Television bosses are set to confirm a joint deal for the women’s World Cup after “positive discussions.”
FIFA are ready to agree a joint UK rights deal with BBC and ITV with England one of the favourites to win the tournament this summer. One of the factors has been the time difference with the World Cup being hosted in Australia and New Zealand means the games will not be prime time viewing like last year’s European Championships.
The tournament is also listed as one of the Government’s “crown jewels” having been upgraded last year meaning that it can effectively only be shown on terrestrial TV. BBC and ITV split coverage of the men’s major tournaments like the World Cup and Euros when they share the knock-out games and take it in turns through the rounds.
Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman’s Euros heroes became household names last year after they won England’s first major senior international trophy since 1966. They also enjoyed huge TV audiences last summer as the Euros final when England beat Germany after extra time set a new record with the BBC announcing figures of 17.4 million, plus 5.9 million streams online.
It is unlikely to draw in such numbers this time with the games being shown in the mornings in UK time which may also affect coverage and media interest and that could be a shame for European fans having enjoyed such success last summer.
The lack of a TV deal with just weeks to go before the tournament has caused a lot of surprise but an announcement confirming the agreement is expected imminently.
The ears of the nation on Potter
BBC Radio 5 Live has first pick of commentaries in the Saturday 3pm slot and they have chosen Chelsea’s clash with Leeds rather than title-chasing Arsenal against Bournemouth.
That now looks a good choice with Chelsea boss Graham Potter under increasing pressure and his future could be defined by the next two games. The BBC station has reinvented itself generally in the past year or so and their Saturday coverage - particularly Ian Dennis’s superb commentary on the live 3pm games - is second to none.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly gained a reputation at LA Dodgers for sticking with coaches when under pressure and that patience will be tested if the Premier League club slip up against either Leeds or Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Amusingly, Paul Barber, Brighton’s brilliant chief executive, joked at the FT Live event that, having lost Potter and also Marc Cucurella to Chelsea, their Prem rivals might try headhunt the cleaning staff next.
Meanwhile, there was a subtle change on Sky subscriptions last week with BBC One HD moving channel slots. That meant huge swathes of football fans were complaining when their regular series save programmes missed on recording Match of the Day on Saturday night.
The life of a wannabe coach
FA chiefs host a brilliant UEFA Pro Licence coaching course at St George’s Park and have a raft of young British managers coming through.
The likes of Kieron Dyer and Ashley Cole are taking their badges among many others with several ex-Prem stars being put through their paces on media training this week.
Another key speaker on the course is Kevin Taylor who is an experienced hostage negotiator with experience of working for Manchester Police. Taylor teaches the up-and-coming candidates on what key things to listen out for.
Save of the century
FIFA goalkeeping guru Pascal “Zubi” Zuberbuhler has claimed Emiliano Martinez was the real hero of Argentina’s World Cup win rather than Lionel Messi.
Aston Villa keeper Martinez was voted No1 at this week’s FIFA Best awards and was the hero of penalty shoot-outs as well as a sensational last gasp save in the final against France.
Former keeper Zuberbuhler, FIFA’s senior football expert, told the excellent GK1 magazine: “In the 123rd minute Emi makes one of the saves of the century! It’s the kind of save you can dream about for 90 years.
“Emi had the moment of his career, a moment he will never forget. Without it, France would have been World Champions. Then, he underlines this achievement with the shoot out saves. That’s why he deserved to win this accolade. Unfortunately everyone is taking about Messi. Huge respect to him but for me his goalkeeper was the reason they won the trophy.”
The GK1 magazine is produced by highly-respected agent Andy Evans who has several top keepers on the books of his World In Motion agency.
