Source: Daily_Mail
Charles Sale: Manchester City gaffe leaves United red-faced
Financiers invited to the London launch of Manchester United'scontroversial £500million bond issue would not have expected to find acompany controlled by the owners of Manchester City emblazoned on thefamous red shirt on display in the foyer.[LNB] Red-faced: Gill[LNB] More from Charles Sale... Charles Sale: Age mystery over Crystal Palace ace Victor Moses13/01/10 Charles Sale: Cardiff City tax story results in arrest of former IT head13/01/10 Charles Sale: Ice-bound Anfield still open for stadium tours12/01/10 Charles Sale: Fiszman's fight is worry for Arsenal10/01/10 Charles Sale: C4 pip the Beeb to Paralympic rights08/01/10 EXCLUSIVE: Channel 4 pips BBC to host the London Paralympics in 201208/01/10 Charles Sale: Retirement? Andrew Flintoff inundated with lucrative offers away from cricket06/01/10 Charles Sale: Sir Alex Ferguson's hairdryer after beating Manchester City06/01/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE Yet the hundred or so potential investors who turned up at theGrocers' Hall to hear the pitch from the United team that includedchief executive David Gill were greeted by a shop mannequin draped in amocked-up United kit bearing the name of Mubadala a businessdevelopment and investment company based in Abu Dhabi that is under thesame ruling family ownership as City.[LNB]A United representative explained away the own-goal as being due tothe club, who always prepare a special shirt for such occasions, havingmade a sponsorship presentation to Mubadala in the past and it beingthe only one available on the day.[LNB] [LNB]The ECB are to question a Labour MP about allegedly misleading a political summit this week about the free-to-air televising of Test cricket. John Grogan, who supports the recent recommendation to list Ashes cricket for terrestrial coverage, told a Westminster Hall debate into the Davies Review that Cricket Australia supported the principle. Grogan said:[LNB]'I have spoken to Cricket Australia, which is much more positive about Australian legislation on this issue than the ECB.'[LNB]However, the ECB have written to Grogan asking for clarification over his comments, as their conflicting information is that CA are united in opposition to Government listing, which they reckon would cause a 38 per cent fall in revenues. The ECB are also concerned about Grogan's conflict of interests as chairman of the all-party Parliamentary BBC group.[LNB] FA communications chief Adrian Bevington (right), who was prominent on the hit list when chairman Lord Triesman arrived two years ago, has instead prospered to the extent of being appointed managing director of Club England.[LNB]Bevington's new role, which starts after the World Cup, gives him the responsibility of overseeing all England matters, along with the equally respected Michelle Farrer, who will be director of team operations.[LNB]Both of the long-term FA staffers will start running the high-profile department with the advantage of knowing where all the many FA skeletons are buried. Curiously, FA chief executive Ian Watmore has yet to decide about appointing a new commercial director to succeed Jonathan Hill when filling sponsorships remains a major issue for the FA.[LNB] Roger Draper, chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association, has been the subject of huge criticism during his time at the helm of this underperforming sports body. [LNB]Yet there are still those in the sports trade somehow prepared to pay a whopping £195 plus VAT to join the Sports Industry Breakfast Club, which entitles members to listen to four breakfast guests during the year, one of whom is Draper.[LNB] Liverpool were so confident of beating Reading in their FA Cup third-round replay at Anfield on Wednesday night that their ticket office were sending out payment information to season ticket holders about the upcoming fourth-round match against Burnley more than two hours before kick-off.[LNB] Online secondary ticket site viagogo, whom the RFU see as black market operators for selling Six Nations seats contrary to their regulations, are chasing public approval by offering refunds on any tickets bought on viagogo for the Twickenham game against Ireland should England's No 10 complete a full set of try, conversion, penalty and drop goal. The promotion is with bookmakers Paddy Power, whom viagogo will be insuring against a pay-out.[LNB]Meanwhile, London 2012 and the RFU's official partners Ticketmaster are being sued in the US by Bruce Springsteen for so many of his concert tickets ending up on their secondary site.[LNB] [LNB]
