CYPRUS MAIL Wednesday, July 18, 2012
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Sport
Forbes: Manchester United world’s most valuable team
Dundee ‘deserve place’ in the SPL
Red Devils retain title in annual list
By Gavin McCafferty
By Frank Pingue ENGLISH football giants Manchester United retained their title as the world’s most valuable sports team, according to an annual top 50 list released by Forbes this week that was dominated by National Football League (NFL) franchises. The 19-time English champions, who are preparing for a listing on the New York Stock Exchange, were valued at $2.23 billion, up from $1.86 billion last year and 19 percent above No. 2 Real Madrid ($1.88 billion). All 32 NFL franchises made the top 50 list with the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots and Super Bowl champion New York Giants all securing spots in the top 10. The only teams in the top 10 that do not play football or American football were Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees, who were tied at third with the Cowboys, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were tied with the Patriots at No. 6. The top 50 list included seven football teams, with Arsenal falling three places to 10th overall and Barcelona rising 18 spots to eighth. Ferrari was the top motor racing team, listed at 15th, while the New York Knicks, in 43rd place, were the lone National Basketball Association franchise to make the list. United, who are owned by the Glazer family who also
Manchester United, who have won the English top-flight title a record 19 times, saw their value increase from last year own the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, can thank the many lucrative global sponsorship deals in their arsenal for their top ranking. Insurer Aon are currently paying £19.8 million a year until 2014 to have their name on the team’s shirts. DHL Express also recently signed a four-year deal with the club worth a reported £40 million to sponsor United’s training shirts, in a first for a practice kit sponsorship deal for football in the UK, while sports brand Nike manages the team’s merchandise sales in an agreement worth approximately £25 million annually. On Monday night, United
began their 22,000-mile preseason preparations with former captain Gary Neville warning Sir Alex Ferguson will soon discover if anyone he does not have the hunger to wrestle the Premier League title back from Manchester City. There was no sense of lingering disappointment at Durban airport as enthusiastic locals welcomed their heroes following a 13-hour flight from Manchester. Tonight’s encounter with AmaZulu - on Nelson Mandela’s 94th birthday - should provide an uplifting backdrop to a run of six games in five countries ahead of the season-opening trip to
Everton on August 20. After going so close last term only to lose out to their fierce local rivals, Neville expects his old club to fight back hard. And he knows anyone found wanting by Ferguson has a limited future at Old Trafford. “You feed off the manager,” he said. “It is like your parents or a schoolteacher. His influence cannot help but rub off on you; your principles and how you live your life, how you want to be. The drive, determination and never-say-die attitude. If it doesn’t rub off you won’t be at the club anymore.”
THE TOP TEN 1- Man United $2.23b 2- Real Madrid $1.88b 3- New York Yankees $1.85b 3- Dallas Cowboys $1.85b 5- Washington Redskins $1.56b 6- Los Angeles Dodgers $1.40b 6- New England Patriots $1.40b 8- Barcelona $1.31b 9- New York Giants $1.30b 10- Arsenal $1.29b
Police investigating ‘choc ice’ tweet against Cole
Chelsea and England star Ashley Cole gave evidence in the John Terry race trial only last week
POLICE are investigating racist comments made against footballer Ashley Cole on social networking site Twitter, just days after his team-mate John Terry was cleared of racism. A user, believed to be a man from the Derbyshire area, referred to Chelsea star Cole as a “choc ice” on the site. Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand then replied: “I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic hahahahahaha!!”. Derbyshire Police said it was now investigating the original Tweet after receiving complaints from members of the public. The incident comes after Chelsea captain Terry was cleared of a racially aggravated public order offence at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last week.
It was alleged Terry had maliciously called Rio’s brother Anton a “f****** black c***” during a game last October. Cole, 31, had told the trial that Terry, his Stamford Bridge captain, was not racist. Derbyshire Police said it was now investigating the comments made on Twitter at the weekend after receiving a number of complaints from members of the public. The ‘choc ice’ term is understood to mean ‘black on the outside, white on the inside.’ A spokeswoman for Derbyshire Constabulary said: “We have received complaints from members of the public regarding alleged racist comments made on a social networking site. “These concerns will be fully investigated to establish
whether any criminal offences have been committed.” Cole moved to calm the situation at the weekend after users began discussing the comments and reacting to them. In a statement issued through his lawyers, the footballer said: “Ashley Cole has been made aware of the discussion following comments appearing on Twitter and wishes to make it clear that he and Rio Ferdinand are good friends and Ashley has no intention of making any sort of complaint. “Ashley appreciates that Tweeting is so quick it often results in off-hand and stray comments.” Ferdinand later tweeted: “What I said is not a racist term. It’s a type of slang/term used by many for someone who is being fake. So there.”
SCOTTISH Premier League chief executive Neil Doncaster insisted Dundee deserve their place in the top flight under “sporting merit” despite protestations from Dunfermline. Irn-Bru First Division runners-up Dundee were invited to replace soonto-be-liquidated Rangers following the SPL’s annual general meeting. The decision was backed by clubs but appeared to have been taken weeks ago in discussions between the SPL, Scottish football Association and Scottish Football League executives - a situation that has angered Dunfermline, who finished bottom of the SPL last season. Doncaster said: “The clubs looked at it and overwhelmingly they felt that on sporting merit, Dundee had the best case and that’s why they have received the invite.” Dunfermline have argued that historical precedent favours them, for example bottom club Motherwell staying up in 2003 when First Division champions Falkirk failed to secure a compliant stadium. “That was at a time when those clubs were not compliant with SPL criteria, in which case there was no relegation,” Doncaster said. “Relegation happened last year. Dunfermline were relegated, Ross County were promoted. “This is an exceptional circumstance when there has been a further vacancy created and in those circumstances it is for the clubs themselves in the SPL to determine who they wish to invite. “They felt that on sporting merit Dundee were bestplaced to get the invitation. There was no formal vote, there was an overwhelming view that Dundee was the right call in terms of sporting fairness.” Dunfermline have vowed to take legal advice on the matter but Doncaster would not be drawn on the prospect. “That’s an issue for them,” he said. Meanwhile, the SPL will not re-draw the fixture list even with Dundee and near neighbours Dundee United now due to play at home on the same weekend on a number of occasions this season. Doncaster said: “The fixtures will be as they are but there will clearly be an element of flexibility required, both with potentially Rangers and Celtic being at home the same weekend, and Dundee and Dundee United being at home on the same weekend. “We will work with the police and the clubs to work through those implications.”