ITV

Tag: Soccer

  • PBL: Setting stage for next big thing on Indian sporting landscape

    PBL: Setting stage for next big thing on Indian sporting landscape

    MUMBAI: India has witnessed the emergence of a multi-sports culture over the past few years. This significant development has come on the back of a promising display by Indian sportspersons across various disciplines, the meteoric rise of home grown leagues and the consequent widening of the fan base of sports such as badminton, kabaddi, soccer, hockey, and wrestling.

    Badminton has always been one of the precursors in attracting the attention of the Indian sports fan to the sporting universe that extends beyond Cricket. The Sindhu vs Marin final at the Olympic Games attracted a whopping 17 million viewers, making it the most watched Olympics tie ever in the country. However, the popularity of badminton is not driven just by this record breaking match. Over the past five years, we have seen more and more Indians breaking into the top 20 world rankings. Badminton outsells every other sport in terms of sales on e-commerce portals. Courts are mushrooming all over the country in new age residential complexes and sports clubs. The sport is truly on its way to becoming mainstream for a new generation of Indians.

    The Premier Badminton League, launched in 2016, aims to target this generation of youngsters. Being the richest badminton league in the world, the second edition is expected to feature the world’s best players including Spain’s Carolina Marin, China’s Lin Dan, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen and Jan O Jorgensen, Thailand’s RatchanokIntanon, and Korea’s Lee Yong Dae and YooYeon Song, amongst others facing off in front of Indian fans.

    2016 has been a great year for Indian Badminton with Saina Nehwal’s Australian Super Series victory and Kidambi Srikanth’s south Asian games singles’ gold giving company to Sindhu’s silver medal finish at the Olympics. India is fast emerging as a force in the world of Badminton and giving traditional powerhouses like China, Indonesia and Malaysia a run for their money with performances from the likes of Parupalli Kashyap, B Sai Praneeth, PC Thulasi complementing those of Saina, Srikanth and Sindhu. The Premier Badminton League has been one of the catalysts to lead this change in terms of bringing the home grown stars to compete with the global talent in a league that matches the standards of any world class tournament.

    While the inaugural edition proved to be the ideal training ground for PV Sindhu to build herself for the Olympics, winning all five matches that she played for Chennai Smashers, the Premier Badminton League has also brought the talent of youngsters like Siril Verma, Vrushalli Gummaddi and Manu Attri to the fore. The league, under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India has played an important role in bringing in more and more international stars to the Indian shores and allowing the Indian talent to lock horns with the best in the world and hone their own skills in the process.

    With badminton steadily amplifying its reach to the Indian sports fan resulting from promising performances of the Indian players in international tournaments, the Premier Badminton League provided a healthy boost in terms of viewership numbers allowing for badminton to reach to a more diverse audience base.The League introduced the fresh idea for a format in which each of the competing teams will nominate one match in each tie as their trump card to further stimulate the element of audience interest in the tournament. A victory by the team that picks the particular game as its trump will provide it with one extra point but a defeat will set it back by one point, the intent being generating intrigue that would keep the ties alive till the very end, providing edge of the seat action to the viewer.

    Further, the league provided recognition to those who are the most integral part of the sport – the players. Top stars Saina Nehwal and Lee Chong Wei fetched contracts amounting to US$100,000, while Indian shuttlers P.V. Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth were bought for a whopping US$95,000 and US$80,000, respectively.

    The tournament was not only instrumental in raising the stature and ‘relatability’ of the sport amongst the Indian audience but also played a key role in enhancing the reach of the sport to a more global audience. With the next edition of the tournament slated for December 2016, we are already salivating at the prospect of watching the rematch between Sindhu and Marin. There could not be a better way to kick off the new year for sports fans in India.

  • Relive Euro Cup’s experience with handy gadgets

    Relive Euro Cup’s experience with handy gadgets

    MUMBAI: Passion for the sport is what drives all Soccer fans to turn up in huge numbers at the stadium or snuggle up comfortably on the couch to not miss even a second of the game. While not everyone can be lucky enough to witness the craziness live, the experience can be made as real as possible with the following gadgets:

    Say Bye to Noise with Sennheiser Wireless Headphones

    All soccer fans follow a ‘No Disturbance’ policy when it comes to the game! Well, who wants to be disturbed while your eyes are glued to an interesting game. Thus Sennheiser offers you a wireless aural experience with its Wireless Headphones series – RS 165, RS 175, RS 185 and RS 195. With no cable coming between you and your game, the experience of watching the game while relaxing on your couch becomes real – like you were cheering for your team in the stadium. You get the best interference-free sound, a crystal clear audio experience with highly reliable connectivity, low latency and excellent range! RS 165 – INR 15,990; RS 175 – INR 19,990; RS 185 – INR 27,990 and RS 195 – INR 31,990.

    Game Mode ON with the Around YU on YUNICORN

    While you are watching your favourite team play, how do you satiate your hunger pangs, or maybe book a cab for your girlfriend? Of course, you can’t miss your match however these mundane tasks need a closure. Worry NOT. Around, an integrated service suite solves all your problems with one touch ( or rather a swipe). When you use Around, you find all your needs in one window, it’s almost like a super-mart for your daily needs. You have a multiple tabs for Taxis, Food, Travel tickets and even health. Around aggregates all major travel operators such as Ola and offline taxi service providers, has an integration with Zomato that helps you order food from neighbouring outlets. So let AROUND take care of your tasks while you get your GAME MODE ON.

    Get a stadium-like experience with Micromax’s 50 inch 4K TV 

    The Micromax 4K TV has everything you could possibly want from a television, including Internet connectivity, smart functionality powered by an Android-based user interface, a long list of connectivity options and a screen that can handle 3840×2160 pixels. So what if you can’t go to France to watch the Euro Cup? Bring the stadium to your home with Micromax’s 50 inch 4K Television to enjoy the Euro Cup 2016.

    Access scores faster and watch highlights with no buffering 

    Opera Max is a data management app that also optimizes data used across all applications on smart phones. Its compression technology helps users get up to 50% more from their data plans, especially on usage of image- and video-heavy apps. If you are following Euro Cup from your mobile device, it’s best to keep Opera Max switched on throughout. You can block all other apps from using data in the foreground as well as background and stay updated with live scores that will load much faster. Catching up on match highlights will also be a breeze because videos will load fast with almost zero buffering – despite your sketchy mobile network speed. 

