Charles Sale: FA fear fall-out if Setanta Sports switch off; Arsenal's raising of the stakes; and To

31 March 2009 10:05
The major doubts surrounding the future of TV sports subscription network Setanta are causing great concern within the FA, whose financial stability is dependent on TV rights deals. Setanta, who have a four-year contract starting this season to cover England and the FA Cup, have crisis talks in progress that will decide whether they can fund their ambitious portfolio of sports rights or possibly see their whole British operation collapse. [LNB] [LNB]Trouble ahead? Angus Scott and Steve McManaman promoting Setanta Sports - the channel could be in trouble[LNB]Setanta's three main City investors Balderton Capital, Doughty Hanson and Goldman Sachs are unwilling to provide the extra capital needed and the TV company desperately need to find new backers in the depths of the recession. The current investors have only themselves to blame for the meltdown, having failed to approve the few extra millions that would have seen Setanta retain both their packages of Premier League rights in the auction last month. Instead, they lost half their live Premier League games.[LNB] It just doesn't stop at Arsenal   More from Charles Sale... Charles Sale: Cup to rescue FA in a cash crisis29/03/09 Charles Sale: Arsenal face more share uncertainty27/03/09 Charles Sale: Burton blighted by FA financial scare26/03/09 Charles Sale: Glove company feel Umbro's iron fist25/03/09 Charles Sale: 2018 board's £5m isn't in the net yet24/03/09 CHARLES SALE: Rugby blazers get shirty over chief executive Baron24/03/09 Charles Sale: Taverners showing up fat-cat counties22/03/09 Charles Sale: Triesman goes to war with the LMA20/03/09 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE The irony of Arsenal director Danny Fiszman making £42.5million by selling eight per cent of his shareholding to fellow board member Stan Kroenke at a top rate of £8,500 per share will not be lost on former vice-chairman David Dein. He was dumped off the Arsenal board as public enemy No 1 after facilitating Kroenke's purchase of Granada's 10 per cent, yet Geneva-based tax exile Fiszman has cashed in spectacularly while retaining a 16.1 per cent stake and his powerbase. Kroenke increasing his holding to 20.1 per cent won't much affect the dynamics of the board. But it will further rile Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, who would have liked the chance to sell some of her 15.9 per cent holding to Kroenke, having been manoeuvred off the board last December in a ruthless coup engineered by Fiszman. And Arsenal ringmaster Fiszman has ensured he has to approve the deal if Kroenke were to sell his newly acquired shares.[LNB] BBC Sport's top brass checked with F1 pundit David Coulthard before the Australian Grand Prix that all was well between himself and the Beeb's pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz. This followed a spat last autumn when Kravitz, then working for ITV, described the Scot as 'a shadow of the driver he was'. To which DC retorted: 'How many people has Ted Kravitz overtaken?' However, Coulthard had no problem teaming up with his new colleague.[LNB] Tottenham have organised a preview of their new ground's Northumberland Park development project for sponsors, corporates and VIPs at the same time as England play Ukraine in a World Cup qualifier tomorrow. [LNB] Tottenham's propsed new stadium[LNB]Yet more guests have agreed to attend this Wednesday than have signed up for the other preview a week later, which doesn't say much about the Wembley attraction. Spurs have decided to make their new 60,000-capacity ground next door to White Hart Lane that bit tighter to retain more atmosphere, after consulting fans.[LNB] Jimmy not over the HillJimmy Hill, who is not in the best of health, was a worthy winner of the prestigious Contribution to League Football Award at the Football League's slick gala night at the Grosvenor House Hotel last Sunday. It was an appropriate occasion at which to honour 80-year-old Hill after his many achievements in the game following the unheralded way he disappeared from the Sky Sports Sunday Supplement programme, which was his last media involvement. There were representatives from 46 of the League's 72 clubs at the bash, which is a far bigger turn-out of players than at other football awards events, although whether there is a need for spurious awards such as the Sky Digital Media Best Digital Communication prize is debatable.[LNB] The FA's 2018 World Cup bid team, aware there is little or no support within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for the £5million requested from the Government to back the campaign, are now hopeful that the Treasury or Number 10 will bail them out.[LNB] [LNB]  

Source: Daily_Mail