Brazil 2014: China’s early exit dismays TV rights owners
Juan Pablo Conti ©RapidTVNews | 12-11-2011Chinese soccer fans have not been the only ones left rueing the fact that their national side has failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup to be held in Brazil.
In a qualifier played yesterday in Doha, Iraq beat China 1-0 and left the Asian team with no chances of securing a spot for the next edition of the FIFA World Cup.
It effectively means that the world sport's biggest tournament won't include a representative from the nation holding the world's biggest television audience.
The news will be a major blow to both local organisers in Brazil and FIFA, and it will be particularly disappointing to those companies working to sell TV distribution rights for the mega sports event.
The company appointed by FIFA as its exclusive sales representative in Asia for Brazil 2014 is Football Media Services (FMS), a joint venture between Swiss-based sports marketing agency Infront Sports & Media and Japanese advertising firm Dentsu.
Headquartered in Singapore, FMS is responsible across Asia for the distribution of not only television but also radio, Internet and mobile broadcasting rights to the 2014 World Cup.
With over two-and-a-half years to go to the inaugural match of Brazil 2014 (to be held in Sao Paulo at the still-to-be-built Itaquerao stadium, the future ground of Brazilian soccer side Corinthians), the elimination of the team boasting the largest number of supporters seems to have come way too early.
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