  • Relive Euro Cup’s experience with handy gadgets

    Relive Euro Cup’s experience with handy gadgets

    MUMBAI: Passion for the sport is what drives all Soccer fans to turn up in huge numbers at the stadium or snuggle up comfortably on the couch to not miss even a second of the game. While not everyone can be lucky enough to witness the craziness live, the experience can be made as real as possible with the following gadgets:

    Say Bye to Noise with Sennheiser Wireless Headphones

    All soccer fans follow a ‘No Disturbance’ policy when it comes to the game! Well, who wants to be disturbed while your eyes are glued to an interesting game. Thus Sennheiser offers you a wireless aural experience with its Wireless Headphones series – RS 165, RS 175, RS 185 and RS 195. With no cable coming between you and your game, the experience of watching the game while relaxing on your couch becomes real – like you were cheering for your team in the stadium. You get the best interference-free sound, a crystal clear audio experience with highly reliable connectivity, low latency and excellent range! RS 165 – INR 15,990; RS 175 – INR 19,990; RS 185 – INR 27,990 and RS 195 – INR 31,990.

    Game Mode ON with the Around YU on YUNICORN

    While you are watching your favourite team play, how do you satiate your hunger pangs, or maybe book a cab for your girlfriend? Of course, you can’t miss your match however these mundane tasks need a closure. Worry NOT. Around, an integrated service suite solves all your problems with one touch ( or rather a swipe). When you use Around, you find all your needs in one window, it’s almost like a super-mart for your daily needs. You have a multiple tabs for Taxis, Food, Travel tickets and even health. Around aggregates all major travel operators such as Ola and offline taxi service providers, has an integration with Zomato that helps you order food from neighbouring outlets. So let AROUND take care of your tasks while you get your GAME MODE ON.

    Get a stadium-like experience with Micromax’s 50 inch 4K TV 

    The Micromax 4K TV has everything you could possibly want from a television, including Internet connectivity, smart functionality powered by an Android-based user interface, a long list of connectivity options and a screen that can handle 3840×2160 pixels. So what if you can’t go to France to watch the Euro Cup? Bring the stadium to your home with Micromax’s 50 inch 4K Television to enjoy the Euro Cup 2016.

    Access scores faster and watch highlights with no buffering 

    Opera Max is a data management app that also optimizes data used across all applications on smart phones. Its compression technology helps users get up to 50% more from their data plans, especially on usage of image- and video-heavy apps. If you are following Euro Cup from your mobile device, it’s best to keep Opera Max switched on throughout. You can block all other apps from using data in the foreground as well as background and stay updated with live scores that will load much faster. Catching up on match highlights will also be a breeze because videos will load fast with almost zero buffering – despite your sketchy mobile network speed. 

  • ESPN announces new film series, 30 for 30: Soccer Stories

    ESPN announces new film series, 30 for 30: Soccer Stories

    WORLD: ESPN Films, creators of the critically-acclaimed 30 for 30 film series, will premiere a new series in April surrounding the 2014 FIFA World Cup on ESPN. 30 for 30: Soccer Stories will include a mix of standalone feature-length and 30-minute-long documentary films from an award winning group of filmmakers telling compelling narratives from around the international soccer landscape. In addition, a collection of 10 vignettes about Brazil’s rich culture will be featured throughout ESPN’s FIFA World Cup programming.

     

    “With ESPN being the home of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, we know that sports fans will be looking forward to high quality content focused on what is perhaps the world’s most revered sport,” said Connor Schell, VP of ESPN Films and Original Content. “We feel this is the perfect time to expand upon the success of our 30 for 30 series by focusing this collection on some of the incredible stories of soccer’s legendary past.”

     

    Two feature-length films:

     

    Hillsborough, Directed by Daniel Gordon

     

    25 years ago, on April 15, 1989, the worst disaster in British football history occurred in an overcrowded stadium in Sheffield, England, 150 miles north of London. 3,000 fans flocked through the turnstiles to head to the area reserved for standing, despite a capacity of less than half of that. The result was a “human crush” that killed 96 people and injured 766.  Initially the police blamed fans for the disaster, but a long investigation revealed that was not the truth. Prior to the disaster at Hillsborough, British football was known for the grime of its stadiums, hooligan fans and inadequate facilities, but great change came after the Hillsborough disaster. What emerged is now known as the most rich and powerful soccer league in the world, the English Premier League.

     

    White, Blue and White, Directed by Camilo Antolini; Produced by Juan José Campanella

     

    Although a large number of Argentinian players have found football success around the world, few have made a name for themselves in England’s top league. One notable exception is Ossie Ardiles. Fresh off Argentina’s victory in the 1978 World Cup, Ardiles and his compatriot, Ricky Villa, joined Tottenham Hotspur later that year, when the notion of overseas players was still new to the English league. Helping lead Spurs to victory in the 1981 FA Cup, the Argentinian stars became cult heroes in England. But on April 2, 1982, everything radically changed as Argentinian troops descended on the British-ruled Falkland Islands, asserting rightful sovereignty. A conflicted Ardiles returned to Buenos Aires two days later, his bright future with Spurs suddenly in question.

     

    Six 30-minute films:

     

    Garrincha: Crippled Angel, Directed by Marcos Horacio Azevedo

     

    In Brazil, Pelé is “The King.” But his teammate, Mané Garrincha, is also remembered as the one of the best soccer players of all time. In a country where the sport grants its protagonists such royal deference, Garrincha is the jester– an entertainer who amused crowds and turned soccer into an irresistible spectacle, all while helping Brazil capture two World Cups. This, despite his legs being so bent that early in his career doctors deemed him unfit to play professionally. Match after match, he proved them wrong. But his unpredictable moves were of little assistance after his playing career came to an end. Abandoned by the soccer establishment, Garrincha died a victim of alcoholism in 1983. But his fans did not forget him. His body was brought to a cemetery, in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Garrincha’s relatives had to borrow a grave, which turned out to be too small for his coffin. Thousands of people flooded the tiny burial ground, much more than the place could accommodate. After 49 years of a brilliant career and tumultuous life, the man who turned soccer into a “Beautiful Game” was memorably laid to rest. His legend lives on.

