Mumbai – India PRwire - Amigo Sports today announced the launch of FIFA Collections in India. Amigo Sports has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Global Brands Group the master licensee of the FIFA brand globally, through this agreement Amigo sports has exclusive rights to manufacturing, multi-channel distribution & retail of official FIFA merchandise across India. The FIFA Official Stores will open across more than 10 countries globally with India being the most recent entrant.
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Soccerex is delighted to confirm that the Russia 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup Bid Committee has signed up to sponsor the networking cafe at both the Soccerex Asian Forum (28-29 July, Singapore) and the Soccerex Global Convention (20-24 November, Rio de Janeiro).

The Russian Bid Committee sponsored the cafe at each of the last two Soccerex events – the 2009 Global Convention and the inaugural Soccerex European Forum – and has chosen to extend their sponsorship to cover the remaining Soccerex events in 2010, in the build up to FIFA’s decision in December, regarding the location of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

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Mumbai (India PRwire) - Unlike popular belief, cricket is not the only sport that interests Indians. Nearly half the country (47%) claims to be a football fan according to the latest Nielsen Global Online Survey. Globally, the game is most popular in Brazil, where 69 percent say they are a fan. India ranks tenth in its love for football globally.

Indians are also very excited about the upcoming FIFA World Cup. 56 percent Indians plan to follow the game this season. Over 700m people around the world watched the final match of the last 2006 World Cup in Germany.

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BEIJING (PRNewswire-Asia) – Youku.com, China’s leading video site, announced that FIFA and CCTV have jointly authorized Youku.com with online broadcast rights to all FIFA 2010 matches. CCTV has also granted rights to Youku.com for on-demand broadcast of CCTV’s self-produced FIFA programs. With these agreements in hand, Youku now is positioned to offer the most complete range of World Cup broadcasts of any online video site in China.

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LONDON (Reuters) – English soccer clubs must be prepared for salary capping, former Football League chairman Brian Mawhinney warned on Monday.

The 60-year-old, who was succeeded after seven years by businessman Greg Clarke on Friday, believes that the current financial model at league clubs outside of the Premier League is not sustainable.

“The business model of professional football in this country doesn’t work, it’s broke and you see that reflected in the administrations and all the rest of it,” Mawhinney said.

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BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese company ordered to stop making soccer World Cup mascots because of poor working conditions in their factory hit back at the accusations on Wednesday, saying they were victims of South African politicking.

FIFA’s branding company Global Brands Group (GBG) said on Tuesday that Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products Co. Ltd (SFPPC) must halt production of the Zakumi, the tournament mascot, until it improved working conditions.

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LONDON (Reuters) – Debt-ridden English minor league side Chester City were wound up by the High Court on Wednesday, the Press Association reported.

The 126-year-old club had been expelled from the Football Conference (fifth division) last month for failure to pay taxes of 26,125 pounds ($38,970) and without any court representation their fate was inevitable.

Chester were formed in 1885 and reached the League Cup semi-finals in 1975. They were a Football League club until their relegation to the Conference 10 years ago.

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JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Three of Israel’s best-known soccer clubs face an uncertain future after learning that they will lose their financial backers.

Alona Barkat of Hapoel Beersheba and Maccabi Netanya’s Daniel Jammer both said unruly behaviour by some fans was the final straw and announced last week that they would stop funding the two mid-table Premier League clubs at the end of the season.

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LIMA (Reuters) – The Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) has lifted a suspension imposed on champions Universitario for allegedly breaking a sponsorship deal.

Universitario did not play their league game against Total Chalaco on Saturday because of the ban.

“It is decided that the ADFP and Universitario settle the controversy before a court of arbitration,” the FPF said in a statement when it ordered the lifting of the suspension on Monday.

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MILAN (Reuters) – Italian teams Treviso and Aironi Rugby will join the Celtic League next season after an agreement was finally reached, officials said on Monday.

The idea to allow Italian sides to play in the Irish, Scottish and Welsh domestic league was conceived years ago but months of controversy had beset the proposal.

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