THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN
The Champions League is also gathering momentum across the African and
Middle East region. Wednesday night is a big sports night in South Africa
whenever a Champions League match is on. The game is increasingly
popular there as the country prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
Dubai is also becoming an important Champions League hotspot, partly due
to its large expatriate population. In Nigeria, matches are broadcast free-
to-air. This means that millions of Nigerians can follow the Champions
League - and enjoy exclusive Heineken advertising. Israeli and Egypt also
have large fan bases following the fortunes of Europe's top
football clubs as they compete to reach the final of the Champions League.
So how did the UEFA Champions League become such a powerful global
brand?
One popular belief is that the increase of foreign players in European
leagues was key. The figures certainly reflect a dramatic change. During
the inaugural English Premiership in 1992, for example, just five per cent
of players in starting line-ups were foreigners. By 2001, this figure had
increased to 36 per cent and by 2005 to 45 per cent.
When restrictions on the movements of EU players were removed, clubs
were freed up to sign the best of the non-European players. This was the
start of a feeding frenzy for good players around the world, especially in
Latin America, the Far East and in Western Africa. At last count, the
Champions League sported players from 67 different nations, from
countries as varied as Togo, Japan, Australia, the United States, Mexico,
South Korea, Ghana and South Africa - as well as Brazil and Argentina, of
course.
"The Champions League has a huge importance in our country, regardless
of the number of Argentine players available to play in it, because it is the
most prestigious tournament in the world," said Nicolas Balinotti, from La
Nación, one of Argentina's leading daily newspapers. "We have our own
Copa Libertadores de Americas, but we are always sending journalists over
to Europe to cover the final stages. Especially if Argentine players like
Lionel Messi with FC Barcelona are featuring."
The 1978 World Cup-winning Argentine striker, Mario Kempes,
commentates on Champions League games for the country's Spanish-
speaking regional ESPN TV station, he adds. "He's one of our all-time
football heroes, so to have him talking about the Champions League
completely validates the tournament."
The other main reason for the American expansion is a more socio-political
one. "The borders of the world have gone," explains Tommy Smyth, back in
New York. "In this city alone there are 47 different newspapers in different
languages, with large amounts of people living here from just about every
European nation. They are all keen to watch soccer (the American word for
football), and their chosen clubs."
