UEFA adds more games to match-fixing investigation

Following an emergency meeting at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland, UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that a further seven European club competitions are now under investigation for suspected match-fixing involving teams from Albania, Austria, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Norway, Slovenia and Turkey.

Infantino said UEFA was launching its own investigation into three referees and one other individual connected to UEFA in relation to the match-fixing allegations, but dismissed widespread media reports that any administrative staff at UEFA were under suspicion.

The latest matches to fall under investigation include the Champions League second round qualifier between KF Tirana of Albania and Stabæk IF of Norway, as well as two Europa League third round qualifiers and four second round qualifiers involving Fenerbahçe SK, Budapest Honvéd FC, NK IB Ljubljana, FC Metalurh Donetsk, SK Rapid Wien, KS Vllaznia, Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC and FC Dinaburg.

"UEFA wishes to stress that it has been co-operating fully with the German police and authorities on the case and indeed, following a request from the German police for information on a number of matches, UEFA was able to assist thanks to its Betting Fraud Detection System that has been monitoring all UEFA competitions and European national league first and second-division matches for irregular betting patterns since July 2009,” said UEFA General Secretary, Gianni Infantino.

"UEFA will file criminal complaints, together with the relevant national associations, as soon as possible against clubs, officials and/or players in those countries concerned. We have full trust in our national associations to deal with the cases related to their national competitions and will continue to provide them with our full co-operation and assistance," he said.

Infantino admitted that the organisation was ill equipped to tackle the problem of organised crime and was dependent on the work being carried out by public authorities in a number of countries, but said that by working together as a team, they could “eradicate this cancer altogether and kick it out of football”.

He also called on any players or officials with knowledge of the incidents to come forward and speak to either UEFA, the national associations or football leagues.

UEFA names and shames in fixing probe

UEFA have confirmed they are continuing investigations into seven European fixtures suspected in a massive match-fixing operation.

The case was first brought to light by the authorities in Germany, but UEFA has now opened its own investigation.

Following meetings on Wednesday with nine national football associations, Europe's governing body has named five clubs as being those under scrutiny.

The clubs are KF Tirana and KS Vllaznia of Albania, FC Dinaburg of Latvia, NK IB Ljubljana of Slovenia, and Budapest Honved of Hungary.

Seven matches, one a Champions League qualifier and the other six Europa League qualifiers, all played between July 16 and August 6, are under investigation.

In a lengthy statement, UEFA added it was also looking into the roles of three referees and one other official in the case.

UEFA, football leaders open match-fixing summit

Football officials from nine countries have begun an emergency meeting with UEFA about Europe's biggest match-fixing investigation.

The European football body invited national association leaders from Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland and Turkey to Wednesday's summit.

"We hope to get information from UEFA," Turkish FA general secretary Ahmet Guvener told The Associated Press.

Guvener's colleagues, Wolfgang Niersbach from Germany and Jean-Marie Philips from Belgium, declined to talk with media before the meeting, which was led by UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino and scheduled to last five hours.

German-based gangs are suspected to have manipulated 200 matches this year as part of organized betting scams.

Most are national league games, along with three Champions League qualifying matches and 12 from the second-tier Europa League under suspicion. A qualifying match for the Under-21 European Championship is also on the list.

Betting syndicates are suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and other officials to fix games and the suspected leaders are believed to have made at least euro10 million ($15 million).

The probe is being led by the prosecutor's office in Bochum, which is Germany's leading authority on corruption and fraud.

German police arrested 15 people last week including Ante Sapina, a Croatian national who was convicted in Germany's match-fixing scandal in 2005 that involved referee Robert Hoyzer.

Another man was arrested in Croatia on Tuesday. Two players have been questioned in Switzerland and suspended by their clubs.

UEFA has been sharing information with German authorities and was preparing to give more details to its nine member associations Wednesday.

UEFA routinely monitors Europe's 53 football nations for evidence of suspicious betting patterns in matches from the top two divisions and domestic cup competitions.

