A sign of the times or a foolish statement. That was the question being asked yesterday after Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, chief executive officer of AirAsia Bhd. (AIRA), announced on social media network Twitter, that he had made an approach to takeover recently relegated English soccer club West Ham United.

The club’s owners were less than impressed by Fernandes’ announcement and have rejected the offer he made, despite David Sullivan and David Gold confirming that dropping out of the Premier League will cost US$65m and players will be sold.

Sullivan said in a statement on the club’s website: “He has announced this on Twitter and people can draw their own conclusions as to the seriousness of it from that. We are not looking to sell the club, but, as we have always said, we would love co-investors to join us in rebuilding West Ham United.”

The rejection and decision was made after Fernandes had Tweeted yesterday, June 1: “For all you West Ham fans an offer has gone to the present owners of West Ham. Now we have to respect the process. Let’s see if they accept.”

Fernandes, who is also manager of Formula One’s Team Lotus, has declined to comment on the decision thus far.

Die Bundesliga wird auch in den kommenden drei Spielzeiten über den Fernsehsender ESPN in Großbritannien und Irland zu sehen sein. Eine entsprechende Vertragsverlängerung für die Spielzeiten 2012/2013 bis 2014/2015 hat die Vermarktungstochter DFL Sports Enterprises jetzt mit dem Sender abgeschlossen.

Das Rechtepaket umfasst die Live-TV-Berichterstattung von Spielen der Bundesliga, viagra canada dem Supercup, unhealthy Freundschafts- und Relegationsspiele sowie eine wöchentliche Vorschau und Highlights-Sendung. Hinzu kommen die Rechte für Inhalte über Video-on-demand sowie Online- und Mobile-Plattformen.

ESPN wird pro Woche mindestens vier Bundesliga-Spiele live in HD übertragen. Über Online- und Mobile-Portale versorgt der Sender die Fans mit News, Informationen, Analysen und exklusiven Videos.

“Mit der Vereinbarung setzen wir die erfolgreiche Partnerschaft mit ESPN in Großbritannien und Irland fort. Seit vielen Jahren ist ESPN unser verlässlicher Partner in zahlreichen Regionen der Erde, darunter auch Brasilien und die USA”, sagt Jörg Daubitzer, Geschäftsführer der DFL Sports Enterprises.

“Die Bundesliga ist eine fantastische Liga, die zu den besten in Europa gehört. Die britischen Fußballfans wissen sehr viel über den Wettbewerb und engagieren sich stark für ihren Lieblingssport. Sie schätzen Spiele, Spieler und Clubs mit Top-Qualität und widmen der Bundesliga deshalb neben anderem Top-Fußball sehr viel Aufmerksamkeit”, sagt Jeroen Oerlemans, ESPN-Vice President Europe, Middle East and Africa.

According to accountancy group Deloitte’s calculations, Swansea 4-2 victory over Reading in the English Championship soccer play-off final will see the Welsh side effectively win around £90m (US$129.6m) through promotion to the Premier League.

The amount is the biggest prize in domestic soccer and includes more than £40m ($57.6m) of higher broadcast income, gate receipts and commercial income next season.

Swansea will also get payments of up to £48m ($69.1m) if immediately relegated back to the Championship next term.

Paul Rawnsley, director of the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, said: “In financial terms, the Championship play-off final offers the winning club the most substantial prize in world football.

“Promotion offers an unparalleled, and potentially one-off, opportunity to strengthen the foundations of a club for years to come, through sound investment in long-term infrastructure, in addition to the expected player acquisitions in the short term.”

ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s No. 1 sports content provider, today announced that it has reached a multi-year broadcast rights agreement for exclusive coverage of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) in India.

The first edition of this T20 league will be played in August 2012.

The multi-year deal includes a minimum of 24 T20 matches per season. The first edition of the SLPL will see seven provisional teams compete for the coveted trophy as well as a qualifier berth to the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) to be held later this year. The SLPL will feature 42 international players participating from seven countries. STAR Cricket, STAR Sports and ESPN will broadcast all the matches live and exclusive in India starting on 11 August 2012.

ESPN STAR Sports’ broadcast rights agreement also includes live coverage of the SLPL in the territories of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand

These rights, in addition to the existing T20 leagues from Australia, England and Bangladesh and along with CLT20 and ICC WT20 make ESS the undisputed leaders in this coveted cricket format.

Speaking on the occasion, Peter Hutton, Managing Director, ESPN STAR Sports, said, “We are delighted to be able to telecast the live matches of the SLPL in India and throughout the region. It is an excellent addition to STAR Cricket’s remarkable catalogue of content in the next year, headlined by India’s home series against Pakistan, England and New Zealand, the ICC World T20, the Champions League T20 and the ICC Champions trophy.

“Sri Lanka cricket becomes the 6th cricket body with whom we are working on the shortest form of the game. Our coverage of Australia’s Big Bash and the T20 leagues in England and Bangladesh have already shown our commitment to the format, and we look to further growing our live cricket content.”

The SLPL will see all leading international and domestic cricketers from Sri Lanka joining hands with talented U-21 players. The tournament has also attracted players from Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and West Indies.

According to UEFA Champions League sponsors Mastercard, the winners of tomorrow’s final, May 28, between Manchester United and Barcelona, will receive a record US$178m.

The report, put forward by Professor Simon Chadwick of the sport business unit at Coventry University, says that the losing club in the final is still set to gain $103.9m. The final match alone is now worth an estimated $525.25m, a rise of $24.9m on last year and an increase from when the two sides met in the 2009 final, of $84m.

Due to the English capitals staging of the game at Wembley, London is expected to benefit to the tune of $74m as fans spend money at the stadium, on accommodation, and on food and drink.

