‘Dodgy’ TV rights award may be gun that slays Sepp
THE smoking gun that could still bring down Fifa president Sepp Blatter and secretary-general Jerome Valcke remains the extraordinary award of the US TV rights for the 2026 World Cup to Fox without even a tender.
Valcke admitted in February before Fifa went into meltdown that the deal was done to avoid facing legal action from Fox after shifting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from summer to winter, which will clash with coverage of the NFL.
But the other big American broadcasters remain furious about the settlement, especially with the tournament likely to be held in the US in 2026 and the cheap terms on which Fox are understood to have secured the contract.
Fox are reported to have paid around $470 million (R5.7bn), a 10 percent rise on the combined $425m cost of the US rights in Russia and Qatar. But it is believed ESPN would have made an opening bid of more than $500m in a competitive tender, with the expectation of going much higher, such is the growing popularity of football.
No wonder Blatter and Valcke have hired high-powered US lawyers to represent them as the Fifa edifice crumbles.
It was a very opportune day for Channel 4 to have their racing presenter and reporter Alice Plun- kett, wife of Olympic eventing champion William Fox-Pitt, in the royal carriage procession.
Alice could have told the Queen, who takes a huge interest in everything connected with her racecourse, that C4 viewing figures for the second day of the Royal Ascot meeting were up on the previous year. C4 had a peak of 897 000 in comparison to 742 000 in 2014, rather than the relentless downward slide.
The fuss over the ownership of Rock Of Gibraltar began after the Coolmore horse was gifted to celebrity owner Sir Alex Ferguson following its sixth-placed finish in Royal Ascot’s Coventry Stakes in 2001. But the subsequent nuclear fall-out between Fergie and Irish racing tycoons John Magnier and JP McManus over breeding rights after the horse became a serial Group One winner has not been worth it.
The Rock has proved to be a moderate stallion, producing just one Irish Classic winner. The stud fee of £8 000 (R154 500) is rather cheaper than the £300 000 paid to Galileo, who has sired two Epsom Derby winners and the prolific Frankel.
It did not seem quite right when Premier League general secretary Nic Coward explained on Tuesday that he was leaving in amicable circumstances, with no new job in the offing, because his role was being scrapped and executive chair man Richard Scud- amore was taking over his responsibilities.
It made even less sense when Coward, a former chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, explained the rationale again at Royal Ascot. Scudamore is said to be starting to plan his succession, which certainly does not include Coward, who looks to have been right royally shafted.
Sir Hugh Robertson, the former Minister for Sport much missed since not standing in the last election, has returned to sport in roundabout circumstances through his job as director of international relations for Falcon & Associates.
They promote Sheik Mohammed’s interests and are connected enough with the Godolphin racing empire for Robertson to join their post-race party at Ascot.
Martin Gillingham, former Great Britain Olympic athlete turned rugby commentator and journalist, suffered a heart attack in Auckland, New Zealand, a year ago when on the treadmill in the gym surrounded by England rugby players.
Yet 10 days later he was back in the booth for World Rugby’s Under-20 Championship. Yet rugby’s ruling body has repaid Gillingham for his work ethic by not selecting him for this year’s Under-20 coverage.
A World Rugby spokesman said: “There has been a change of production company.” – Daily Mail