It said earlier this season that 40 suspected matches from the last four seasons of play in the Champions League and UEFA Cup -- the predecessor for the Europa League -- were being studied.

UEFA president Michel Platini said in his annual Congress speech in March that match-fixing and illegal betting were the greatest problems facing European football.

UEFA and DFB take action against match-fixing

The DFB, German Football Association, have launched a comprehensive investigation into matching fixing cases in the country, as UEFA is involved in a Europe-wide investigation.

In Germany, there are 32 matches in question, all of which were played by second division and lower league clubs. Germany is only one out of nine countries under scrutiny, which include Croatia, Belgium, Switzerland, Slovenia, Turkey, Hungary, Austria and Bosnia. The State Prosecutors of Bochum are studying the cases in Germany.

Approximately 200 people are suspected to be involved, and police have made several arrests of individuals who are believed to be the leaders of the illegal operation. These principals are believed to have made GBP 9 million as a result of bribery acts between betters and coaches, players, officials and referees.

UEFA released a statement on its website confirming that the governing body is involved in the match fixing investigations, particularly within Germany. Overall there are 40 suspected matches have been identified via UEFA’s Betting Fraud Detection System, including 12 UEFA Europa League matches and three UEFA Champions League matches.

Specific matches involved will be revealed at a later date.

Seventeen arrested in match-fixing probe

German prosecutors investigating match-fixing in soccer said Friday that 15 people in Germany and two in Switzerland have been arrested and about 200 games in Europe affected in what a UEFA representative called the biggest match-fixing scandal in Europe.

Police said more than 50 raids have been conducted in Switzerland, Germany and Britain, and that documents, cash and valuables have been seized.

Authorities believe they have arrested the leaders of the gang suspected of manipulating games to make money on betting. No identities were released, although they said about 200 people are suspected of being involved.

The investigation began in January and has been supported by UEFA, Europe's governing body of soccer. UEFA representative Peter Limacher said he believed it was the biggest match-fixing scandal to ever hit Europe.

Games in nine European countries are believed to have been manipulated, although none in England, Spain, Italy or France. The suspected games in Germany were played in the second-division or lower. Other countries involved are Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Hungary, Bosnia and Austria.

Among the games believed to have been manipulated are three Champions League games and 12 Europa League games, all this year. Prosecutors didn't specify whether those were qualifying games or group-round matches.

UEFA has previously said it is looking into 40 suspected matches in the Champions League and UEFA Cup -- the predecessor for the Europa League -- from the last four seasons, mostly involving eastern European clubs in the early qualifying rounds.

Authorities in Germany and elsewhere are working together with UEFA in the probe targeting an international gang.

German prosecutors arrest multiple soccer bribery suspects

German police have arrested an undisclosed number of people suspected of fixing matches in major European soccer leagues.

The arrests, in Germany and abroad, came as part of an investigation into match-fixing supported by UEFA, according to a statement by the prosecutor's office in Bochum.

A Berlin newspaper reported that a Croatian man convicted as the mastermind of a German match-fixing scandal in 2005 was among those arrested Thursday. The Berliner Morgenpost's online edition said Ante Sapina and his brother were among five people arrested in Berlin and that 15 arrest warrants in 10 countrties had been issued.

The investigation has been under way since the beginning of the year and targeted an international gang suspected of wide-ranging match-fixing.

The gang is suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and officials in "high-ranking European leagues" to manipulate games in order to make money on betting, the statement said Thursday.

It said raids were conducted in Germany and Europe on Thursday and a large number of arrests were made. A news conference is scheduled for Friday in Bochum.

UEFA said it was aware of Thursday's arrests, adding that it had been "working closely with German authorities through its betting fraud detection system for monitoring irregular betting patterns."

The Morgenpost reported that games in the Turkish top division were suspected of being manipulated and that the probe by Bochum investigators targeted 200 people. Top players in Turkey are among the suspects, the newspaper said.

