Fulham alert Twitter over fake player account.

Fulham have taken the steps to notify Twitter over the fake account for their Republic of Ireland international winger Damien Duff. In a statement on the Fulham FC website the club implored fan's not to follow the account. 

"Fulham Football Club would like to make supporters aware that Damien Duff does not have an official Twitter account. In recent months online messages have been published impersonating the Republic of Ireland international. In no way are any of these messages or opinions related to Damien Duff."

In a further twist to the story the fake Duff account has also been called out by sarah Brook's the communication's director of the West London club. So far the account which has over 7,000 followers and has so far not been shut down by Twitter. 

Fulham are set to play West Brom at Craven Cottage tomorrow night. The Lily Whites have also just signed Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak in a £4million pound deal from Bundesliga side Stuttgart. 

ESPN Turns to Free to View weekend to attract more subscriptions.

Sports channel ESPN will be free in over 20 million homes in the UK and Ireland next weekend as the American broadcaster attempts to appeal to a wider audience and boost subscriptions.The weekend will also be sponsored by the Nokia Lumia phone, and will include a special ESPN hub product offering an app which is exclusive on the Windows smart phone. 


The event which will last for 22 hours and will take in football from the Bundesliga, Serie A & the Premier League. The likes of Manchester City, Inter Milan & Borussia Dortmund will be in action in their respective leagues. 


The channel will be free to air across  all Sky, TopUp TV and BT Vision subscribers in the UK and Ireland. Additionally, the channel will be available for free to the 10million UK households who have the subscription-free digital TV service Freeview, meaning that in total, some 20million UK households will have free access to the channel.


Jeroen Oerlemans, ESPN Vice President, TV Channels Europe, Middle East & Africa, said: "This is a great opportunity for us to introduce that to millions more and let them sample the programming ESPN has on offer."

Saturday Special- Best Football Betting Adverts.

Increasingly betting companies are turning to advertising campaigns to attract punters to their respective sites. I decided to have a look at a few sites and there TV adverts.

Footballer kicking Cat. This advert topped the list as the most complained advert in 2010. It proves the British are a nation of animal lovers as over 1,300 people individually complained to the ASA over the advert for Irish bookmakers Paddy Power. However the advert was upheld to be safe to broadcast again, as it was deemed not to be offensive for blind people or encouraging cruelty to animals down to it's surreal tone.

 Ladbrokes- Football opinion Cafe. The advert aired in 2007 and featured former players Lee Dixon, Ally Mcoist, Ian Wright & Christ Kamara. The advert pans to a cafe where the former players in the guise of builders. Chatting about the football, with the conversation eventually leading to Ian Wright declaring that he is going to put his money down Ladbrokes.

William Hill Austria- This advert is for the Austrian audience and stars John Cleese. Cleese who speaks perfect German, talks about the origins of the company, with the strains of Rule Britannia playing in the background. This show's how the brand is relying on it's heritage and British tradition to appeal to the Austrian audience.  Along with a strange raise of the eyebrows from the Monty Python Star.

Rangers Focus On Sponsorship to Bring in Extra Revenue.

Scottish side Glasgow Rangers are looking to follow the Manchester United strategy when in comes to sponsorship in a bid to boost revenue. 

Former Soccerex Director of business development Misha Sher has been brought to the club to find further revenue streams for the club across the world. Rangers already have an estimated 5 million strong worldwide fan base. The club will be looking to follow the lead of Manchester United in attracting brands to the club. United already have long term contracts with Nigerian telecoms brand Globacom and Malaysian snack brand Mister Potato. 

The clubs Chief operations officer Ali Russell noted on how now it was a good time to look for extra revenue from  abroad. “The strength of Rangers FC fanbase domestically means that we can focus not just on sponsorships but also how we look at mobile and TV rights in other countries where we have a solid base to build on."

Rangers are currently second in the SPL and take on Aberdeen today at Ibrox

To read more on the story have a look here

Liverpool’s performance didn’t warrant new deal, slams Adidas CEO.

Liverpool FC lost their lucrative partnership with Adidas after pricing themselves out of a new kit 

deal, according to the sports brand’s chief executive Herbert Hainer. The Premier League club’s current deal with Adidas, the world’s second biggest sporting goods manufacturer, expires at the end of the year after talks over an extension broke down last year.

Instead, Liverpool are understood to have secured £25m agreement with American brand, Warrior Sports, last April. Trumping Manchester United’s contract with Nike, which pays a £12m annual retainer for the rights, the new deal doubles the Merseyside team’s current income from its kit deal.It had been suggested that Liverpool had voluntarily ended the current agreement with the German brand following disputes about control over merchandise related to the team’s kit.

However, Adidas claimed that the truth was that Liverpool demanded too much money in comparison to the team’s on-field performance. “The gap between their performance on the field and what the number should be is not in balance,” Herbert Hainer, Adidas’s chief executive officer, told Bloomberg News."This all has to be brought in line between what you offer and what you get. We thought that what Liverpool were asking and what they were delivering was not in the right balance."  

