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Gli Hearts di Edimburgo ( sostenitori in foto ) non nascondono la propria soddisfazione per la campagna abbonamenti in corso, la quale, a diverse settimane dalla chiusura, ha già raggiunti un numero più che ragguardevole di adesioni. La squadra protestante di Edimburgo ha concluso la “Scottish Premier League” con un ottimo terzo posto che significherà anche la ribalta europea nella prossima stagione ma va evidenziato come le tessere stagionali siano state proposte a prezzi davvero interessanti, i quali si fermano a 19 sterline per gli “under 12”. Molte squadre britanniche hanno promesso di ridurre o bloccare i prezzi per gli abbonati per venire incontro ai tifosi alle prese con l’ attuale recessione economica.Se verso i supporters, giustamente, si tende la mano, si cercano di massimizzare altre forme di profitto. “When Saturday Comes”, periodico che presenta sempre approfondimenti interessanti, evidenzia lo stretto giro di vite per quanto concerne i diritti di immagine: il Chelsea sarebbe arrivato a chiedere 500 sterline per una foto di Ancelotti con la maglia del club mentre l’ Arsenal gestisce i diritti di immagine del russo Arshavin in modo estremamente meticoloso. “WSC”, rivista storica dalla parte del tifoso, sospesa tra nostalgia degli anni che furono e sarcasmo per il calcio attuale, evidenzia come i media abbiano regalato, per anni, gratuitamente, un’ immensa popolarità a società e giocatori. Infine, la rivista tratta anche il tema dei diritti televisivi, quelli che oggi garantiscono il maggiore flusso di liquidità alle società: in Scozia vi è apprensione per alcuni ritardi nei pagamenti da parte di “Setanta Sport” che, secondo quanto dichiarato dal presidente del Dundee United, dovrebbe ancora versare ai clubs della “SPL” tre milioni di sterline, pari al saldo dell’ ultima rata concordata. Intanto, a dispetto di tante problematiche di natura economica che colpiscono tutte le componenti del mondo del calcio, il Chelsea starebbe tentando, con scarse possibilità, di mettere sotto contratto il brasiliano Kakà, superando l’ offerta madridista di 56 milioni di pounds. La società londinese smentisce, comuqnue, di avere fatto lievitare la propria proposta al Milan fino all’ ammonatre di 73,5 milioni di sterline; diversamente quanto verrebbe a costare una foto con il brasiliano? Anche sul “tabloids “di Oltre Manica giungono agenzie di stampa, seppure estremamente concise e con scarsa eco, circa il dissenso degli ultras del Pisa avverso la scelta della loro città come sede della partita amichevole tra Italia ed Irlanda del Nord.Continuano, infine, i procedimenti a carico di supporters dei Glasgow Rangers per i fatti accaduti in concomitanza della finale della Coppa UEFA 2008 disputatasi a Manchester. Le ultime due condanne hanno sanzionato una coppia di tifosi ritenuti responsabili di avere colpito con sedie e calci una coppia di avversari; la corte ha evidenziato come l’aggressione, per le modalità, avrebbe potuto avere un epilogo drammatico.
Milan set Kaka transfer deadline
Kaka’s AC Milan future will be cleared up on Monday with the ultimate decision resting with the Brazilian playmaker, according to owner Silvio Berlusconi.
“Kaka, 27, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid in a £56m deal following Florentino Perez’s return as president.Chelsea, meanwhile, insisted reports of a £73.5m offer were “totally untrue”.Comparing the sale of Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea in 2006, Berlusconi said: “It is always our lads who decide where they want to play. Now we will see.”AC Milan sold Shevchenko to Chelsea for about £30m, before the Ukraine striker returned to Italy two seasons later on loan, and Berlusconi believes the current Kaka situation is very similar.”I can only say that we were very attached to Sheva,” the Italian Prime Minister added.”
Hearts season ticket sales hit 10,000 mark
Published Date: 03 June 2009
“Finishing third in the SPL and securing European football for the first time in three years has enthused many Hearts fans and helped sales increase, along with the introduction of a new £19 season ticket for under-12s.A club spokesperson said: “With ten weeks to go until the start of the domestic season we are naturally delighted with the response from our supporters. We set out to deliver a good range of prices and benefits for season ticket holders, including our £19 season ticket for under-12s, and it appears that many fans have welcomed this approach.”Our participation in the Europa League qualifiers is also boosting sales as only season ticket holders are guaranteed the opportunity for a ticket to the European games at Tynecastle. These are exciting times at Tynecastle at the moment and, although the season has just finished, we are already looking forward to the new domestic season and European football.”All remaining seats within the stadium will be released for general sale this Monday following the highly-successful renewal period for existing season ticket holders.”