Quoting Berlin security sources, the newspaper said the gang apparently operated from Germany and its boss apparently lived in Berlin.

Ante Sapina was convicted of fraud in 2005 and sentenced to 35 months in prison for fixing or attempting to fix 23 games by paying German referee Robert Hoyzer to rig matches Sapina and his brothers bet on. Ante Sapina's brothers Milan and Filip were given suspended sentences.

Hoyzer was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 29 months in prison after admitting he had manipulated games mostly in German lower divisions on behalf of the three brothers, who made millions by betting on the games.

UEFA said two months ago it was investigating 40 cases of suspected match-fixing in the Champions League and UEFA Cup, mostly involving eastern European clubs. The matches under investigation were early qualifying games that took place over the last four seasons.

UEFA has beefed up its efforts to protect against illegal betting and match-fixing. President Michel Platini has described those issues as the greatest problem facing European soccer.
The detection system monitors all top two divisions across Europe and domestic cup games.

Kool Shen gets Olympique Lyon shirt sponsorship

Olympique Lyonnais, BetClic and Universal Music have taken a groundbreaking initiative by deciding to promote the name of rapper KOOL SHEN through a sponsoring on the shirt of OL for the game Sunday against Marseille, one of the biggest games in Ligue 1.

The rapper, is a poker fan, and a supporter of PSG who has a relation with Betclic. For the promotion of his new album “Crisis of Conscience”, Released November 2, Universal Music and Betclick joined forces.

According to the club, it is the 1st time in Europe, an artist received a prestigious sponsorship for promoting his new album.

KOOL SHEN, co-frontman of NTM is happy to benefit from this initiative, "I am passionate about football, to find me on the jersey of the seven-time champion of France is a great honour.

In addition I am happy to be 1st artist who enjoys this kind of association. With BetClick, my album will be promoted in a unique area I like: football. "

The major partner of Olympique Lyonnais, BetClic also welcomes this unique combination and yours,

"This event with Kool Shen, Universal Music and Olympique Lyonnais illustrates our commitment to be an active partner, not just club leaders of French sport, but also and especially to their fans," said Nicolas Beraud, founder and president of BetClic.

Through this association, Olympique Lyonnais reconfirms its innovative approach to sponsorships, with a pending legislative change that will allow BetClick to appear on the jerseys of the OL, both in Champions League and League 1.

Online gaming is driving spend in sports. But will the legislators derail the gravy train?

This season already, the gambling operator 188Bet.com has signed up as shirt sponsor of two Premier League clubs - Wigan Athletic and Bolton Wanderers - in north-west England, while 11 out of 16 Portuguese league clubs have BetClic emblazoned on their shirt-fronts this season.

This multiple sponsorship trend reflects a more general proliferation of gaming sector marketing around sport, and football, in particular… Real Madrid, AC Milan (Bwin) and Lyon (BetClic) are the continent’s market leaders in the promotion of gaming online and the likes of the German Bundesliga (Bwin) and the Australian A-League (Bet365) are among the best bets for combined live action and betting online.

It’s clear that the online gaming sector is no longer about fantasy revenue forecasts and stellar predictions. The amounts gambled online already scale the billions, while the sector represents a multi-million dollar marketing boon for sporting clubs and organisations.

Most importantly in these hard times, it’s a sector that is continuing to grow. According to Global Betting and Gaming Consultants (GBGC) global online gambling yield will increase by 25 per cent over on the next three years, with a significant proportion coming from global interest in football betting.

As Mike Falconer, chief executive of online gaming services firm, BettorLogic, reported in the SportBusiness International sister publication, iGaming Business, “Football has been almost singularly responsible for the steep progression of both Asian and newer [Southern and Eastern] European markets…and can account for 75 per cent - 80 per cent of bets taken in the major Asian countries.”

The 188Bet.com sponsorship of the two clubs in England’s north-west is a case in point, leveraging both local loyalties and the fame of the Premier League globally, especially in the gambling operator’s main market, Asia.

