Former Goalkeeping Legend Eric Nixon whose clubs included Manchester City and Tranmere Rovers is launching a goalkeeping academy specialising in giving professional players a second chance in the game.
Eric Nixon holds both a UEFA goalkeeping coaching A license and a UEFA football coaching A licence. He is one of the most qualified goalkeeping coaches in the UK.
The new academy will see goalkeepers recently released from football clubs getting specialist coaching from Eric and his coaching staff, the players will get one-to-one time on the pitch and the classroom in order to help them improve their ability and boost their confidence.
The players will then be helped by AsiaEurope Football Management to find new clubs and get back into the professional game.
To join the Academy or for more information contact:
media@asiaeurope.com
Twitter: AsiaEuropeFC
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Manchester City’s owners this week agreed a massive deal to sell 13 per cent of the club to a consortium of Chinese investors for £265m.
The deal values Manchester City at £3bn, and observers believe it has increased the likelihood of Lionel Messi moving to the Etihad next season.
Rumours emerged last week suggesting the Barcelona striker might be thinking of leaving the Camp Nou for Manchester, the deal with China Media Capital Holdings “could see City potentially have enough funds to launch a bid” for the four-time Ballon d’Or winner.
The deal is a coup for Sheikh Mansour, who purchased Manchester City for just £210m in 2008. Not only has he seen the value of his investment skyrocket, he believes the transaction will help the Sky Blues build on their growing fan base in the Far East.
What better way to do that that buy the world’s best player? And the deal seems tailor made for that purpose. It would cost around £120m to prise Messi from Barcelona, and the remaining £145m would almost cover the 28-year-old Argentine’s a weekly wage of £800,000 for the length of a four-year contract.
Businesses do their deals on projections and potential future value based on business modelling but will real football fans switch their alliances from traditional clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United who already have a large fan base in the far East built on their footballing success and their history.
Can Manchester City and their new found wealth really challenge real fans?
Debate on twitter #AsiaEuropeFC
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The 23-man shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015 is exclusively made up of UEFA Champions League players, including six from last season’s winners Barcelona.
The team with the most nominees (six) are UEFA Champions League holders Barcelona. They are closely followed by Bayern München and Real Madrid, who both have five. Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award for the past two seasons.
Men’s shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015
Sergio Agüero (Manchester City), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg/Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Paris Saint-Germain), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Thomas Müller (Bayern München), Manuel Neuer (Bayern München), Neymar (Barcelona), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona), Arjen Robben (Bayern München), James Rodríguez (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal), Luis Suárez (Barcelona), Yaya Touré (Manchester City), Arturo Vidal (Juventus/Bayern München).
Nominees by current club
6 Barcelona
5 Bayern München
5 Real Madrid
3 Manchester City
1 Arsenal
1 Chelsea
1 Juventus
1 Paris Saint-Germain
Nine of the ten nominees for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2015 are also currently in charge of UEFA Champions League group stage teams.
Shortlist for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2015
Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus), Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid), Laurent Blanc (Paris Saint-Germain), Unai Emery (Sevilla), Josep Guardiola (Bayern München), Luis Enrique (Barcelona), José Mourinho (Chelsea), Jorge Sampaoli (Chile), Diego Simeone (Atlético Madrid), Arsène Wenger (Arsenal).
Debate on Twitter #AsiaEuropeFC
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Manchester City have posted a net profit for the first time since Sheikh Mansour bought the club in 2008.
The Premier League leaders’ annual financial figures show they made a profit of £10.7m in the 2014-15 season.
That is despite having to pay some £16m in fines for failing to meet Uefa’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
City, who posted a loss of £22.9m during the 2013-14 season, saw annual revenue grow for the seventh straight year – to £351.8m.
It is the first time the club’s revenue has broken the £350m barrier.
Despite match day revenue falling last season, largely due to the club’s early exit from the League Cup and ongoing stadium improvements, City say the club is now valued at £676m.
City also announced they had reduced their wage bill for a second successive year, down to £193.5m compared to £205m for the 2013-14 season.
Manchester United spent £203m on wages last season, while Arsenal spent £192.2m. The most recent figures for Chelsea’s wage bill are £192.7m for the 2013-14 season.
