Sponsorship & Marketing

After a week of accusations and counter accusations, the FIFA ISL/ISMM crisis took another turn at the weekend with the revelations that ISL/ISMM had received a Sfr277m($155.9m) syndicated loan in 1999 from Swiss bank UBS and that FIFA withdrew support for a Sfr700m($349m) bond issue that the bankrupt marketing agency was hoping to help keep itself afloat.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is confident there will be little or no fallout from the bankruptcy of Swiss firm ISL/ISSM, who held the marketing and sponsorship rights to next year's African Nations Cup finals in Mali.

Members of Real Madrid have voted to approve the club's plan to sell its city-centre training facilities in order to clear its huge debts of more than $250 million.

Chairman of bankrupt International Sports Media and Marketing (ISMM) Christoph Malms denied in a Swiss Sunday newspaper article any suggestions by FIFA president Sepp Blatter that ISMM may have improperly diverted funds paid to it by Brazil's TV Globo.

FIFA will compensate the Spanish organisers and 12 clubs involved in the World Club Championship, postponed last week until 2003.

The International Amateur Athletic Federation's (IAAF) annual grand prix final will be held over two days from 2003 and at the same venue every year, IAAF president Lamine Diack said on Sunday.

Telecommunications giant Vodafone has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the Ferrari Formula One team for an undisclosed sum.

Soccer's most powerful administrator will face the world's media today as pressure mounts for him to sort out his organisation's finances or quit.

The Australian Football League (AFL) has banned the Hawthorn Hawks from agreeing a sponsorship deal with mobile phone retailer Crazy John?s that would see the sponsor?s logo tattooed onto the arms of all of the team?s players.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Friday he would not step down following the collapse of marketing agent ISL and refused to call an extraordinary meeting of FIFA's executive committee.

Over ten per cent of spectators at English Premier League soccer matches earn more than #50,000 ($71,000) a year and Chelsea fans are the most well off supporters in the league, according to a survey.

UEFA president Lennart Johansson has called on FIFA chief Sepp Blatter to explain the collapse of FIFA's marketing agent ISL and the cancellation of the World Club championship or face the consequences, which could lead to his removal as president of the game's ruling body.

Brazilian drinks giant AmBev said it had taken over from Coca Cola as the sponsor of the Brazilian soccer team with an 18-year contract that would cost the firm $180m.

Basketball?s governing body FIBA is believed to be locked in talks with sport marketing?s new super group after the collapse of ISL.

Bill Wilson, chairman and chief executive of Teamtalk, the independent online sports content provider, has told sportbusiness.com that his company will not move out of the red until 2003.

Tiger Woods has signed a five-year deal with The Upper Deck Company for an undisclosed amount.