     

    Barbosa – The Man Who Made All of Brazil Cry, Directed by Loch Phillipps; Executive Producers: Jonathan Hock & Roger Bennett

     

    In 1949, Goalkeeper Moacir Barbosa and his Brazilian national team are on top of the world, having just won the South American championship by a score of 7-0. Barbosa is one of the heroes, widely considered one of the world’s best goalkeepers. But everything changed during the 1950 World Cup, played for the first time in Brazil. Before the final game against neighbor and rival Uruguay, the Brazilian Football Confederation was so confident of victory it had made 22 gold medals with the names of their players imprinted on them. With 11 minutes left, Uruguay shocked the estimated crowd of 200,000 at Marcana and scored the winning goal – a goal that is still considered to be the greatest sporting tragedy to befall Brazil. The blame was mostly pinned on Barbosa for being out of position on his goal line, tantamount to Bill Buckner letting a baseball roll between his legs. The country went into a deep mourning, fans committed suicide, and Barbosa was nationally blacklisted. Barbosa was considered cursed and he never played in another World Cup. He rotted away, practically penniless and alone. On July 13th, the 2014 World Cup Final will again take place at the Maracana, giving the Brazilian team the chance to write a new ending into Brazilian folklore.

     

    Ceasefire Massacre, Directed by Alex Gibney and Trevor Birney

     

    New Jersey, June 18, 1994. Giants Stadium is awash with green as Irish soccer fans arrive to watch Ireland’s opening World Cup match against the mighty Italy. The sense of optimism is infectious. The Celtic Tiger is in its infancy, Bill Clinton’s decision to grant a visa to Irish Republican leader Gerry Adams has propelled the peace process forward and Jack Charlton’s team are walking onto the pitch before 75,000 fervent spectators made up of Irish, Italians and Americans of Irish and Italian decent. Amongst the fans is Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds who is sitting with members of an American group who’ve been working behind-the-scenes to end the conflict in Northern Ireland. The electrifying mood is shared by the supporters watching the match in the Heights Bar, a tiny pub in the Northern Irish village of Loughin Island, 24 miles south of Belfast. At the half, the Irish are remarkably ahead 1-0. Shortly after the second half begins, two masked gunmen belonging to a Protestant terror group burst into the Heights Bar. Thirty rounds are fired and six innocent men watching a soccer match were killed. Ceasefire Massacre will reveal how the juxtaposition of the jubilation felt inside Giants Stadium against the horrors of what happened in the Heights Bar, encapsulated the mood of the time. After 25-years of conflict, Ireland and her people longed for peace and prosperity but the brutalities of the violence in the North were never far from the surface. The gunning down of innocent men as they watched a soccer match marked both a low-point and a turning-point in the Northern Ireland conflict; one that would ultimately contribute to the paramilitaries on both sides calling ceasefires just weeks later.

     

    The Opposition, Directed by Ezra Edelman; Co-directed by Jeffrey Plunkett

     

    In the wake of the 1973 military coup in Chile, American-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet transformed Santiago’s National Stadium into a concentration camp where political opponents were tortured and assassinated. Only months later, that same stadium was scheduled to host a decisive World Cup qualifier between Chile and the Soviet Union. Despite protests, FIFA’s own investigation, and the Soviet’s eventual boycott, the Chilean team still played the game as planned, qualifying for the 1974 World Cup on a goal scored against no one.

     

    Mysteries of The Jules Rimet Trophy, Directed by Brett Ratner

     

    Inspired by Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the nation that won FIFA’s World Cup and was among the most coveted prizes in all of sports. It is also the sports prize shrouded in the most intrigue – with the whereabouts of the original trophy unknown to this day. This film focuses on the great prize’s first brush with crime – a Nazi plan to steal the Rimet Trophy from Italy during World War II. The story unfolds like a great caper film, where our hero, Ottorino Barassi, a mild-mannered Italian soccer official, attempts to protect a valued treasure.

     

    Maradona ’86, Directed by Sam Blair; Executive Produced by John Battsek

     

    In the 1986 World Cup, Maradona redefined what is possible for one man to accomplish on the soccer field. Already a figure of notoriety, but with one failed World Cup behind him, Maradona took possession of the international stage in Mexico, the spotlight rarely drifting from him as he wrote an indelible history with his feet and, of course, with a hand from God. Delivered with passion and intelligence, Maradona ‘86 is a fascinating, evocative and operatic portrait of Maradona, revealing his inner complexity and contradictions while basking in the joy and passion of his performance on the pitch as he wrote his name on soccer history forever.

     

    10 Vignettes:

     

    Coraçao, Directed by Jonathan Hock; Executive Produced by Roger Bennett

     

    Brazil’s soccer tradition does not compete with other countries’ teams: it exists on a different level. But aside from soccer success, and despite Brazil’s recent economic boom, most Americans know little about the country, its geographical richness, gripping culture, and complex recent history in which the nation has transformed from a military dictatorship to a thriving, if young, republic. This short vignette series will travel from the beaches and favelas of Rio, to Salvador – the former hub of the slave trade – on a journey of music, dance, and history, to discover the stories that lie behind Brazil’s legend and explore how Brazilian soccer is truly the expression of the soul of its people.

  • Chevrolet India gets philanthropic

    Chevrolet India gets philanthropic

    MUMBAI: To reach out to the less fortunate children in India, Chevrolet India as a part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) mission of “Driving a Better Tomorrow” along with One World Futbol Project recently announced the donation and delivery of 20,000 footballs to marginalised and underprivileged children in India, especially those who cannot afford and maintain a football.

    The unique initiative kicked off with the donation of 91 footballs to Sankalp School in Gurgaon — a school for underprivileged children, run by Gurgaon-based NGO Sankalp Welfare Society.

    “Many of these children are growing up in less privileged circumstances where sometimes a game of football could lighten up their lives by teaching them the true meaning of team spirit and fair play,” said, GM India president and MD Lowell Paddock.

     “The joy that comes from playing football can help lift their spirits and replace despair with hope. Chevrolet’s founding sponsorship of One World Futbol Project is intended to spark a worldwide movement to give children a pathway out of poverty and despair with the benefits that fitness, sport and teamwork can bring – something we call the ‘Power of Play’,” added Paddock.

    “It’s our pleasure to work with Chevrolet India to support the donation and delivery of One World Futbols — first to Sankalp School and then throughout the rest of India with Slum Soccer,” said One World Futbol Project CEO Arnold Ambiel. “The spirit of this joint collaboration will allow us to bring the power of play to more children throughout India than any of us could have done alone. And seeing the joy on the children’s faces on Children’s Day makes all these efforts worthwhile.”

