Source: Daily_Mail
CHARLES SALE: TV trumps fears of Cardiff v Swansea derby violence
The serious crowd trouble at the east Lancashire derby between Burnley and Blackburn last weekend has only added to widespread astonishment that the next flashpoint football fixture between Cardiff and Swansea on Saturday has been allocated a 5.20pm kick-off. The timing, somehow allowed by South Wales Police, allows tensions to build during the day before a clash that has a long history of hooliganism, while also giving more opportunity for drink-related incidents. It has been done purely for the benefit of Sky Sports, who are showing the match live. A SW Police spokesman said: 'Historically we would have preferred an earlier kick-off but Sky requested the start time and we've agreed to facilitate it. We're confident we will be able to police the fixture in an effective way.' Crowd trouble: In last season's game at Ninian Park between bitter Championship rivals Cardiff and Swansea, referee Mike Dean was hit by a coinThe Football League are also surprisingly relaxed and Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale said: 'The eyes of the football world will be on us with the TV coverage and I'm hopeful both sets of supporters will behave in an appropriate manner throughout the day. Security arrangements at our new stadium ensure rival fans are properly segregated.' Meanwhile, Cardiff are due to finalise their Malaysian investment, led by property tycoon Dato Chan Tien Ghee, next month. It is expected to signal the departure of Ridsdale, who regards his work in Wales as done after the ground move and the arrival of fresh funding. Judging by the pre-release clip on website commentatorsunited, the World Cup song Let's Hear It England from 11 of football's men behind the microphone isn't going to make Fabio Capello regret not sanctioning an official team song. Fortunately, the Cotswolds male voice choir do the singing interspersed with words from a team including Clive Tyldesley, Martin Tyler, Ian Darke, Peter Drury, Jon Champion and Guy Mowbray. On the plus side, proceeds go to the Prince's Trust and it will make a change for ITV's Tyldesley to talk about a commentary other than the 1999 Champions League final. Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal (right), the fifth-richest man in the world and now the largest single shareholder at QPR, looks like he intends to invest more in the London Olympics than Loftus Road. Mittal, who has a £19billion fortune, is understood to be bankrolling a giant landmark structure at the Olympic Park, designs for which are being unveiled today, to the tune of more than £12million. With such uncertainty surrounding the FA following the shock walk-out of chief executive Ian Watmore, it isn't regarded at Wembley as the best timing for chairman Lord Triesman to be starting two weeks' holiday with his family in the South of France. An FA spokesman said: 'The chairman works far more hours than contracted and no one could have foreseen what has happened.' Nobel tolls for Sepp Prize ambition: FIFA president Sepp BlatterThe growing Russian competition to England's hopes of staging the 2018 World Cup is not only enhanced by prime minister Vladimir Putin making the bid one of his strategic priorities. There is speculation that taking the World Cup to Russia rather than England will do a lot more for FIFA president Sepp Blatter's ambition of winning a Nobel peace prize. Meanwhile, David Beckham is being chased by TV channels from around the globe to be part of their World Cup commentary teams in South Africa. But the strong likelihood is that Beckham, who has never worked as a pundit and needs neither the profile nor the money, won't take up any of the analyst opportunities. The RFU have announced their crackdown on Twickenham ticket-holders who have supplied the black market, mainly via secondary on-line sites. But the total of 17 clubs, districts, schools and individuals uncovered are all small fry offenders and have been given powder-puff sanctions - such as a 10 per cent loss of allocation suspended for one year - which will hardly act as a deterrent to anyone.