“The Premier League is and has been heavily broadcast globally and is increasing in a number of markets with several pending deals which will take it through pay-per-view to free-to-air in a number of markets,” said 188Bet CEO Andy Scott.

“So, that is a very strong attraction. It gives us a presence in our current markets as well as visibility in new markets."

It’s not only shirt sponsorship that is upping the ante for the gambling sector involvement in sport. 188Bet has signed two ‘official partnership’ agreements with Aston Villa and Chelsea, while Betfair, the leading betting exchange brand, has signed up for three years with current Premier League champions Manchester United.

Yet for clubs or organisations from jurisdictions in the United States or Europe where online gambling is banned or discouraged, such a close relationship between rights holder and gaming operator, may seem strange. And, it should be stressed that many European jurisdictions have yet to de-regulate the online gambling environment in the same way as the UK. But some European markets are catching up - and this is directly reflected in marketing activity. According to iGaming Business, the number of La Liga teams in Spain now sporting the logos of online operators are on a par with that of the UK in the early 2000s.

Similar growth is being witnessed in other EU countries such as Italy. In fact the biggest online gaming sponsorship deals in football are now in Spanish and Italian territories, where Austrian operator Bwin has set up landmark deals with Real Madrid and AC Milan. In the case of the Spanish giants, the sponsorship is thought to be worth around €45m over three years.

But changes to the law can’t come soon enough for Olympic Lyonnais. The French club was forced to start the new French football season without displaying the name of shirt sponsor BetClic, after the French football association rejected the club’s request to display the logo.
Then there is Portugal, once considered among the more accessible online gaming markets - and when BetClic signed up with 11 clubs in the top league for this season they gazumped Bwin which had title sponsored the entire national league from 2005-2008.

But in a move that will encourage other European governments to hold onto their gambling monopolies, the EU recently upheld the Portuguese government’s gambling restrictions as legal. The decision, which arose from a legal challenge brought by Bwin and the Portuguese League, could jeopardise the sponsorship contracts made by BetClic with the 11 Portuguese clubs.

Confusing? You bet. As is the situation Stateside, where the previous Bush administration passed a prohibitive anti-gaming law that has seen some online gaming operators jailed.
Although there are indicators that this legislation may change under the Democrats, any federally regulated online gambling system is likely to be fiercely protected and run by the major Nevada casinos.

Despite the unwanted attentions of government regulators, the online sector continues to grow its customer base - and now it has a new weapon in its marketing arsenal: live sports content. And the gaming sector’s relationship with sports rights is set to run and run. The depth of the relationship, however, will ultimately be determined by national legislators - and at this stage in the game, no one can predict with certainty how that particular story will pan out.

Football sponsor sought to replace Coke

The English Football League (EFL) is in talks with a number of potential sponsors as it looks to find a replacement for Coca-Cola which decided not to renew its title sponsorship once the current six-year deal runs out at the end of the current season.

Coke’s support for the three divisions since 2004 was put at £36 million. They refused to say how much it had offered the EFL to extend the deal and denied it was shifting funds to support next year’s World Cup in South Africa and London 2012.

The EFL believed that Coke undervalued the league’s position as title sponsor, with ten matches and a highlights package on the BBC and wider coverage on Sky Sports. Crowds at league matches are at their highest level for 50 years.

Latvian side kicked out over betting, match-fixing

Latvia's soccer association has expelled premier league side Dinaburg from the top flight and banned its club president and trainer for life for betting on games and fixing results, the ruling body said on Monday.

The association said in a statement that the decision, the first of its kind in the Latvian premier league, was made after proofs of match-fixing and betting against the team based in the eastern town of Daugavpils.

"The idea was that they either lost the game or arranged a particular result," association spokesman Martins Hartmanis said, explaining how the betting had worked.

He said Dinaburg club president Oleg Gavrilov and trainer Tamaz Pertia were banned for life, while Dinaburg were expelled from this season's premier league.