The Red’s MD, Ian Ayre expressed the club’s dismay following Hainer’s comments in an interview with the Liverpool Echo. “We are disappointed that Adidas seem to point to a lack of European football as reason not to agree a new deal and cannot see that we are on par with the biggest football brands in the world.” The commercial partnership between club and brand started in the 1985 to 86 season, and following a 10-year deal with Reebok, was revived in 2006, after the club won the Champions League.

Global sales of Liverpool FC replica shirts are believed to be almost 900,000 a year, making it the fourth highest selling kit in the world, behind United, Barcelona and Real Madrid.Warrior Sports’ parent company New Balance, was appointed the kit supplier to the Boston Red Sox last April, the baseball team owned by the Fenway Sports Group – the same conglomerate now in charge at Anfield.

By Seb Joseph
 

Friday Fun- Best of Nike Football adverts.

 Nike are well known for their creative advertising campaigns especially in the build up to major tournaments. I decided to look at a few stand out adverts as part of our regular friday feature.

'Good vs Evil' Advert 96. 


This was one of Nikes first major advert staring a whole raft of players. The likes of Patrick Klivert, Ian Wright and a noticeably less tubby Ronaldo. The team set out against a team of demons in a predictable discourse. Whilst the footballers exhibit their skills against their foe's whilst wearing Nike Tempo boots. The advert ends with soon to be president of France Eric Cantona smashing an unstoppable shot which passes through the massive demon who is between the sticks. 








Airport 98


Perhaps the most iconic of the Nike footballing advert family. With the first of Nike adverts focusing solely on an international side. Again similar scene's of 'battle' take place, however with a more jovial tone. With the Brazilian side having a kick about in an airport before they board the plane for the World Cup in France.


 The likes of Denilson, Romaro, Ronaldo & a cameo from Eric Cantona take part in the 1:30 minute advert, which captured the imagination of the world before World Cup 98 in France. 









The Match 2004


International team's again where the focus for this 2002 advert in the build up for the European Championships in Portugal. The same competitive discourse is set before the game, this time with the phrase "Ole!" and carries on throughout the Stadium. Similar characters of Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Eric Cantona & Denilson appear in the ad. However the advert does give special preference to at the time the current World player of the year Ronaldinho. His skills are reserved for the end of the advert, in which he beats several Portuguese players before being tackled by the referee. 

Write the Future-2010 


This epic viral advert became an overnight sensation thanks to Twitter & Facebook coverage. It's in fact the most viewed viral video in it's first week, clocking up 7.8 million views on Youtube. The three minute advert covers all of Nike's major football star. From Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney & Cristiano Ronaldo all appeared in the advert with  'write the future' the main theme of the advert. Again a traditional discourse of battle was set, however fate was pitted against destiny in a visual feast. Agency Wieden+Kennedy dealt with the advert, and done a fantastic job in standing out against the glut of World Cup adverts that swamped our screens in 2010. 

Valencia turning to English to boost online numbers.

Spanish Side Valencia are set to add English to their offical website, Twitter & Facebook accounts in a bid to attract more fans to the club.

The former Uefa cup winners announced the changes on the club's official website. The change is designed to appeal to a wider fan base to hopefully drive further revenue to the club.

Valencia are now one of nine clubs in La Liga with English options on their website. Increasingly foreign investors have turned to La liga in recent years. There are currently three foreign owned teams in the league with Racing Santander, Malaga & Getafe all being owned by Indian, Quatari & Emirati investors.

"Valencia CF are proud to have so many fans around the world and we want to increase the amount of information available in the 'universal language,' as well as in Spanish, Valenciano and French." Which was posted on the clubs official site.

 Los Che are currently third in La Liga nine points behind Real Madrid. They face Sevilla in the Copa Del Ray tonight away from home.

Fifa.com gears up for live videocast for Ballon d'Or awards.

Fifa.com is preparing a major online campaign to coincide with the live streaming of the Ballon d'Or awards tonight in Zurich.

The annual football award show celebrates the best football talent in world with Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo & Xavi all battling for the prestigious award. The show is being streamed live on Fifa.com along with live updates through feed Fifa's official twitter page. This is the second year that the show will be streamed live on the website.

The show will be hosted by former Dutch international Striker Ruud Guilit & Middlesbrough born Real Madrid TV host Kay Murray. Along with the Ballon d'Or awards will be given out for the manager of the year, and the announcement of the Fifa team of the year.

Fifa are also running a team of the year predictor on their site, which invites Fifa.com members to select their dream team from a shortlist of 55 of the worlds best players. The correct team will be placed in a prize draw to win a number of the selected players match worn shirts.

Barcelona striker Leo Messi is firm favorite to win the award for a second consecutive season. The diminutive Argentinean was a major force in the Catalan sides double winning season scoring 31 goals in 35 starts for Barca.

You can watch the live stream here.

William Hill sign up with the FA.

Bookmakers William Hill are set to become the latest brand to sign a sponsorship deal with the FA in time for the the third round of the FA cup.

