Is football on a sure bet?

It's interesting looking at archived footage of football matches from the 70s and 80s. Apart from the grainy images, dodgy hairstyles and goalkeepers picking up passbacks, you can take a look at the businesses that were putting their money into football back in the day.

Advertising hoardings urging you to decorate your home with Johnstones Paints, watch Match of the Day on a Hitachi tv, eat Danepak bacon for your Sunday fry-up, and bank your cash at the Halifax were the norm. All of them were recognisable names on the high street and in any typical home.

Speed forward to the present day, and football fans are urged to fly to Malaysia, drink exotic sounding far-eastern beers, invest any savings they might have with a US conglomerate, and gamble using online spread betting agencies.

The number of online gambling businesses investing in elite football in the UK over the last few years has seeped through without comment.

News this week that Everton have announced a deal with Dafabet to be their international betting parrtner adds to the overwhelming list of betting companies splashing out to be seen as part of the greatest game - Genting Casinos, Bet365, 32red, sbobet and 12bet, among others now adorn the shirts of clubs competing in the FA Premier League for season 2012/13.

The FA themselves, not to be outdone, proudly announced William Hill as Official Supporter to the England squad and the FA Cup in January 2012.

Peter Cavanagh was banned
for eight months for his part
in the Accrington scandal

With football accepting these deals, do they not see the potential for a huge conflict of interest? Italian football has been rocked by its second match-fixing scandal within a decade, while closer to home, it is only three years since the last domestic case of match-fixing, when five players were involved in betting on the result of an Accrington Stanley v Bury fixture.

Recent claims from former Southampton player Claus Lundekvam that spot fixing was common among Premier League players during his time at the club have added to the issue.

Not for one minute should it be implied that these sponsorships are anything other than genuine financial deals between the organisations concerned, but it does leave an uneasy feeling that the integrity of sporting fair play has a greater opportunity to be tinkered with.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) has introduced guidance for their members following the Accrington scandal, giving examples of the use of inside information and match fixing. It should be pointed out that the football authorities in the UK do work closely with betting operators and the Gambling Commission, so are policing betting patterns in the sport.

Perhaps accused of scaremongering, Chris Eaton, a director of the International Centre for Sports Security (ICSS) claimed at a conference in London recently that  "match-fixing has been going on for many years but is now almost out of control.

"Fixing sports results is endemic in some areas and more deeply entrenched than some have the courage to acknowledge."

A summer holiday on the cards for the Community Shield?

As the Barclays Premier Leagues gears up for another season with the FA Community Shield on Sunday, news from Germany should be interesting the marketing team at Wembley.

Villa Park - venue for the 2012 FA Community Shield
Pic (c) thefa.com

The traditional curtain-raiser to the season, this year between PL champions Manchester City and FA Cup winners Chelsea is held at Villa Park, the first time since 1974 that the game has been played away from Wembley.

That is only a 114 miles hike from the home of English football, but if current trends within other major European football leagues are anything to go by, supporters could miss out on their day out, or face a trip half-way round the world to see their side start the season.

Lyon won the 2012 Trophee des Champions
at the NYC Red Bull Arena
Pic (c) newyorkredbulls.com

The German Bundesliga are to meet next month to consider taking their equivalent fixture to China, following in the footsteps of the French Ligue1 who have played fixtures in the USA, Canada, Tunisia and Algeria.

The Italian Supercoppa is being played in Beijing's Olympic Stadium this weekend for the second year running, with it's first trip to foreign soil way back in 1993 when it was held in Washington DC, as a prelude to the 1994 World Cup. Since then, it has returned to the USA, held in New York in 2003, and Tripoli in 2002, before it's first visit to China in 2009.

Beijing's 'Bird's Nest' Olympic Stadium
Pic (c) bbc.co.uk

Having abandoned the infamous 'Game 39' concept, the FA, along with all Premier League clubs are forever looking at expanding their fanbase and tapping into foreign markets, with pre-season tours to the USA, China, Malaysia and other Far Eastern countries the norm.

Never ones to be seen as behind the times, it can only be a matter of time then, before the FA give in, and move the Community Shield fixture abroad.