  • Usha International sponsors Dr. Bharat Ram Open Sports Meet 2013 at the Lady Shri Ram College

    Usha International sponsors Dr. Bharat Ram Open Sports Meet 2013 at the Lady Shri Ram College

    NEW DELHI: Usha International has always been committed towards encouraging young and promising sporting talents in the country. Taking forward this commitment, Usha announces the commencement of the Dr. Bharat Ram Open Sports Meet 2013, at the reputed Lady Shri Ram College, in New Delhi. This is the fourth year of Usha’s association with this event.

    This will be a three day sporting event, from 25th to 27th of October and will witness participation of over 50 colleges from the Delhi- NCR region. The aim of this festival is to promote the spirit of sportsmanship, and to spread the message of peace and goodwill through unity and team spirit.

    Lady Shri Ram College is the only ladies college in Delhi University which hosts this annual sports extravaganza for both men and women. The competition covers a wide array of sports, including Basketball, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Badminton, Judo, Chess, Athletics, Lawn tennis, Shooting, Soccer etc. The inaugural ceremony for the meet is scheduled to be conducted at 10:00 am on Friday 25th Oct- 2013.

    Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Chhaya Shriram, Director, Usha International said, “We are happy to be sponsoring and convening this annual sports meet. Dr. Bharat Ram Open Sports Meet had witnessed overwhelming success in the past and we strongly believe that this year is going to be no different. We have been continuously championing the cause of supporting and promoting diverse forms of sports and extra-curricular activities across the length and breadth of the country. Our association with LSR Annual Sports Festival is another step in encouraging promising sporting talents in the country.”

    A keen supporter of Sports for over 25 years, Usha International organizes various sporting events such as Ladies Amateur Golf Events, Junior Golf Championships and Training Programmes, Mawana Marathon and now Ultimate Flying Disc Tournament.  

  • Advertisers chase soccer World Cup

    A day to go to the Fifa World Cup and fans are already geared up to pump their lungs that would scream and pound to cheer their favourite teams.

    And to attract those fans, companies around the world are devising various strategies to build consumer connect.

    These range from apparel manufacturers, airlines and TV hardware companies to gaming and DTH service providers. Everybody wants a piece of the action which comes around just once in four years.

    However, there is a certain amount of caution in the market in terms of marketing spends as the economic downturn is just over. Also, not all Fifa partners are doing activation around the event.

    Products that will be the most active are youth centric and upper middle class brands that would be targeting the urban youth. This would be important as international footballers are treated almost on par with cricketers – at least in three states. There is, as expected, some amount of activation happening in Goa, Kerala and West Bengal where the interest for soccer is high.

    Percept India joint MD Shailendra Singh notes that male specific brands for the foreseeable future would be active. “This is because marketing ultimately has to justify some sort of RoI and products that are looking for a higher sale during this period would be the ones that would market extensively,” he says.

    Boon for ESPN Star Sports: Broadcast partner ESPN Star Sports is expected to clock an advertising revenue of Rs 1 billion from the Fifa World Cup.

    ESS has sold most of its inventory and has roped in sponsors that include Vodafone, Airtel, Nokia and Samsung.

    ESS MD RC Venkateish expects a 25 per cent growth in ratings this time around. “Last time the event managed an average TVR of 2.1. We also expect families to tune in besides males. That is because the soccer World Cup cuts across TGs,” he says.

    ESS‘ bullishness is shared by a Nielsen study. According to it, eight out of 10 Indians surveyed would follow the event live on television.

    While the ratings during Fifa World Cup in terms of absolute numbers may not go up by a lot, the sheer increase in the base will see larger audiences coming into the game. There has been a lot of coverage especially in newspapers which will drive people to ESS.

    Venkateish is confident that the boost in viewership for the soccer World Cup will have a positive carry over effect to other soccer events as well like the EPL once the World Cup gets over.

    TV companies get cracking: With the sporting extravaganza being on HD, television manufacturers are looking at boosting their sales of premium products. Brands like Samsung and LG who have a global exposure to the football platform through multiple fronts will be most active.

    Analysts say television sales could grow in the region of 15 per cent as consumers prefer to upgrade to better and bigger sets. In the key markets of West Bengal, Goa and Kerala sales can actually double.

    Sony Electronics, which is a Fifa partner, will focus on launching a full range of Bravia Full HD and LED 3D TVs. The 3D push is being done as it gives the consumer a new way of looking at soccer.

    Says Sony India MD Masaru Tamagawa, “We are focussing on the soccer crazy Kerala and West Bengal. We have introduced consumer promotions in West Bengal and Kerala wherein on purchase of every Bravia LCD TV above 26 inches, the consumer shall also be a recipient of Official Fifa Football replica. Our aim is to sell around 30,000 units in West Bengal region and around 10,000 units in Kerala.”

    Haier, meanwhile, has launched their Soccer Scheme in the form of the Haier ‘Free Kick offer‘. Haier India president Eric Braganza says that this is a scratch card scheme where on purchase of any LED/ LCD TV above 81 cms (except 32S9), a customer can win 100 per cent cash back or an Adidas track jacket with an autograph from its brand ambassador John Abraham, worth Rs 2290. In terms of new products, Haier has launched a range of 117 cm inch Full HD LED backlit TVs and 140 cm LCDs.

    Panasonic India is targeting a sales turnover of Rs 750 million from Kerala, West Bengal and Goa during the event. Panasonic‘s marketing manager sports and eco products Kunal Dua points out that the company, which is the primary sponsor of the Indian football team, has kicked off road shows to promote its products during the World Cup in Kochi, Kolkata and Goa.

    “Panasonic has introduced a unique ‘Panasonic Soccer Mania 2010‘ offer on their range of ‘Viera‘ Plasma TV and LCD TVs where the customers can get assured gifts. The aim is to maximise the wave of excitement and joy during the football seasons,” he says.

    The Merchandise Scene: On the merchandise front, adidas, Nike and Puma will be active.

    adidas will supply outfit and gear to 12 teams including Spain, Argentina, Germany and France while Nike is working with nine teams and Puma with six. adidas, in fact, is sponsoring the teams that play the opening match – Mexico and South Africa. These companies leverage on the iconic status of some of the footballers. It is likely that the winner of the event will be wearing gear from one of these companies.