The London based company has signed a two and a half year deal, which would see the brand sponsor the England national team into the 2014 World Cup. They have also signed up as primary sponsor for all ITV live broadcasts for the competition. William Hill now join McDonalds, Vauxhall, Budweiser, Umbro and Mars as primary sponsors of the national side.The deal signal's the brands first foray into English football after recently signing up for sponsorship of the Scottish Cup for three years.

Budweiser  also have a major advertising campaign to coincide with the third round of the cup, when the Premier League sides get involved with the action.  The new radio advert features West Ham manager Sam Allardyce giving a rousing team talk before the brands sloagan of 'grab some buds' is shouted by the team.West Ham take on Sheffield Wednesday away from home on Sunday.

Friday Fun- Footballers in adverts from a golden age.

We all know that Brand's a eager to exploit the recognition of a famous footballer to further their brand. But what where campaigns like before the invention of the internet? I decided to trawl through Youtube to find the best adverts.

Pele was a major force in America in during the 70's with his stint with the New York Cosmos. The Black Pearl was leading a football revolution in America, along with the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff & Bobby Moore who called the USA their home during the 70's. Here Pele is being roped in to promote a fancy new Atari computer games system. Pele promoted the product with racing driver Mario Andretti and a mystery Basketball player. In the video you can see Pele hanging out at the top secret Atari Test Facility playing on his favorite computer game console

Roberto Baggio star's in our just-before Internet advert promoting Whiskey brand Johnny Walker. The advert references Baggio's famous penalty miss at the World Cup in 1994. With Mandarin sub titles a voice over explains of Baggio's mistake at the penalty spot, and how he stepped up and scored a penalty four years later, which by the advert has absolved him of blame from his previous penalty miss. Crucially Baggio believed in himself and that trait of pride and self belief can be transfered to the classy whisky Brand Johnny Walker who's logo flashes up at the end of the advert.

A classic British advert which includes two sporting greats. Kevin Keegan & the late great Henry Cooper team up together to promote Brut 33.  The advert consists of the two sports men having a work out mucking about with weights, playing with a rowing machine,  and having a nice shower at the end. Aside from the homo-erotic vibe laid down from lots of shot's of topless men. Brut are cashing in on the reputation on Keegan, who in the 70's was plying his trade for Liverpool. Brut used boxer Cooper as a brand ambassador and also included adverts with world motor bike champion Barry Sheene as part of their wider advertising campaign.

Saint's lead the way with new Smartphone App.

Championship leaders Southampton have just launched a brand new smartphone application, which promises fans to get closer to the action with the table topping side  club using the latest augmented technology. 

Fans of the Championship-leading club can put themselves at the centre of the Saints’ huddle with up-to-the-minute technology allowing them access to a wealth of information at the touch of a button. Supporters need only to install the free blippar app to their iPhone or Android device to become part of the team with just one click. 

As well as providing instant access to the club’s website, team shop and ticket office, fans can also use the huddle feature to place their own face into the Southampton FC team, then use the app to share this image via email, Facebook and Twitter.

On the pitch Southampton have been flying this season in the Championship, leading the way as the team to beat. Saint's have already recorded an impressive 14 times, with striker Ricky Lambert leading the way in the race for the Championship golden boot with 15 goals. They face Championship rivals Coventry City this Saturday in the FA cup. 

City Skipper Joins Twitter and asks fans for a teamtalk.

 Man City captain Vincent Kompany has recently joined Twitter and is offering Man City fans the unique chance to tweet an inspirational team talk before his sides crunch FA cup game against Manchester United on Saturday.

 It's part of Manchester City's digital revolution and the captain has already attracted 47,932 followers after only four days on the site.The Belgian International captain is asking City fans to tweet him under his twitter name of @VincentKompany with the hashtag #followthecaptain . The most convincing and rousing team talk within 140 characters will win Kompany's match worn shirt and armband.

Man City last beat Manchester at home in the FA cup back in 1955 and went all the way to the final only to be beaten by Newcastle United. 

Kompany joins fellow first team City players  Adam Johnson, Nigel De Jong ,Micah Richards & Sergio Aguero on Twitter.

Suarez in trouble again over controversial advert

Liverpool striker  Luiz Suarez has landed himself in trouble again, but this time for being the face of a controversal advertisement for Paddy Power. The controversial stiker is already serving an eight game ban for racist comments at Man United Left-Back Patrice Evra. 

The advert, which ran in October in the Sun has been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA). The advert shows Suarez celebrating in a shirt of Uruguay, with Paddy Power promoting their money back specials, claiming to return all bets if the Liverpool Striker scored in the Reds match with Manchester United. However under the ASA rules gambling adverts should not feature individuals under the age of 25 gambling or playing a significant role in the image. 

With Suarez aged 24 he has been considered to be playing a major part in the advert, despite the protests from News international & Paddy Power. The companies claimed that as a professional footballer Suarez is  not playing an significant role in the advert as a gambler. But the ASA have now ruled against the image, deeming the advert as 'social irresponsible' the advert will not be shown in it's current form. 

On the pitch Liverpool struggled last night losing convincingly to Manchester City 3-0. Goals from Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure & James Milner sealed the win in a miserable night for Kenny Dalglish's side.