Football Partnerships

By Alex Kotler

Sufferin’ Becks-a-tash

AC Milan, LA Galaxy and England international midfielder David Beckham is out of the 2010 World Cup.

The global sports icon sustained an injury to his Achilles tendon in a match this Sunday, costing him a place on the English National Team for this summer’s tournament. Although considered more of a bit-part player at this stage in his career, his experience - both on the field and in front of camera - will be missed by his teammates.

A surgery performed today in Finland will determine the extent of the injury, which will almost certainly close the door on his international competitive career. What also remains to be seen is how and whether the injury will impact his endorsement deals, some of which may have World Cup clauses or activation initiatives.

What do you think? Will his commercial arrangements take a massive blow?

Read more Beckham’s injury

Barber puts his Whitecap on

Paul Barber, former Executive Director at Tottenham Hotspur and current CEO of USSF Division II side Vancouver Whitecaps, was officially introduced at a press conference last Wednesday in British Columbia.

The two-time guest on the Football Partnerships podcast counts the opportunity as his third dream job - the first being his role as Marketing & Communications Director at the FA and the second at his boyhood club of Spurs.

We wish him the best of luck in his new post.

Read more and watch the press conference video

Put a cap in it

Outgoing chairman of the Football League, Lord Brian Mawhinney, posits that a salary cap is inevitable.

According to an interview by the BBC, as reprinted in the Guardian, Mawhinney said that “the business model of professional football in [the UK] doesn’t work, it’s broke and you see that reflected in the administrations and all the rest of it.”

UEFA president Michel Platini also champions restrictions on spending throughout European. Meanwhile, in the United States, Major League Soccer - which imposes a salary cap - is involved in mediation proceedings with the MLS Players Union over a collective bargaining agreement which threaten to derail the start of the season in two weeks.

Which position is preferred? A system with limitless spending or one that imposes fiscal responsibility measures at the expense of globally competitive salaries?

Read more from Mawhinney

North Korea take home field advantage in South Africa

The North Korean National Team will apparently have home field advantage when they take on the Ivory Coast on June 25th at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

According to the JoongAng Daily, North Korean workers are raising much needed capital for the rogue state by helping to build this 43,500-seat stadium and others.

“[An estimated 1,000] North Koreans have been put to work on four to five stadiums that require renovation, including Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, where the opening and closing ceremonies, plus the final will be staged,” said one source said.

What are your thoughts?

Read about it in the JoongAng Daily

Assauer lets comments out of the closet

Former Schalke boss Rudi Assauer has gone public with his opinions that gays have ‘no place’ in football.

The outspoken German went on to say: ‘If a player came to me and said he was gay I would say to him: “You have shown courage.” But then I would tell him to find something else to do.’

Despite rumors and whispering, there are zero openly gay footballers in England and Wales - out of 4,000 total players. Assauer’s opinions do little to encourage any to step forward.

Should Assauer ‘find something else to do’?

Read about it in the Daily Mail

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has ruled out introducing a salary cap to even the financial playing field in football.

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David Beckham tops Major League Soccer’s salary list again at $6.5 million — more than 43 times the league’s average — even though he’ll remain on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy to AC Milan until midseason.

Beckham’s guaranteed income dwarfs the league average, which rose 14 percent to $147,945 from the start of last season following a 12 percent rise in 2008. As part of Sunday’s agreement to extend his loan through the end of the Serie A season, the 33-year-old midfielder and AC Milan are jointly paying the Galaxy in a “multimillion dollar deal,” according to the MLS team.

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The billionaire sheikh who last month bought Manchester City Football Club was among a group of oil-rich investors that yesterday announced a deal to buy almost a third of Barclays Bank.

Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the brother of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, has agreed to pump £3.5bn into Barclays for a 16% stake. The Qatar royal family, one of the most prolific investors in the region, is aiming to build up its existing holding in Barclays to more than 15% by injecting another £2.3bn.

Mansour’s family is estimated to be worth $750bn, fuelling speculation that the billionaire would indulge in a game of fantasy football at Manchester City by using his vast wealth to buy up the world’s best players. He is minister of presidential affairs, chairman of the Abu Dhabi state oil firm and is married to the daughter of the ruler of Dubai.

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By M Wasim

For the improvement of soccer in Pakistan, a foreign coach is inevitable. But with the delaying tactics of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). M. Wasim questions whether the national association is really sincere in hiring a foreign coach.

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