    Nike is cashing in on Ronaldo as part of their ‘Write The Future‘ campaign. The company will benefit in a big way if Brazil win. Puma is outfitting defending champions Italy. Adidas, meanwhile, focussed on a three-city selection event in New Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh to select six students. They will be the official ‘adidas Fifa Fair Play Flag Bearer‘ at the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa.

    More recently in Johannesburg, adidas launched The Quest with its interactive Fifa World Cup football campaign. Kicking off with a star-studded film, created in the style of a movie trailer, The Quest challenges fans from all over the world to sign up to a multi-platform digital innovation. Highlights include a Live Graphic Novel that combines live action and animation in an interactive experience that reacts as the tournament unfolds.

    Online marketplace eBay will be having some official Fifa Merchandise listed on eBay India from adidas which will be promoted on eBay. An eBay spokesperson says that this will mark the first time that eBay is promoting Fifa merchandise in India. The issue though is whether this entire buzz will translate into strong retail sales for jerseys, boots etc.

    adidas India MD Andreas Gellner says that he expects sales to multiply.

    Relay Worldwide India GM Mahesh Ranka, though, notes that companies need to get their price points right. “The fact that a jersey costs a few thousands of rupees means that a large section of fans are excluded. While merchandise will sell, it may not be significant. Also, the consumer today is very value conscious. He wants RoI on every rupee spent. Also, consumers are still facing difficult economic conditions due to inflation, home loan rates etc. Therefore, spending could be more discretionary compared with 2007 and 2008.”

    He also notes that Indians still have to grow in the merchandise realm. “We are happy following the sport, speaking and debating about it and probably have an expert comment or two. But when it comes to spending the greenbacks for the team, there has to be a good reason to do so, and for better value to prevail. Having said that, the EPL teams‘ Jerseys have sold in decent numbers – especially the bigger clubs like Man U and Chelsea.”

    Interestingly, DVDs around the event are not expected to fare as well. Collectibles are still to grow but a start should be made.

    As far as retail stores are concerned, Shoppers Stop and Landmark are rolling out Fifa-licensed merchandise. While Shoppers Stop and adidas are selling the official casual wear range, Landmark is focussing on non-apparel merchandise.

    Ranka adds that while the mood in the market is much better compared to 2006, it hasn‘t translated much in terms of marketing spends by companies. The economy has come around a full circle in last two years and even now people are being cautious of spending money on marketing.

    What is good for companies, though, is that there is more awareness about soccer. This has grown over the past four years with all the sports channels pushing it. In addition, the number of foot-balling icons has grown and the competition this time is more open. There are more than the usual two or three suspects. So the reach for the event will be much more compared to 2006.

    According to a recent study, Manchester United has close to 13 million fans in India, while Chelsea has close to nine million fans.

    In South Africa, meanwhile, the rush for merchandise related to the event is high. But there is a lot of counterfeit merchandise that is also being sold which is hurting the manufacturing industry. Fifa‘s official World Cup suppliers are losing thousands of dollars.

    Gaming: Another product category that will benefit is gaming. Zapak, for instance, expects millions of game plays for Power Soccer which is its MMOG launched last year.

    7Seas Technologies will launch two games, Soccer Ball and Soccer Tournament, to coincide with the event. Indiagames is distributing Electronic Arts‘ Fifa game on its portal and will also be doing activities with telecom operators to push the game.

    Says Indiagames COO Samir Bhangara, “Soccer games will see thrice as much activity during the one-month period that the World Cup is on. After that it will reduce to an extent but interest will still be there.”

    Globally, it is expected that 10 per cent of Internet users will play soccer related games.

    A sponsorship windfall for Fifa: The IEG Sponsorship Report says that the tournament has generated $1.6 billion between 2007 and 2010 as opposed to $584 million between 1999 and 2002.

    Fifa had introduced a three-tier sponsorship system with the levels being Fifa Partners, Fifa World Cup Sponsors and National Supporters. Partners received exclusive marketing assets and international rights to various Fifa activities including the World Cup and other competitions. FIFA‘s six partners are adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates Airlines, Hyundai-Kia, Sony and Visa and they pay between $ 24 to 44 million every year.

    The eight companies, Anheuser-Busch InBev‘s Budweiser, BP Castrol, Continental tires, McDonald‘s, MTN, Mahindra Satyam, Seara and Yingli Solar, are at the World Cup Sponsor level and pay anywhere from $10 – $25 million in annual fees. These companies have acquired the rights to the event at a worldwide level and they also have chosen marketing assets, secondary media exposure and the assurance of category exclusivity.

    In India, in terms of Fifa‘s partners, one of the companies that is being aggressive is Castrol. In fact, the campaign is its largest ever consumer promotion activity being carried out in India. As part of its promotional activity, Castrol has a contest. It will fly 50 winners along with its brand ambassador John Abraham for World Cup matches.

    Another company that will have a big presence at the Fifa World Cup is Mahindra Satyam which is the IT services provider. To manage ticketing, accreditation, transport, materials management and overall event management, Fifa employees will be using a software solution developed by Mahindra Satyam.

    Team Valuations: The Spanish team is the most valuable with an estimated value of 565 million euros, according to Euromericas Sport Marketing and Gerardo Molina and Associates.

    Number two is Brazil, with an estimated value of 515 million euros. France is third, with an estimated value of 450 million euros, followed by England which is worth 440 million euros.

    The rankings calculate the market worth in terms of economic rights, or contract value, of the 25 players who have played most frequently for their teams during the qualifying round of the World Cup.

  • Soccer fever: Zee Sports sets itself ‘Goal 2010’ with AIFF

    Soccer fever: Zee Sports sets itself ‘Goal 2010’ with AIFF

    MUMBAI: Just imagine! With football fever spreading across the country thanks to the football World Cup, Zee Sports has set itself an ambitious target.

    Zee Sports and the All India football federation (AIFF) are looking to spread the popularity of football over the next four years. The two parties have announced a visionary project Goal 2010.

    The ultimate aim is to see India play in the soccer World Cup in 2010 in South Africa. Hence the tagline Just Imagine! The two parties will have public relations, youth outreach, training and marketing activities. The first step in the long journey will be a three week long Soccer Carnival in 11 cities including Goa, Mumbai and Delhi. The carnival kicked off in Chandigarh on Monday.

