match. Online gaming firm Sportingbet is moving towards a settlement with the US authorities which should facilitate their takeover by a larger competitor. Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II will not be attending the Commonwealth Games in October 2010.  This is the first time that she has not attended the Games; however, she will be replaced by Prince Charles who will represent the Royal Family.

spotlight on:

The BT Paralympic World Cup is currently the largest international annual multi-sport competition in disability sport. It has been staged annually in Manchester since 2005 and hosts up to 400 athletes from 31 countries competing in four sports – Athletics, Swimming, Football 7-a-side and Wheelchair Basketball. (Track Cycling has previously been included as a sport.)
A new team format has been introduced which sees athletes from Great Britain take on teams from the Americas, Europe and the Rest of the World across the four sports. An overall BT Paralympic World Cup trophy is awarded to the team with the most points.
The events were held at two world class venues: the Manchester Regional Athletics Arena and the Manchester Aquatics Centre across six days at the end of May.
It is a great annual dress rehearsal for the Paralympics and is growing in stature.  A star-studded Super Friday included celebrities and mascots gracing the courts and pitches, as well as world-class athletes. Even before any matches kicked or tipped off, athletes and fans were treated to an appearance by special VIP guest Mandeville, the official London 2012 Paralympic mascot, appearing on behalf of BT. The friendly creature posed for photos and danced with excited spectators to show his support for the event.
Spectators and media were also able to watch a special exhibition match between GB and Sweden in Goalball, a Paralympic sport for visually impaired players. Sweden won the game 11-4.
At the much-anticipated Lord’s Taverners celebrity Football match, the celebrity and media squad narrowly won the match against England’s Football 7-a-side Development Squad in an entertaining affair, thanks to both the stylistic display of athleticism on the pitch and the colourful commentary provided by Phil Thompson and John Gwyne.
And it was the celebrities and media who strolled to an early two goal advantage thanks to Chris Cottrell and Clayton Blackmore, the latter rolling back the years with an unstoppable finish giving England Development goalkeeper Leon Taylor no chance to save. Lord’s Taverners then stretched their lead to three, which finally produced a reaction from their young opponents who scored twice through the impressive Emyle Rudder to tighten the gap. A debatable penalty levelled the score deep into the second-half, but the celebrities and the media sealed a 4-3 win with a well-taken finish to seal a surprising hat-trick.

The GB men’s Wheelchair Basketball team continued to show their dominance, with a convincing 66-44 win over Canada. Jon Pollock top scored with 20 points while Simon Munn once again recorded a double-double, with 16 points and 10 assists and Ian Sagar grabbed 10 points.
Britain’s ability to convert opportunities far exceeded the Canadians, as they turned in 49 percent of their shots compared to the North American's 35 percent and they were also pretty handy from the charity strip with 57 per cent of their free throws converted.

Elsewhere GB’s hopes faded in the women’s Wheelchair Basketball and Football 7-a-side team suffering painful losses to their opponents. The women’s Basketball team fell to defending BT Paralympic World Cup champions The Netherlands, 51-24. Inge Huitzing’s 14 points and Cher Korver’s 12 points accounted for more than half of the Dutch 51-24 victory. Britain’s top scorers, Laurie Williams, Madeleine Thompson and Pauline McDonald, amassed four points each.

But despite Team GB's mixed success, it is clear that this annual event, inspired by Manchester hosting the Commonwealth Games, has led to another great addition to the British sporting calander.

hot spot:

and the legacy 'value'

The cost of organizing the 2010 World Cup has increased by £67m ($100m) to ensure that hosts South Africa are ready. Fifa General Secretary Jerome Valcke confirmed that the game's governing body signed off a 25% increase at an executive committee meeting in March 2010 to ensure completion of the South Africans team training camps.
The organizational budget has now swelled from £282m to £349m; but Valcke has also confirmed that Fifa's £2.1bn income from the World Cup would more than cover the overall increase in its budget.
In addition to the £800m spent by Fifa, South Africa has paid out a staggering £3.5bn on building and redeveloping 10 stadiums, creating a new transport infrastructure and ensuring security is up to scratch.
According to accountants Grant Thornton, expenditure on the event represented just 1.72% of South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP). Quite an achievement during a prolonged global recession.

But South Africa will only succeed if the Games are a crime free event.  This time round it will not be enough to win the title - (remember the Rugby World Cup win) - as South Africa has to establish itself as a modern and safe rainbow country for all to enjoy.