Dinaburg had previously been disqualified in 2007 from the Baltic League pan-Baltic soccer tournament on similar charges.

Hartmanis said UEFA fully supported the Latvian league's decision.

Harry Redknapp betting surge mystifies bookmakers

The flurry of activity has surprised bookmakers Paddy Power, who said that punters are still laying down large sums despite odds being cut severely.

On Thursday night Redknapp was 50/1 with the bookmaker to be the next Premier League manager to leave his job. They have since slashed the odds to just 2/1, and this despite Tottenham currently lying in fourth place.

Darren Haines, a spokesman for Paddy Power, said: "There seems to be no rhyme or reason to this one and frankly its left us baffled.

"But no matter what price we cut Redknapp to punters keep backing him. Surely they don’t think he’s going to go back to save Portsmouth for a third time?"

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe added: "It is probably a bandwagon effect as ususal, based on unsubstantiated gossip, but in volatile markets of this nature you can't afford to take a chance and we are being inundated with calls from punters wanting to bet that Harry will be the first to go."

Hills make Paul Hart 11/10 to be the first out, with Phil Brown at 5/4 and Redknapp 5/1 third favourite.

Redknapp is due to give a scheduled press conference this afternoon ahead of the weekend game against Bolton.

UEFA investigates 40 cases of match-fixing over past 4 years

Soccer's European governing body is investigating 40 cases of match-fixing involving Champions League and UEFA Cup matches.

Peter Limacher, head of disciplinary services at UEFA, told The Associated Press on Friday the cases involved early qualifying matches of clubs "mainly from eastern Europe" over the last four years.

Of the 40 matches where UEFA has been alerted to suspicious betting patterns, 15 took place in the last two years, Limacher said.

"Right now it's mainly eastern Europe clubs being investigated. They know they are not going to be involved later in the tournament and they are going out, so decide, 'Let's make a profit," Limacher said. "In the cases we have seen, it's really the deliberate planned fix of the games, the whole games. First the result at halftime, then after 90 minutes.

"It might take some time (to convict) but, in cases where we can work together with the police, that might be possible."

Limacher said UEFA is building a network of informers across Europe to clamp down on match fixing.

UEFA announced last month that three Macedonian clubs were being investigated after banning the former champion FK Pobeda from European competitions for eight years.

One of the fixtures under suspicion is FK Milano's 12-2 aggregate loss in July against Croatia's Slaven Koprivnika in the second qualifying round of the Europa League, the new format for the UEFA Cup.

Ukraine v England could be screened live on internet after Setanta fallout

Broadcast rights to the game were originally sold to Setanta, but after the pay-TV operator collapsed earlier this year they reverted to international agency Kentaro, which bought the rights from the Ukraine FA.

Kentaro has spoken to all the major broadcasters but are yet to receive an offer for the game, which will be played on October 10, and is now pursuing a live pay-per-view internet option as a back-up plan.

Specialist digital sports platform Perform have been instructed to market and stream the match live on a pay-per-view basis. Perform stream over 15,000 events annually, and streamed live Uefa Cup matches featuring Tottenham and Manchester City last year.
Sources close to the negotiations said Sky have indicated that they are not currently interested in taking the game, ITV have not made a bid and the BBC made a low bid before withdrawing it.

England could qualify for the World Cup with victory over Croatia this week, but should their fate rest on the Ukraine match then broadcasters may re-examine their reluctance.

Philipp Grothe, CEO of the Kentaro Group said; “We have spoken to every traditional UK broadcaster and currently have no offer on the table. We therefore feel the internet delivers the most viable option to deliver an important England game directly to the fans. It will be the first time in history that an England game has had an exclusive web broadcast.”

Andrew Croker, Executive Chairman of Perform said; “We have pioneered sports coverage on the internet for the last ten years and currently have 20 million football fans using our online services every month. We’re very excited about working with Kentaro to deliver this landmark event.”

The Ukraine game is the only England match currently unresolved following Setanta’s collapse, with ITV having picked up the scheduled home qualifiers and friendly games.