    Elaborating further on the initiative Zee Sports business head Himanshu Mody said, “Football is an international sport for which there is a vast following among the masses in India. We have put in lot of hard work to present Indian Football in a high quality format at viewer friendly times with in depth analysis.

    “That football has entered a new level has become obvious with the strong response we have received from fans and the corporates in the last one-year. Goal 2010 is an assertion of our commitment to make football as the most watched and played sport in the country. We believe that this project will help Indian football make a place for itself in world football.”

    The channel notes that the level of interest in the ongoing soccer World Cup shows on one level that the interest in the game is alive and well. At the same time the poor standard exhibited by the Indian football team in the past few decades is responsible for the domestic clubs and national team’s performances not being followed. The channel rightly notes that should India take part in the soccer World Cup in 2010 interest will skyrocket.

    The parties are looking to take advantage of the rise of interest in football in the public’s consciousness and build the players, leagues and clubs on the plank of “Support your team and it’s player’s in their crusade for the next World Cup”. The Goal 2010 project will encompass all activities undertaken by Zee and AIFF in their preparation to get India to South Africa in 2010.

    Activity Plan: The earlier mentioned carnival will be in the form of roadshows. For three weeks they will travel to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Kolkata. The roadshows will have branding, MC, music, Zeebras and a roll of Canvas on which the channel will make Indians pledge their support to Indian Football’s World Cup 2010 campaign. The promoters will drive traffic to this Graffiti wall.

    In the morning, the channel shall park outside a school or academy to rally student support. In the evening, the channel will cover public parks and the main market areas. There will also be a giant replica of the Fifa World Cup. The channel is hoping that this will instill dreams in Indians that just like cricket their football team too can do their country proud on the global stage.

    During the three-week period in each city the road show will last for three days and will visit various hip and happening locations in each place. The aim is to create fan awareness about different facets of Indian Football, which includes various tournaments and leagues, football players, clubs, legends of Indian football, etc. Besides providing an opportunity to fans to know about Indian football, the carnival will also host a variety of interactive games and contests where they will have the opportunity to win Zee Sports merchandise.

    The carnival will first visit Chandigarh with the football cheerleading squad, the Zeebras. A huge inflatable football will be placed at a prominent indoor location in each city and will remain there for six months. People can come and pledge their support to the Indian Football’s World Cup campaign. All signatures collected during the campaign will be presented to Fifa president Sepp Blatter in October, during his visit here and his support for India’s dream will be sought.

    Zee Sports VP marketing Gaurav Seth says that later in the year the channel and AIFF will conduct inter school competitions where probables for the under 17 and under 19 teams will be considered. The Japanese team comes down in October to play in qualifying matches for next year’s Asia Cup in Malaysia. If the Indian team is able to qualify for the Asia Cup then that will give them excellent practice ahead of the World Cup qualifiers which start in 2008.

    Zee Sports and the AIFF will also conduct clinics for coaches and teachers. This is important in growing football at the grasroots level. A couple of weeks ago, AIFF, with advice from Zee Sports, had chosen Bob Houghton as the Indian football team’s coach. Houghton has in the past helped take China to the soccer World Cup. Seth is hopeful that with the carnival Indian soccer fans will not forget about the sport once the World Cup (which is airing on rival ESPN) ends.

    Zee Sports had introduced the Zeebras as their mascots of promoting Indian football. Dressed in funky outfits, the Zeebras will perform on hit tunes during the carnival.

    Zee Sports had signed a 10 year deal with the AIFF last year. The channel says that since then it has taken prudent steps to popularise Indian Football. For the first time, 100 matches of Indian football comprising of matches from National Football League, Federation Cup and Santosh Trophy were shown live.

    Zee Sports flew down international experts in football production for the telecast of Indian Football. This included directors, sound engineers, visual graphic specialists from the UK, South Africa and South East Asia. Using a 12-camera setup to cover the action from the field, Zee Sports ensured every shot and dribble was viewed from multiple angles ensuring exciting viewing to its consumers.

    The coverage involved more replays, international commentators, new graphic look and various in studios programming leading to the build up. For the 10th edition of ONGC Cup, two world-class units simultaneously broadcast the matches from Kolkata, Mumbai and Goa. British Match director David Horridge, produced the telecast.

    Horridge is involved in directing Champions League matches and is now Germany to work for Fifa on the World Cup coverage. The telecast package will include preview and review shows, half time match analysis and various studio programming. 

    In line with Zee Sports promise to deliver international quality coverage of Indian football, John Helm and former England International player Russell Osman were flown from England for commentary for all the three major domestic football tournament. Assisting them were Zee Sports commentator Debayan and football expert Noel da Lima Leitao.

  • Fifa World Cup: ESS’ Goal That All Ride It

    It was around January that the team at ESPN Software India, led by managing director RC Venkateish, decided to evolve a game plan encompassing marketing, promotion and programming for the biggest spectacle in the world aka the soccer World Cup.

    Somewhere in the subconscious was also the fact that the Fifa event needed to be put up on a scale in India that would neutralise the lack of Indian cricket (considered the biggest sporting draw in the India sub-continent) on ESPN and Star Sports, which are managed in Asia by a joint venture company ESPN Star Sports.
    ESPN Software India MD RC Venkateish

    A successfully implemented soccer strategy would not only get in distribution gains, but would also partially offset (notional) revenue losses for lack of Indian cricket for which ESS has made a lunge twice without success till now.

    Considering ESPN’s parent Disney, according to international media reports, had forked out a whopping $100 million for the English-language rights to broadcast the World Cup across ABC and ESPN, it was worth giving their all, Team Venky probably must have thought.

    From here germinated the idea to have an integrated marketing, programming and promotional strategy for the Fifa show that culminated almost four months later into Duniya Goal Hai (loosely meaning the world would be watching soccer) — the punch line for ESS’ football campaign that is now being ramped up big time as D-Day for the opening event of the globe’s biggest sporting spectacle draws ever nearer. Of course, there were dollops of creative inputs from JWT, the agency for ESS in India.

    “Soccer is getting much bigger in India than it was in 2002, the last World Cup (that was shown on Ten Sports in India). Over 55 million people have watched the European League this season,” a bullish Venkateish says.

    After all, the matches of the Fifa World Cup, holding centre stage from 9 June to 9 July, have convenient timings with some starting at 6:30 pm IST just ahead of prime time viewing and when people would be trooping back from office.