The question remains whether clearing slums adjacent to the stadia is a solution and not just a temporary fix?  And it is always useful to remember that an influx of 'sports' journalists from around the world does exclude investigative journalism covering all aspects Of South Africa as well as its ability to host a major sporting event.

Few can deny the benefits that Fifa offered to the sporting world when it stuck to its guns and provided a rotational continent mechanic which facilitated Africa and Brazil in 2014 to stage the event.

However, the organization of pre-tournament matches has raised more questions than answers as to whether  South Africa will be able to deliver a safe and secure World Cup. Offering free access to these games to stadium construction workers is a great idea, but one that has to be managed. 


hot shot:
equality rules

As the start of the tennis season kicks off in the UK, the men's tennis world has been doing its maths.

Women at Wimbledon will be receiving the same prize money as the men .... but for less work?

2009 comparisons between Serena Williams and Roger Federer show how the stats pan out.  

Williams received £66,667 (pounds) per-set as compared with a meager £41,667 paid to Fedora.  And whereas Fedora received £7,874 per ace, Williams made a cool £13,889 for each ace served.  William's rate per minute of match play reached a tantalizing £1,712 in contrast to the paltry sum of £1,058 paid to Federer.  That all adds up to £639 per point for the mens' champion and £1,129 for the ladies champion.

At last women have achieved equality with the men ... but is this parity?  Adter all, in recent years women's tennis has proved as exciting - if not more exciting - then the men's game. 

The 2009 figures were based on prize money of £850,000 each; and  this year it jumps to a mouthwatering £1,000,000.  So how about a financial  penalty for number and volume of grunts.  In this case it might just be the women who lose out!

sidelines: shared agendas

Just because your choice of game may be low profile and small scale does not mean that it is exempt from powerful players vying for control at the top.

  Take chess!  Just a few names such as Omar Sharif and Garry Casparov have entered the world stage as global brands;  but the game of chess has a more high profile legacy in one country, and that is Russia.

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov is devoted to chess and in his capacity as president of the poor Russian Republic of Kalmykia, he has spent close to US$100 million building a chess city open to all.

Head of the world chess federation since 1995, there is now a power struggle taking place across the board table rather than over the chess board as two great rivals - Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov join forces against the incumbent federation chief.

The Russian businessman, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has been accused of eccentric behavior and doing little to raise the profile and prominence of chess as an international game. In sharp contract, Karpov and Kasparov are taking their 'talent'  and turning it into a high profile marketing strategy.  So in a game of chess it may be the player with the most pieces who wins; but it is the entrepreneurial Kingmakers, Kapov and Kasparov - with their tactics of holding a fundraiser for New York bankers to see who will bid the most at an auction to play with Kasparov - who may be the first to elevate the game of chess back into the wealthy circles of the rich and glamorous. 

Checkmate!

fashion icon: game on.... or not?

The ever more 'high-profile' Twenty20 cricket format had been included in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou for the first time by the OCA, ONLY on the premise that the four Asian Test nations - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - would send their best teams.

However, India's BCCI has decided - upon reflection - not to send a team to the Games due to international commitments; and this is seen as a big setback for cricket in India and Asia.

While India has explained that the reason for their change of heart is due to a busy timetable which  includes hosting New Zealand for a Test and one-day series in November, the impact has been inevitable and some may say catastrophic as there are also doubts whether Pakistan will take part as the team is due to host South Africa during the period of the Asian Games; alongside Sri Lanka who is also scheduled to play a Test series against West Indies in November!

Twenty20 cricket will not disappear as a result of the Asian Games setback.  Far from it.  The format is seen as a great corporate event and one which will take on football as evening entertainment.  It may also in time take over from the more traditional test series format.... so beware the new kid on the block!

home and away: wherever you may be watching!


The Stadium in Johannesburg

sport culture:  a World Cup Football?

It defies credibility when the football designed for the 'greatest show on earth'  - The Football World Cup - is criticized for being badly designed.

As an increasing number of players have become increasingly critical about the official Jabulani match ball, you can only speculate as to how this debate will play out as the tournament is set to begin. 

Are the players being difficult? or are they setting the scene to dispute any of the thirty referees' decisions and blame it on the ball? 

As Fifa has decided not to introduce any form of replay that would enable referee decisions/to be corrected/overturned -  it will be the informed viewer with the benefit of multiple platforms, replays and slow-mows who will be the instant judge and jury.