UEFA hands FK Pobeda an eight-year ban

Macedonian FK Pobeda will have to wait eight years before taking to the field again, following developments that proved the club guilty of intentionally losing a match. As a result, the UEFA issued lifetime bans from European football to president Aleksandar Zabrcanec and ex-captain Nikolce Zdravevski, as reported by BBC. In addition, UEFA plans to request that the pair be banned from football activities worldwide, by asking FIFA to take the necessary measures.

The matter has been ongoing since 2004, when UEFA began investigating irregular betting patterns in a match against Pyunik. A UEFA disciplinary panel was put into place to deal with the results, revealing their decision after a hearing that lasted seven hours.

To arrive at a ruling, the panel confirmed that Zabrcanec and Zdravevski were guilty of match-fixing, leaving Pobeda at a 4-2 disadvantage over Pyunik. The findings likely came as no surprise to UEFA, with the pair initially suspected of “manipulating the outcome”.

UEFA president Michel Platini has been forthcoming about his feelings toward match-fixing, calling it the biggest problem in European football. While it may be easy to implement stricter regulations and practices, it can be very difficult to secure enough evidence to formally reprimand clubs.

While Pobeda represents the second club to be reprimanded by UEFA for match-fixing, Zabrcanec and Zdravevski are the first club officials to be held accountable.

5 players charged with breaches of The FA's rules on betting in football

The majority of these charges relate to bets placed on an end-of-season match between Accrington Stanley and Bury played on 3 May 2008. Betting companies in the North-West had reported unusual betting patterns in the lead-up to the match with higher than usual amounts being staked in particular areas of the country.

Four of those charged – Jay Harris, David Mannix, Robert Williams and Peter Cavanagh – were registered with Accrington Stanley at the time of the game while Andrew Mangan was registered with Bury. Both Harris and Cavanagh played in the game.

All five are alleged to have placed bets on Bury to win this match. Mannix is alleged to have placed stakes to the value of approximately £4,000; Mangan £3,500; Harris £2,000; Williams £1,000; and Cavanagh on a £5 accumulator.

In addition, Harris, now registered with Chester City, has been charged in relation to betting on a game involving his new club and another two League Two fixtures. Cavanagh has also been charged with further breaches in relation to his betting on another Accrington Stanley match in which he played and on a number of other League Two matches.

All five have until 23 April to respond to the charges.

Leighton McGivern, also registered with Accrington Stanley FC at the time of the game, was charged in March 2009 in relation to his failure to provide The FA with information requested during the course of the investigation. He has denied the charge.

FA rules prohibit participants from betting on the result or progress of any match or competition in which the participant is participating or has any direct or indirect influence.

UEFA charges Macedonian club with match - fixing

UEFA have charged Macedonian club FK Pobeda, its president and one player with match-fixing, European soccer's governing body said Thursday.

"The match under investigation was the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round game between FK Pobeda and FC Pyunik on 13 July 2004," UEFA said in a statement.

"The charge is based on reports received from the betting industry on irregular betting patterns and the declarations of several witnesses. The Control & Disciplinary Body will deal with the case on 17 April."

UEFA to set up anti-corruption unit in Europe

UEFA are planning a Europe-wide anti-corruption network aimed at tackling match-fixing and illegal betting in all football competitions on the continent.

European football's governing body announced yesterday they are to set up a six-man special investigation unit to look into corruption in their competitions.

Currently, 15 matches from last season and 10 Intertoto Cup and UEFA Cup qualifiers this season are under investigation.

UEFA general secretary David Taylor said he wanted the network to be spread across Europe.

He said: "We will be setting up a special investigations unit to look into situations reported to us in terms of irregular betting. This is a danger in our game, we will not allow our sport to be destabilised by those who wish to manipulate it for their own monetary gains. We are employing extra people and strengthening our early warning systems to fight the war against illegal betting and corruption."

Taylor said talks would be held with national associations with a view to forming a European system covering all football competitions.