    About 75 million Indians sampled the telecast of World Cup 2002 on Ten Sports and DD with a cumulative audience reach of 30.2 million in India. For the last World Cup, which marked the debut of Ten Sports in India, despite its limited spread in terms of distribution, the channel had ratings of over 50 per cent in places like Kolkata for the final.

    On the other hand, ESPN, which aired an India-Sri Lanka cricket ODI on the day the final match of 2002 WC was played, could muster ratings of just 14-15 per cent.

    The Euro 2004 continued the growth and had a cumulative audience reach of 32.3 million viewers in. This interest in soccer in India now touches even EPL that had a reach of 42.8 million for the season till date, according to ESPN.

    “This means that nearly one in every two individuals in cable homes across India has sampled the EPL,” Venkateish points out, adding that ESS hopes to further heighten this popularity through Fifa World Cup matches and other related programming.

    No wonder, concurring with Venkateish is ESPN India’s vice-president (sales and marketing) and distribution head Sricharan Iyengar, “For us the Fifa is the biggest event that any channel could have this year. It’s bigger than Indian cricket also.”

    What has made it challenging for ESS is that Indians don’t have any direct stake in the World Cup as India is still far far away from playing in the soccer fiesta. Any strategy for India would have to keep this in mind so as to make available the matches in such a manner that it involves Indians and entertains them too.

    Says ESPN India associate director marketing Paras Sharma, “As sports broadcast leaders, the challenge was to present the World Cup to Indians in a different way. The marketing strategy has been built up keeping that in mind.”

     

    Broad Tenets of the Indian Strategy

    At the base of the strategy is the aim “empowering the Indian audience to have a unique and customized interaction” with the property.
     

    This is being delivered thru the following:

    • Engagement: making the viewers play before the actual play begins.
    • Recognition: rewarding the viewers for their passion for the game.
    • Experiential: physically transporting them into the thick of the action
    • Entertainment: providing a peep into the fun side of Fifa.
     
    ESPN Software India associate director marketing Paras Sharma

    The marketing strategy, therefore, has been to focus at the larger sporting fan base and look at their motivations with respect to this sporting spectacle as this audience is looking for a lot more than just viewing pleasure. The two key drivers for building interaction: entertainment and engagement.

    Similarly, at a strategic level, the objective is to create ‘visible’ interest and traction for the event much before it kicks off, thereby extending the Football Fever to deliver on revenue and sponsor interests.

    “The challenge therefore was to position the World Cup in India not only as the ‘biggest international football event with no Indian stake’ but as the `biggest sporting spectacle’ that transcends boundaries so as to catch larger audiences and build sustainable traction for the property and the sport,” points out Sharma.

    Strategic Initiatives

    In the month of June and July the campaign will highlight how the entire world becomes eight inches in diameter (referring to television programmes and live telecasts). And that is summed up in the campaign punch line, which says Duniya Goal Hai.

    The idea is in Hinglish. Translated in English it means that ‘World is round’ wherein ‘goal’ in punned in Hindi to round and the soccer goal. This central thought would be taken forward in all marketing and communication activities.

    Phase 1: This is the Magnum Opus stage and kicked off in April. Here the aim is to create saliency for the forthcoming event two months prior by building upon the most scalable and media interesting hooks of the property. The campaign highlights the unique facets of the event and, in addition, seeding in similar key points in national and regional vernacular media. 

    Both ESPN and Star Sports have started airing programming related to the Fifa show, pushing the event besides putting out special World Cup stories.

    Phase II: The phase of the campaign revolves around creating interest around the history of the event. 

    This will be done by highlighting the unique constituents of the property itself in form of past and current players, milestones etc. 

    Phase III: This offers an Indian take through on-ground activities. The aim is to engage Indian audiences to play the WC.

    In this regard, ESS has started an initiative in association with a channel sponsor Coca-Cola called Gyraah Hindustani, which aims to take selected Indians to watch the WC in all its glory, spectacle and grandeur.

    The Adidas+ Challenge sees Indian school students competing against each other in football matches for the right to go to Germany. It is being rolled out across major cities.

    ESPN Software India marketing director Nirmal Dayani

    Explains ESPN marketing director Nirmal Dayani, “A one of its kind unique consumer involvement and activation exercise has been undertaken along with two of the leading the global sponsors of Fifa, Coca Cola and Adidas.”

    Phase IV: This, Sharma describes, as the In the Middle of Action stage. The aim is to increase new sampling and longer duration relationship with the current audience. 

    ESS will do consumer promotions related to matches, stars, and teams. According to Iyengar, once the World Cup starts, there will be contests in association with one of the channels’ sponsors, Airtel.

    ESS is also working on a tie-up for those who would be part of the flag bearing team for Fifa through a programme initiative called Learning Ground, which is being attempted to be integrated with Fifa-related initiatives to search for Indian kids who would be flag bearers during the event.

     

     

    The Programming Line-Up

    Any sports broadcast, be it cricket or hockey or football, depends heavily on analysis to hook in viewers. For this purpose, ESS has established an enriched studio panel of presenters for the football World Cup.

    These commentators will offer different perspectives on the goings on at the World Cup and leading up to the spectacle when it begins in June. Gerry Armstrong, former Irish international and now a soccer expert with ESS, Steve McMahon, former England and Liverpool player and an ESS presenter and Harsha Bhogle will handle the presentation.
     

    For those looking for a desi or local touch, the broadcaster will also have Indian soccer experts like Novy Kapadia, Noel Da Kima Leitao as guests every week during the event. 

    On the ground in Germany, the broadcaster will have two dedicated teams comprising Anand Narsimhan, Dave Roberts and Jason Dasey, who will capture the World Cup craze. Additionally, a special Indian ESS production team will travel across India to catch the enthusiasm.
     

    Of course, the specials have already been flagged off in a bid to build up viewer interest leading up to June. One such initiative last month was Fifa World Cup Stories. Six episodes of half an hour duration provided different angles to chapters of the event.

    The show featured stories on the most surprising and shocking results in the World Cups, Golden Boot winners of the previous editions, dramatic penalty shoot outs, young stars of the sport and rise to top of some of the underdogs. 