And of course, politics and business always play a significant role in sport.  While Eduardo of Portugal - whose kit manufacturer is Nike - has accused the adidas manufactured World Cup match ball of changing direction while in the air (?), Brazilian mid-fielder Kaka has endorsed the ball while wearing his Nike supplied Brazil kit, at the same time as enjoying a personal endorsement contract with adidas. Confused?  Well adidas are now attributing any weird ball behavior to the high altitude in South Africa????
Hard to keep up?  Well perhaps the following information will help clarify things!

Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer is working hard to claim the top spot and knock Nike from first place by leveraging his company's US$200 million World Cup sponsorship to the full.

Currently within spitting distance of Nike’s 2007 €11.1 billion revenue, World Cup revenues equate to big wins for brands like adidas in terms of sponsorship, advertising and exposure.  With the greatest sanctioned presence during FIFA World Cup in South Africa, adidas and Nike go nose to nose to claim the advantage at major sporting events. adidas will win hands down at the World Cup in their capacity as the official top-tier partner of the tournament and the sponsor of the greater number of teams competing in the finals including Argentina, France, Spain, Germany, and host nation South Africa.  Brandishing the famous three-stripe logo, will adidas succeed in knocking its major competitor Nike off the revenue top spot or will the return on investment be less than expected?  Only time will tell!.

Meanwhile there are a number of other winners lining-up to reap the rewards of the World Cup. 
They of course include the advertising industry; the manufacturers of new HD products; the betting industry; and the food and drinks sectors - including fast food outlets and anywhere with a big screen that is also serving food/drink; and anybody else who can make a quick buck over the month long footie-fest!.

History dictates that there is less 'world violence' as footie fans are glued to the screens. More sick days taken to keep up with the live action; and of course, while your team is still 'in the game' there is a great deal of bon amie and goodwill among men.   And an increasing number of women!

starting blocks: the Manchester United drama saga restarts

Rather like the British economy, Manchester United's owner's debt is greater than declared and expected.  Servicing this debt will prove a major problem for the Glazer family - owners of the football club - as they will be dipping into their only tangible asset - Man U - to pay off other loans.

Of course, with a portfolio of assets and debts, it can prove difficult to assign exact liquidity to the individual elements; however, the price on the head of the top UK football club will no doubt reflect the Glazers' end game: to extricate themselves with cash in hand.

Owning a NFL team has placed the family business in the top league; however, in the current global economic climate coming out of a deal with a profit is not easy.  On the flip side of the coin, Manchester United is a highly desirable prize and there may be many exceptionally wealthy individuals/consortiums who would regard this purchase as an invaluable investment into the beautiful game.

The Glazers claim that they are comfortable with the situation and that their assets total £2billion; but with the withdrawal of the Red Knights bid can the family afford complacency....?


life after -  

a new government

The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics has had its budget cut by £27 million (around US$40 million), as the new UK government begins a round of spending cuts aimed at reducing the country's public deficit.  The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), which controls the buildings, venues and infrastructure projects the project would not be compromised by the cuts; however, the amount is just a drop on the ocean in terms of the whole budget and therefore to a large extent - incidental.

What is more important, however, is to what extent the security budget for the Olympic and Paralympic Games will have to be reviewed in the light of potential terrorist activity at major sporting events. 

Take Wembley Stadium: the national football stadium, it has also been selected as an Olympic venue; however, Wembley opted for temporary barriers around the stadium on match days, rather than permanent measures to stop truck bombs being driven into the crowd.

While many in the sports world accept that hosting the Games during turbulent economic times is a major challenge, security remains the wildcard in the pack; and the budget for this most challening aspect of host city/county will remain a work in progress and in part judged by the standards achieved in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup.

and a new lease of life

In January Bodog initially approached Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg of the IMG agency, then as requested did so again in March by fax. Tiger Woods returned to golf in April’s US Masters following a four-month spell out of the game which also saw sponsors - including Gatorade, Accenture and AT&T – drop the number one from endorsing their products. However in January Bodog had already put its hat in the ring to to offer a sponsorship deal which has now evolved into the first ever 'no moral conditions' offer whereby the $100,000,000 five-year deal will be honored without condition on the player's moral conduct.

so the question is: "Is being bad good for the game?"

(In March 2010, Irish bookmaker Paddy Power also had an initial sponsorship offer turned down, reported to be worth $75 million over five years.)

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