Betting industry to keep a central role in shirt sponsorship

Fifteen top European soccer clubs are under pressure to renew their shirt sponsorships by next season as their contracts expire amid the economic downturn.

Shirt sponsorships, the backbone of clubs' commercial revenues, have commonly been considered immune to the financial crisis because of their long duration and large media exposure.

However, analysts expect tough times ahead for clubs with troubled owners or smaller appeal as companies trim budgets.

"In times of financial hardship, firms will naturally look for ways to cut costs, and sponsorship of sporting events, including football shirts, seems a natural and easy target," Chris Brooks, professor of finance and director of research at ICMA Centre, University of Reading, told Reuters.

Although many experts consider it unlikely that top clubs such as Manchester United will be unable to sign lucrative new deals, smaller clubs may have to accept lower income.

Several companies, including Malaysian budget airline AirAsia and Saudi Telecom, have been linked in the media to Premier League leaders United as potential sponsors, after U.S. insurance giant AIG said it would not extend its deal beyond 2010.

"Even if football clubs continue to attract some degree of sponsorship it is most likely that future arrangements will be less lucrative for the clubs," Joe McLean, a soccer finance expert with accountants Grant Thornton, told Reuters.

West Ham United -- who played for three months without a shirt sponsor after holiday firm XL collapsed last year -- signed an 18-month contract with online betting company SBOBET that has half the value of their previous deal.

Their Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion have not been able to agree a shirt deal this term, while six Primera Liga clubs started the season with no shirt sponsor.

"Outside the upper echelons of the game, clubs are in for a bumpy ride over the next 18 months and will have to adjust their expectations if they are to successfully secure shirt sponsorship deals," Simon Chadwick, professor of Sports Business Strategy and Marketing at Coventry University, told Reuters.

Shirt sponsorships also highlight the increasing gap between small and large clubs.

Bundesliga leaders Hamburg SV have renewed their deal with Dubai-based Emirates Airlines for three years.

Manchester City, whose 2.3-million-pound ($3.29-million) per year deal with Thomas Cook expires this season, were also in a position to clinch a valuable deal, analysts said.

Despite the slowdown, analysts expect finance and insurance groups to keep a central role in sponsorship, along with the betting industry.

More than 30 financial or insurance companies are on the shirts of clubs across Europe's six top leagues - only four fewer than last season, according to German sports consultancy group Sport+Markt.

Total shirt sponsorship revenue across the six biggest European leagues has fallen by about three percent to 393.2 million euros this season, according to Sport+Markt.

The reasons for the decline were lower sums generated in Spain and England and the reduced strength of the British pound.

However, the sector should stay afloat, experts said.

"It is difficult to generalise," said Chris Gratton, sports economics professor at Sheffield Hallam University.

"Once the pound recovers, numbers will look different again," said Harmut Zastrow, executive director at Sport+Markt.

Rafael Benitez's future in doubt at Liverpool after bookmakers suspend betting

Rafael Benitez's future as manager of Liverpool looks more uncertain than ever after leading bookmakers suspended all bets on him leaving the club.

The news comes hours before his team take on Real Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League in the Bernabeu with rumours in the Spanish capital suggesting the Liverpool manager will leave Anfield.

The Spaniard has been locked in talks over a new contract in recent months and surprised the club’s hierarchy by rejecting a fifth draft of the deal over the weekend. Benitez has less than 18 months left on his contract at Anfield and believes that if he reaches the end of the season without a commitment from Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the Liverpool owners, he would be forced to look for a new job.

The Americans agreed to offer Benitez a new contract before Christmas but the document remains unsigned. Sources close to Benitez have suggested that the Spaniard has reached agreement with the club on a number of occasions, only to find that, when the written contract arrived, it contained different terms than had been agreed verbally.

The owners have bowed to his requests for more control over transfer policy and the youth academy, however, sticking points remain about the job security of his backroom staff and his concern at the delays in the decision-making process, given the dysfunctional relationship between the owners.