“To put things in their simplest terms, we are now a profitable business with no debt and no outstanding restrictions,” said City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
“Our transition to profitability has been a long-planned milestone.
“The fact that we consider last season to be below par is a testament to how far we have come in the last seven years. This is a level of ambition that we should not shirk or shy away from.”
City had accumulated losses of £583m over the past six seasons under the ownership of Mansour, a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi.
It is estimated Mansour’s family have as much as $1tn (£648bn) in overseas assets alone.
Debate on Twitter #AsiaEuropeFC
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Eric Nixon the former Manchester City and Tranmere Rovers goalkeeper has joined AsiaEurope Football Consultancy.
Eric will help identify, develop and manage new talent and will work with AsiaEurope on our football programmes.
Eric Nixon holds both a UEFA goalkeeping coaching A license and a UEFA football coaching A licence. He is one of the most qualified goalkeeping coaches in the UK. He is also a qualified personal trainer.
Eric has a wealth of experience in the media across all platforms and regularly writes for newspapers and appears on TV and Radio to analyse and summarize matches.
AsiaEurope FC will also manage Eric Nixon’s commercial media arrangements.
AsiaEurope FC and Eric Nixon will be launching a New Football Academy in the North West of England more details coming soon…
For more details or to book / interview Eric Nixon contact media@asiaeurope.com
Twitter: AsiaEuropeFC
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FIFA will create a global club licensing framework by the end of 2016, working with the six regional confederations to improve club football by setting minimum standards in key areas such as stadium safety, fan experience and youth football development.
All six confederations met for a two-day seminar at the Home of FIFA in Zurich this week to plan the full global implementation of the licensing system – the first time all confederations have met to work on the programme together.
The FIFA Club Licensing principles form the basis for the confederations’ own club licensing principles, taking into account the regional specificity of club football. Clubs then need to meet these principles to be eligible for certain competitions, adhering to international statutes, investing in training facilities and agreeing to the independent auditing of finances and greater transparency of ownership.
“Stronger clubs mean a stronger foundation for global football. Club licensing is a priority for FIFA’s investment in the game and a crucial part of raising professional standards,” said FIFA Director of Member Associations and Development Thierry Regenass. “We are now working hand-in-hand with the six confederations and our member associations worldwide to implement this blueprint for the future of football.”
The FIFA Club Licensing system requires clubs to commit to minimum standards and principles in five key areas:
• Sporting criteria e.g. clubs must have a youth development programme; clubs must promote fair play
• Infrastructure criteria e.g. clubs must have safe, comfortable stadiums for fans, families and media; clubs must have training facilities
• Personnel and administrative criteria e.g. clubs must have qualified coaches and medical staff and professional, well-educated management
• Legal criteria e.g. clubs must adhere to international statutes; club ownership must be transparent and fair
• Financial criteria e.g. independent auditing of club finances
UEFA and the AFC have established successful club licensing programmes in Europe and Asia, while FIFA is working with CONCACAF and CAF to develop and implement club licensing systems in those regions. The OFC and CONMEBOL are scheduled to adopt regional standards before the end of 2016. These guidelines will then be tailored to suit the needs of national associations and clubs as part of FIFA’s football development priorities for the 2015-2018 financial cycle.
Debate on Twitter :AsiaEuropeFC
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Four out of six continental football confederations would back Michel Platini, head of European football’s governing body UEFA, to lead the sport’s world governing body FIFA should he stand, a source close to UEFA said.
However, a UEFA spokesman said Frenchman Platini had not yet decided whether to run in a Feb 26 election to replace Sepp Blatter, who announced in June he was resigning, as a corruption scandal engulfed FIFA.
The confederations themselves were not available to comment on whether they would be able to persuade their members to vote for Platini. Each of FIFA’s 209 member associations has one vote at the presidential elections. As voting is secret, they have no way in practice of enforcing a block vote.
“The UEFA president is very happy with his current role as leader of European football’s governing body,” UEFA’s head of communications Pedro Pinto told reporters.
“He’s been very pleased and touched by the words of support he has received here in Zurich over the last couple of days.
United States prosecutors threw FIFA into turmoil in May by indicting 14 sports marketing executives and football officials, including a number from football’s governing body. Seven were arrested in a dawn raid on a Zurich hotel.
