Football

Once a close confidante of Sepp Blatter, former diplomat Jérôme Champagne is now a challenger to his FIFA presidency. Matt Cutler travelled to Zurich to speak to Champagne and understand why he wants to achieve what many believe is impossible: uprooting the near-untouchable head of world football.

MLS (Major League Soccer) is undergoing an image makeover in an attempt to unite their fast-growing competition.  

The English Premier League looks set for another bumper increase when it sells its domestic broadcast rights next year. But what strategies are currently being discussed to try and replicate that kind of increase in the other big four European football leagues? Frank Dunne, Editor of TV Sports Markets, asked the decision-makers in Spanish, French, German and Dutch football at last month’s SPORTELMonaco.

World football’s governing body used the 2014 FIFA World Cup as a testing ground for three broadcast innovations that, in the long-term, could transform the way fans watch sport’s biggest event. Owen Evans reports.

A look at the new wave of Chinese sponsors following in the footsteps of their Korean counterparts by investing in sport.

Will the already-maligned world of football transfers turn even murkier when FIFA scraps the official football agent’s licence next spring?

Antonio Zea, director for global football innovation at adidas, writes exclusively for SportBusiness International about being at the forefront of football’s technological revolution.

Don Garber, MLS (Major League Soccer) Commissioner, spoke to Owen Evans about David Beckham, battling cancer and his plans to push soccer onto the top table of sport in the United States.

What’s the better option: renovating a stadium, or upping sticks and building a brand new venue on a different site? All major sports teams have been faced with the conundrum at some point. Elisha Chauhan spoke to expert stadia consultants to find out the latest thinking in the pros and cons of both options.

UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino addressed several of the biggest issues facing European football today at the Leaders Sport Business Summit, and backed some of the federation’s big policies, including financial fair play and the expanded Euro tournament.

Jeffrey Webb, FIFA vice-president and president of CONCACAF, has called on football's world governing body to reintroduce the continental rotation of the World Cup.

Owen Evans looks at how mobile digital platform Fanmode is looking to monetise the emotional behaviour of football fans watching a game. 

Sports e-commerce specialist Kitbag works with most of football’s major brands, operating globally from a base in the north of England. But new sports and new approaches to selling sportswear and merchandise are seeing the company diversify. Matt Cutler spoke to CEO Andy Anson.

Can a UEFA Champions League sponsorship help Nissan overcome consumer indifference and create an exciting brand? Kevin Roberts reports.

Esteve Calzada, former Chief Commercial Officer at Spanish football giant Barcelona and now CEO of Primetime Sport, writes exclusively for SportBusiness International about the implications of another record-breaking European transfer window.

Kevin Roberts: UEFA’s Euro 2020 success, FIFA’s 2022 World Cup regress

Airtel Africa’s key objectives was to become more engaged with the youth population in each of its territories. Given that football ranks as the greatest passion amongst the African people, a partnership with Manchester United was perfectly aligned with Airtel’s objective.