Benitez began his career in coaching at the Bernabeu in 1986 and the Liverpool manager has been linked with a return to Madrid, where Juande Ramos is the incumbent. However, Ramos is a short-term appointment and is likely to be replaced in the summer.

Speculation has suggested that Kenny Dalglish, the former manager, has been approached to act in a caretaker capacity in the event of Benitez leaving, but the Scot remains a strong supporter of the Spaniard and would be unlikely to countenance the dismissal of a man who has brought the European Cup to Anfield.

The internal politics of Liverpool have been tortuous since the American owners took over and Benitez has endured a difficult relationship with Rick Parry, the chief executive. The pair have been enbroiled in a power struggle which has worn down the manager. However, Benitez believes he is right and will not depart without a fight.

Rupert Adams, a spokesman for William Hill, said: "We are slightly jumpy after being turned over by the recent Weymouth coup but the level of interest on Rafa getting the sack is unprecedented with over 300 calls logged today alone.

"We would be very surprised if he is still the Liverpool boss by midnight on Sunday."

Bookmakers lose £1m in betting coup

For fans of financially troubled Weymouth Football Club, the chance of a humiliating defeat usually only adds to their woes. But when the entire squad went on strike, leaving only the youth team available for the next match, supporters cashed in on one of the biggest betting coups in non-league football.

More than £1 million was paid out after punters placed huge bets on Weymouth losing against Rushden & Diamonds.

As the match became the hottest betting prospect in the country many bewildered bookmakers were forced to cut odds before suspending betting entirely.

The regular team, which has not been paid at all this year because of the club’s debts, walked out after discovering that there was no medical insurance for the game.

Despite a valiant attempt by the Weymouth teenage team, when the final whistle blew they had been trounced 9-0.

One punter, who wanted to remain anonymous, told how he had earlier raced from one Devon bookmaker to the next to place thousands of pounds in bets.

He said: “As soon as word began leaking out on Friday night that it might be the entire youth team playing the next day we began putting on bets. We put on money at all the local bookmakers and then started driving to all the surrounding towns to get more bets on.

“We then began ringing friends around the country to get them to put on money for us. Even as the price began shortening we kept putting on thousands because there was no way a team of 17-year-olds was going to win that game.”

About £680,000 was traded on a Rushden win on the Betfair exchange alone. At first the odds were 15-8. By kick-off at 3pm on Saturday the odds on Rushden winning were just 4-6 and some bookmakers had stopped taking bets.

The 1,000 Weymouth supporters, some of whom felt mixed emotions at having made money from their team’s loss, gave the young squad a standing ovation.

Keith Avant, 30, said he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry after winning £237 from his team’s defeat. “I put £100 on and got £237 back. I heard all the players were walking away so I went out to make the bet.

“It was a bit emotional as a Weymouth fan as you don’t want to bet against your own team. But it was a good investment.”

A Coral spokesman said: “Normally £30,000 to £40,000 would be paid out on a match like this across the whole industry. But we paid out in the region of £100,000 and we are 20 per cent of the industry.”

He added that Coral changed the odds after learning that the public was aware the club was fielding its youth team.

A Ladbrokes spokesman said: “We got wind of it on Saturday morning after we noticed an unexpected number of people placing bets. We were able to slash the odds and fortunately it was not too bad.”

Steve Palmer, deputy sports editor at theRacing Post, said that the match had become “the centre of the betting universe” before the game.

“Nonleague football is one of the few sports where punters can get an edge on the bookmakers,” he said. “They can have superior knowledge and the bookmakers can get caught with their trousers down.”

George Primarolo, spokesman for Totesport, which was one of the first bookmakers to suspend betting on the game, said: “We took it down once it appeared people knew more than us. We are quite used to this sort of thing happening in the lower leagues because teams can struggle financially and all of a sudden a couple of players cannot play.

“It’s not like the Premier League where all the team news is broadcast everywhere. I am sure there are some people who did very well out of it.”