The report says the estimation that this year’s final will break all economic records was in large part down to the two finalists.

Chadwick stated: “While the UEFA Champions League is a strong brand in its own right, the nature and strength of the brand is clearly heavily influenced by its constituent parts – the participating clubs.

“This year’s UEFA Champions League final has the perfect ingredients to drive economic activity – Europe’s two biggest clubs playing in a city such as London.”

Melita has secured the exclusive TV rights for The FA Cup, find the Community Shield  as well as the broadcasting of home friendly and qualifier matches for the English national team until 2014.

As from August 2012, anesthetist Melita will be broadcasting some 60 matches from The FA Cup, as well as the prestigious Community Shield. These matches will be broadcast as part of the Melita Sports package including simultaneous broadcast in High Definition.

“These great sporting events will join the other events in our portfolio such as the UEFA Europa League, and Bundesliga. We know that the English national team has a great following in Malta and we wanted to ensure that the Maltese TV viewers get access to these events,” said Michael Darmanin, Director of Business Services and Marketing at Melita.  

“These events also complement our wider sports offering with extensive coverage of local sports on Malta Stars, UEFA Champions League on TVM, US sports on ESPN HD as well athletics, tennis and more on Eurosport HD, motor sports on Motors TV, fishing and sailing on Caccia e Pesca and Nautical channel respectively and so much more”, 

Mark Shannon, Head of Broadcast at The FA, added: “The Football Association is delighted to announce a new partnership in Malta with Melita. We are very aware of how popular and well supported both the English National team and The FA Cup are in the country. We are very much looking forward to working with Melita to further enhance both this support and The FA’s competitions, in the years to come.”

Alisher Usmanov, the Russian billionaire and second largest shareholder in English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, is attempting to block American Stan Kroenke’s bid to take full control of the club.

Kroenke became the majority shareholder last month after buying the stock belonging to Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith and the late Danny Fizsman and as a result, was forced to table a formal takeover for all the club’s shares.

The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) indicated that they would not be selling their eight per cent holding, as well as encouraging Usmanov to retain his stock with spokesman Tim Payton stating: “We still advise small shareholders to hold their shares because it’s about joint custodianship of the club.”

The Russian has been purchasing shares at US$23,000 each from minority holders in recent weeks and in doing so, has increased his shareholding slightly to just over 27 per cent.

This represents a $2,458 increase on the $20,485 he has been paying for shares to date, and a spokesman for Usmanov’s Red & White Holdings Ltd, which the Russian created to purchase club stock, indicated that formal offers could be sent in the next day.

Kroenke, who owns approximately 64 per cent of the club, has offered $19,256 per share to holders who have until today, May 27, to accept his offer.

Usmanov has also made it clear that he does not intend to sell his shares to Kroenke, whilst the American has refused to meet his counterpart to discuss plans for the club going forward.

Setanta has secured the Australian broadcasting rights to the English football league’s second tier, hospital the NPower Championship.

The broadcaster will show three games per round, including the play-off at the end of the season in May.

It takes on the rights from Fox Sports.

Setanta has also picked up the Capital One Cup, formerly known as the Carling Cup, and the rights to the UEFA Europa league, although part of the coverage will be shared by SBS.

Fox has the rights to the English Premier League, the upper tier of English football.

After newly promoted English Premier League soccer club Queens Park Rangers sacked its CEO Ishan Saksena, vice chairman Amit Bhatia quit after a boardroom disagreement.

Bhatia is the son-in-law of Lakshmi Mittal, the metals billionaire whose family owns a third of the west London team. QPR also said Ishan Saksena, chairman of QPR Holdings Ltd., had “parted company” with the club, which is majority-owned by Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone.

The team recently survived a probe by the Football Association (FA) into a player signing that could have cost QPR a promotion-blocking penalty.

QPR said on its website: “Bhatia has stated his disagreement with some of the decisions taken by the board majority, namely season ticket prices and changes in the club management following the handing of the F.A. inquiry.”

Bhatia said in an open letter to fans cited by Press Association Sport: “It is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation. However, it is clear to me from recent board meetings that my vision, strategy and direction for the club is very different from that of the other shareholders and board members.”

He added that the “decisions to sack club CEO and chairman Ishan Saksena and significantly increase season ticket prices are just two of the decisions I disagree with.”

The club have come in for huge criticism having hiked their ticket prices by 40 per cent following promotion to the elite league of English soccer. QPR claim that the decision was made in alignment with the other London clubs in the league, three of whom are high-fliers Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.

The most expensive ticket next season will cost £72 (US$117.4), a massive 106 per cent increase from last term. The most expensive season ticket will cost £999 ($1,629), a £300 ($489) increase on the club’s Championship season, which included four more home games. The cheapest adult season ticket is £549 ($895), compared with £379 ($617.9) at nearby Fulham, and the average price is £739 ($1205), a rise in real terms of more than 57 per cent. The cheapest tickets will be £47 ($76.6) – more than double this term’s £20 ($32.6).

ESPN have secured Oceania rights to the UEFA Champions League for the until 2015. 

ESPN has obtained  the pay rights to all matches and will broadcast two live matches per matchnight, buy including the final, on its channels ESPN and ESPN2. ESPN will also broadcast each matchweek the Wednesday highlights programme and four delayed matches.

All rights have been granted on a platform-neutral basis with the rights being exploited on television, on broadband network ESPN3.com available in Australia, on the internet via ESPN.com, as well as on mobile.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA Events SA, said: “UEFA is delighted to renew its partnership with ESPN for the UEFA Champions League in Oceania. ESPN has proven its commitment and dedication to the competition and UEFA looks forward to continuing this successful relationship through to 2015.”