    Born To Play, airing Mondays to Fridays till early May, was a series on some of the best soccer stars the world has witnessed. The 13-episode series brought alive the magical moments from World Cup performances of Pele, Maradona, Baggio, Platini, Beckenbauer and others.

    Fifa Preview, a 16-spisode series running from 3-24 May is another programming initiative.

    Running Mondays to Fridays, this previews the 2006 Fifa World Cup Germany through exciting blend of originally shot footage from qualifiers and other innovative feature based content.

    The series will bring to life the football-ing passion and current form of all qualified nations. The series will profile stars, coaches and will also analyse each nation’s prospects against teams within their groups.

    Some other programming line-up include the six-episode Fifa Stories, Fifa Official Films (13 episodes till 19 May) that will ferret out films from the Fifa archive to research fascinating histories of the some of the most successful nations in World Cup football.

    Local feed: Another strategy that sports channels are following is having feed in Hindi for special events. ESS is no exception.

    To cater to the Hindi speaking markets, ESS will have a special Hindi feed. This will help ESS broad base the appeal of soccer for those who do not understand English and for those who might have difficulty following the accents of ESS’ foreign experts. 

    The sponsors on ESPN and Star Sports, including Fifa global associates, include Coca Cola India (presenting sponsor) Bharti ‘Airtel’ Cellular (joint presenting sponsor), Adidas India (associate sponsor), Mirc Electronics (associate sponsor) and IOC (associate sponsor).
     

    How Different Media Being Used

    ESS’ strategy hasn’t overlooked using other media to further its aim of Duniya Goal Hai in India.

    ESPN Software India VP sales & marketing Sricharan Iyengar

    As part of this game plan, cable operators and MSOs or trade affiliates are being made aware of the importance of the World Cup.

    Pointing out that exclusive events are opportunities to monetize them, Iyengar says, “The fundamental reason for doing initiatives with cable operators in various parts of the country is to create awareness in general about football and Fifa in particular. Football in terms of business and viewership is massive in states like West Bengal, Kerala and Goa.”
     

    Television: This will be the primary medium to reach the wide geographical spread of Indian audience. Spots will air on two leading national channels along with a large mix of regional channels. Innovative promotional activities with these channels are being looked at thus increasing the noise and exposure levels manifold.

    ESS is also negotiating with news channels to offer them footage from the event. Dayani admits that ESS has tied up for the Kolkata region with the newly-launched 24 Ghanta news channel for promotion of WC whereby the news channel will have access to news footage at no extra cost, but will help in ESS’ in branding activities.
     

    Radio: FM radio will be the target vehicle. It is learnt that Radio Mirchi will be the preferred partner for the Fifa event. 

    Print: To increase awareness and build on the tactical requirements, regional press has been roped in. Unique means like customised editorials have been started as a build up to the Cup so as to increase audience’s knowledge and interest in the event. 

    Cinema Halls: Sharma notes that cinema as a medium occupies a pride of place in urban India and is being used as a hype creation mechanism in addition to its value as a communication vehicle.

    Cinema halls across the metros in the country are being painted in Fifa WC colours a month prior to the event by highlighting the most entertaining aspects of the event

    Bollywood: Not leaving any stone unturned, ESS would be roping in Bollywood actors to promote the World Cup.

     

    The Likely Gains

    At the end of it all, it all boils down to economics and not charity. ESS, too, is looking at all round gains. But most of all in the distribution arena.
     

    A spectacle like World Cup might not have helped Ten Sports in 2002 the way it had been envisaged, but ESS seems to be better placed. The fact that out of the 64 matches, ESS will share with pubcaster Doordarshan only four events — the semis, final and the inaugural — gives the sports broadcaster an added advantage.
     

    With an eye on distribution gains, ESS feels that de-activated networks or those that had replaced ESPN and Star Sports with more in-demand channels in the area of their operations due to lack of adequate bandwidth would return within the ESS fold.

    “Fifa has given us a chance to get all the de-activated cable networks back on the roster. We expect 7-8 per cent of the networks which had de-activated ESS, will start showing the channels again now that the football fever is spreading,” Iyengar said, pointing out that trade activities with distribution affiliates are aimed towards this also.

    However, a bigger challenge post the World Cup would be to see how the Fifa show can be leveraged for other football properties that ESS has and whether the Fifa eyeballs could be converted into regular viewership for other programmes.

    “That’ll be a key challenge. The Fifa fever needs to rub off on events like PPL, Spanish League and other football properties and those we think would drive viewership and our subscription revenue,” Iyengar says.

    An optimistic Venkateish feels that the World Cup will “generate ratings, which are equivalent or higher than India international Test ratings.”

    And, if that actually happens, it would encourage ESS to weave strategies around non-cricketing properties in India in a big way.

    (Inputs from Anjan Mitra in New Delhi)

    Photo Credits: RC Venkateish, Nirmal Dayani, Paras Sharma by Sanjay Sharma/Indiapix Network; Duniya Gol Hai and Fifa logo courtesy ESPN

     

  • Gaming firm Electronic Arts extends deal with Fifa

    Gaming firm Electronic Arts extends deal with Fifa

    MUMBAI: With a view to increasing its presence in the gaming arena football’s governing body Fifa has announced that it has secured a long-term commitment from Electronic Arts (EA).

    The deal extends far beyond existing ventures with a licensee. EA has signed up with world football’s governing body from 2007 to 2014 as the worldwide exclusive Fifa Licensee in the product category of interactive football/soccer player, manager and fantasy software games for all delivery methods including consoles, mobile phones and online formats.

    EA says that it has had a close association with the game of football for more than a decade, having developed the very successful range of FIFA games launched in 1993 and currently with the 2006 Fifa World Cup game, which enables fans to experience the 2006 FIFA World Cup matches on a unique playing field.

    Fifa says that in the early 1990s, it pioneered the industry as the first major sports governing body to endorse a video game. In 2004, Fifa continued this pioneering spirit by launching the first officially sanctioned worldwide video gaming tournament, the FIFA Interactive World Cup. EA will pursue its support for this event and join forces with the new FIFA Partner Sony, as of 2007, to provide the gaming solution and further develop the ambitious virtual football tournament.

    Fifa adds that in the interactive world, there is a wealth of opportunities to fulfill its mission of developing football on a global level and fostering the passion of players and fans. With this renewed partnership, Fifa and EA will continue to take their combined passion for football on and off the pitch and for interactive sports entertainment to millions of fans all around the world.