( “The Scotsman” )
“Two Rangers supporters who attacked two men after watching the Uefa Cup Final in Manchester have been jailed for almost a year.Colin Swan, 31, and Ryan Buchanan, 29, were locked up after a sheriff told them they could have killed their victims during the assault at Bar Retreat in Perth last May.The duo, who had seen their team lose the final, lashed out during a wild west-style brawl at the end of a 24-hour post-match drinking marathon.Victims Iain Papierowski and James Houston were both struck with chairs and the former was knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked by both accused.Buchanan, of Crieff Road, Perth, who has previous convictions for sectarian and football-related breaches of the peace, was jailed for six months.Swan, of Kinnoull Street, Perth, was jailed for four and a half months after both men admitted their part in the violence after the 2008 final.The court was told that the duo clashed with patrons in the bar after returning to Scotland from watching Rangers lose to Zenit St Petersburg.”
( “The Herald” )
Pisa Ultras Want Italy – Northern Ireland Friendly Moved To New Venue
“The Tuscan fans are furious after their team’s relegation to Lega Pro Prima Divisione and have stated that they do not want Italy to play in their stadium.”
( “thefootballproject.net ” )
Clubs want to control everything ( “When Saturday Comes” )
Tuesday 2 June ~
“Shortly after the Premier League was formed, Brian Glanville christened it the Greed is Good League as a way of reflecting how professional football in England was being warped by the pursuit of money. Seventeen years on, our clubs feel obliged to make money wherever they can, from copyrighting fixture lists and threatening legal action against non-profit-making websites that reproduce them, to charging fees for photographs of their staff – as Chelsea did yesterday when parading their new manager.Andrey Arshavin was going to feature on the cover of the first WSC of 2009 – but we couldn’t afford him. Arsenal had done an exclusive deal with a photo agency that took one picture of the player, still in Russia at the time, holding up an Arsenal shirt. Anyone who wanted to use the photo had to pay a fee to Arsenal of roughly ten times what we would pay for the use of one image. At this point Arshavin hadn’t played a League game, so there were no other photos of him in an Arsenal shirt owned by any of the other picture agencies. (The replacement joke was better anyhow.)
Yesterday Chelsea made the same demand to the daily newspapers. To get a picture of Carlo Ancelotti with his team’s shirt would cost £500. Over the preceding two days, the media coverage of Chelsea’s FA Cup victory had given the club a huge amount of positive publicity for free. Images of their players with the trophy, even if they looked only mildly interested, would be seen all over the world and would surely help to boost sales of merchandise in the various expanding markets in Asia about which Peter Kenyon is so excited. But they still feel compelled to squeeze a profit at every opportunity. The clubs know that newspapers won’t balk at such bullying because comprehensive football coverage is deemed to be an important part of their daily sales, for broadsheets as well as tabloids. On this issue supporters might not feel much sympathy for the large media conglomerates that mostly offer uncritical coverage of football. But this is part of a broader trend towards clubs extending control over all aspects of their daily business and shutting out independent media sources such as individual freelance photographers or small local picture agencies. For several years now, anyone wanting to take matchday pictures inside a Premier League or Football League ground has to acquire an annual licence, which can be withdrawn if their published work is deemed to have caused offence in some way. As football developed over a century clubs were an accessible part of their local and regional communities. But as some have attempted recently to become worldwide entities they have taken on a much more authoritarian outlook. As many business failures over the last few months have shown, global isn’t necessarily good.”
Cup final TV trials ( “When Saturday Comes” )
Saturday 30 May ~
“Setanta are pushing the boat out for the FA Cup final – the return of Saint & Greavsie will form part of their ten hours of coverage. This is a marked improvement on recent years: in WSC 221 (July 2005) Cameron Carter bemoaned the decline in quality of Cup final day TVThe Guardian’s Donald McRae concluded his preview of last month’s FA Cup final with the challenge – “Fireworks and fisticuffs, and a few sublime goals, are the very least we expect.” I expect Donald was as disappointed by the absence of all three as anybody, but, for others among us, the most unsatisfactory aspect was the continued shrinking of the pre-match build-up on terrestrial television.I realise the olden days of football on television weren’t always better. Yet FA Cup final day, as covered simultaneously by BBC1 and ITV, was an orgiastic celebration of the living world in comparison to the mean little coffee morning we’re palmed off with today. Both Cup final specials commenced at around 11 in the morning, the build-up to kick-off gluttonously filled with trivia, foppery and banter.”
Setanta fears grow as Dundee United chairman confirms missed payment
• Stephen Thompson says final £3m installment not paid
• ‘Of course I am worried… every chairman is’, says Thompson
Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has confirmed broadcaster Setanta missed their last £3m payment to clubs. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images
“Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson has confirmed Setanta failed to pay Clydesdale Bank Premier League clubs their final £3m instalment for broadcasting live games last season.Both Setanta and the SPL yesterday refused to comment on the matter, while also denying claims an emergency meeting would be held by member clubs today to discuss the issue. But it is understood the SPL board were holding discussions this morning and would be reporting back to clubs later today.”
( “The Guardian” )