ow here's something. While FIFA swells its chest and promises the world it's changing its ways with a raft of new reforms carrying the imprimatur of Transparency International, it sells the Asian TV rights to a company run by Philippe Blatter, the nephew of FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
Yes, Infront Sports & Media, based in Zug, Switzerland, and with former ties to the infamous ISL, will handle the distribution of Asian broadcast rights for 26 territories for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, including the key markets of China, Indonesia and India. Philippe Blatter has been president and chief executive officer since 2006
Deals were also negotiated with Fox in the United States, SBS in Australia and Bell Media in Canada, among others.
Said FIFA's director of television Niclas Ericson: "Infront offered the best package for this important and very complex project both in financial as well as marketing aspects.
{ | FIFA sold the Asian TV rights to a company run by Philippe Blatter, the nephew of president Sepp Blatter, Infront Sports & Media, based in Zug, Switzerland, and with former ties to the infamous ISL |
"We believe that the team will deliver the best possible results for FIFA and help us achieve our distribution and financial objectives in Asia."
Now this is not the first time that Infront has secured World Cup rights. As it proudly boasts on its website: "Infront successfully handled the global distribution of all broadcast rights for the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan and Germany. In 2010 it handled the host broadcast of the event in South Africa as well as the distribution of media rights in Asia and will continue to do so for the 2014 games [sic]."
But it stank then and it stinks even more now.