Pinto said Platini, elected for a third term as UEFA president in March, would consider his position in the near future and would announce his intentions when he was ready.
“He’s pleased that many people see him as someone who could lead FIFA into a new period, with a new image, an image of transparency and good governance.”
At the FIFA presidential election in May, a number of UEFA’s own member associations voted for Blatter despite Platini having urged them to vote for challenger Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein.
Blatter was elected for a fifth term at the congress in May but announced on June 2 that he would step down as a corruption scandal broke around FIFA. He himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
As well as UEFA, the continental confederations representing South America (Conmebol), North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and Asia (AFC) have all reportedly told Platini they would back his candidacy for FIFA president.
The other two confederations are Africa’s CAF and Oceania’s OFC.
Debate on Twitter : AsiaEuropeFC
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Spurs set to move into new home in 2018 and will host a minimum of two NFL games a year.
Tottenham have announced a deal with the NFL that will see them host fixtures in their new stadium.
The Premier League club are due to move into a new home in 2018 and will now host regular-season NFL games on an artificial surface which will be installed under the regular grass pitch used by Spurs.
Tottenham, who will relocate for a season whilst the work is completed, have completed a 10-year deal with the NFL that will see them host a minimum of two games a year — with chairman Daniel Levy pleased with what the agreement will mean to the surrounding area.
“We have an opportunity now to deliver one of the most unique sports, leisure and entertainment venues in the world, bringing together the EPL (Premier League) and NFL for the first time,” he said.
“The socio-economic benefits this will bring to the area will be immense and demonstrates our commitment to the regeneration of this priority borough in London.”
Wembley has already hosted 11 NFL fixtures, with three more scheduled for later in 2015, with the sport proving popular in Britain with 10 crowds of more than 80,000 already recorded.
Tottenham, who could yet spend the year away from their ground at Wembley, will be hoping to tap into that popularity when they begin hosting matches from 2018 onwards.
Both Spurs and a potential London-based NFL franchise were unsuccessful in bids to take tenancy of the Olympic Stadium — soon to become the new home of West Ham .
The deal is not exclusive and NFL games can take place at other venues in the UK — with Wembley issuing a statement shortly after the Tottenham link-up was announced, detailing their hopes of a continuing relationship with the sport.
“Wembley has enjoyed a unique and successful relationship with the NFL since the International Series commenced in 2007,” it read.
“American Football has been embraced by fans in the UK and Europe and has grown year-on-year.
“Amongst the numerous successes has been the growth of the Jacksonville Jaguars whose community engagement and annual appearances have given a sense of the NFL’s long-term commitment to the sport in the UK.
“Wembley Stadium has a proven record of hosting some of the world’s biggest events, from record breaking concerts, UEFA Champions League Finals, to the upcoming Rugby World Cup fixtures and the UEFA 2020 European Championship Semi-Finals and Final and we look forward to the NFL remaining part of this iconic venue’s annual schedule.”
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Liverpool have agreed to the sale of want-away forward Raheem Sterling to Premier League rivals for massive fee.
Liverpool have agreed to sell Raheem Sterling to Manchester City for a fee of £49 million.
The England international has been at the centre of a long-running transfer saga this summer, even threatening to go on strike before twice calling in sick to training in a bid to force a move away from the club, having told Brendan Rodgers of his desire to leave.
Sterling was included in the club’s pre-season tour squad, despite informing his manager that he did not wish to travel, but his move to City edged closer on Sunday after he was withdrawn from the selection.
It is understood that Liverpool have now finally acquiesced to his sale, with City making an offer which is understood to be worth £44m up front and £5m in add-ons.
Sterling’s agent, Aidy Ward, suggested earlier this week that there had been a “breakdown in trust” between the former Queens Park Rangers winger and Rodgers, suggesting that his client no longer wants to play under the Northern Irishman.
City have twice attempted to buy Sterling this summer, but saw both of their overtures snubbed by the Reds.
Their third offer appears to have matched Liverpool’s valuation of the 20-year-old, however, and Sterling will subsequently become the club’s record signing, eclipsing the £38m deal that saw Sergio Aguero join the club.
The bid will come as welcome news to QPR, with Sterling’s former club due a 20 per cent sell-on fee, after a clause was included in the forward’s contract when he initially moved to Anfield.
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