jose - soccer

The soccer team will find it hard to get an equally lucrative sponsorship deal from 2010.It looks like the American government is not interested in bankrolling top soccer brand Manchester United anymore. After taking control of struggling insurance company American International Group last year--as the financial crisis threatened to engulf some of the world's biggest companies--Uncle Sam does not want to renew the insurer's $78.0 million sponsorship deal with the British team.

This will be a problem for Manchester United, which relies on sponsorship for around one-third of its revenues. If it can't get a new sponsor to pay out a similar or higher amount in 2010, when the contract with AIG (nyse: AIG - news - people ) runs out, club owner Malcolm Glazer will find it even harder to repay the debts he saddled the team with when he bought it in 2005.

"They have to find a deal of equal standing, that is the critical issue," said Sean Hamil, an academic at the University of London's Birkbeck Sports Business Center. He told Forbes that this was unlikely to happen, given the troubles facing the corporate world, and that this would have an effect on Manchester United's ability to keep paying for star players.

As for who could replace AIG, speculation is rife it could be insurer Prudential (nyse: PUK - news - people ) or Indian conglomerate Sahara India. Either way, there are already signs that Glazer is tightening his belt, according to Duncan Drasdo, of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust. He told Forbes that Glazer was rumored to be putting his American football team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, team up for sale. He also said that Manchester United was taking ticket money from members' bank accounts earlier than planned.

AIG is not the only example of how the economic crisis is seeping into the sports world. German automaker Bayerische Motoren Werke (other-otc: BAMXF - news - people ) lost Swiss bank Credit Suisse (nyse: CS - news - people ) as its Formula One sponsor on Tuesday, while Japan's Honda quit the auto sport in December.

Even in soccer, two high-profile Premier League sponsors are banks: Barclays (nyse: BCS - news - people ) and Northern Rock. A spokesman for Barclays told Forbes the bank had not yet begun talks on renewing its Premier League sponsorship contract, and that it would not comment on the financial details. A Northern Rock representative was unavailable for comment.

Manchester United was ranked the most valuable soccer team in the world by Forbes last year, with a team value of $1.8 billion.

(source: forbes.com)

Andrei Arshavin could soon be appearing at a Barclays Premier League ground near you, with Arsenal taking a look at Russia's star of Euro 2008.From talented drafts player to one of the hottest properties in world football, here is all you need to know about the 27-year-old on Arsene Wenger's wish list...

1) Andrei Sergeyevich Arshavin was born in St Petersburg - then called Leningrad - on May 29, 1981.
2) As a schoolboy, he showed great promise as a drafts player before turning his full attention to football.
3) While at university he wrote a thesis on sportswear production, but dismissed his decision to study for a diploma in fashion design as an opportunity to meet girls.
4) As a boy, he fell in love with the Barcelona team coached by Holland legend Johan Cruyff and has previously said moving to the Nou Camp would be his dream.
5) Arshavin made his debut for Zenit St Petersburg when coming on as a substitute against Bradford at Valley Parade on August 2, 2000. The Russians won the InterToto Cup semi-final match 3-0.
6) He scored 71 goals in 310 games for Zenit, while for Russia he has scored 15 in 41 caps. With Zenit he won the Russian Premier League title in 2007, the League Cup in 2003, and the UEFA Cup, European Super Cup and Russian Super Cup in 2008.
7) Individually he has won a number of player of the year awards and was ranked the sixth best player in the world in 2008 for the Ballon d'Or - won by Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.
8) Arshavin once stood for local elections in St Petersburg for the United Russia party led by Vladimir Putin (right) but withdrew his candidacy before a vote was cast.
9) The Communists of Leningrad group accused Arshavin of being a 'traitor' for his desire to leave the country. Berating him for 'putting up his body for sale for greedy Western clubs', they warned: 'If you want to sign for any Western team you will lose your spiritual connection to Mother Russia and Russians will never forgive you.'
10) Arshavin may be on the verge of leaving Zenit, but he stares out from the April page of the club's official 2009 calendar.

Andrei Arshavin last night partied with his Zenit St Petersburg team-mates for what he believes will be the last time before sealing a move to Arsenal. The Gunners may be furious that their far-from-concluded negotiations have become public but the Russia forward hopes any problems can be overcome so that he can achieve his dream of playing for one of Europe's elite clubs. It would be the perfect Christmas present as the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the festival two weeks later than in England.

The 27-year-old spent the public holiday with his wife Yulia and their two young children before saying goodbye to his Zenit colleagues at St Petersburg's five-star Grand Hotel Europe at their annual Christmas bash. It is a farewell that the forward knew he had to make after starring for his country in their bold march to the Euro 2008 semi-finals before losing to Spain.

Those performances - along with his key role in winning the UEFA Cup against Rangers with Zenit last season - made him famous across the world, but returning home to a country that had appreciated his talent for years felt too much like getting back in the depressing old routine.

(source: dailymail.co.uk)

LIVERPOOL have maintained their grip on first place in the Barclays Premier League table with a stunning 5-1 win against a toothless Newcastle United at St James' Park. Reds captain Steven Gerrard scored twice and had had it not been for Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given, the hosts could have been on the wrong end of a double-figure disaster after being completely outclassed. The Republic of Ireland international made five world-class saves in 10 minutes to prevent Newcastle from total capitulation before the midway point of the first-half.

Liverpool assistant manager Sammy Lee said: ``I think we are improving with every game we play and that is all we can look for. You haven't seen the best of Liverpool yet. "You win nothing in December but you can certainly lose a lot. We're very pleased to be going into the New Year at the top."

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear - whose 62nd birthday celebrations on Sunday have been distinctly muted having been beaten by Wigan on Friday and now Liverpool - said that his depleted side had not been able to hold off the attacking hordes from Liverpool. "We were short of six or seven players and everything that could go against us did go against us. "We had to play one of the best teams I've seen for a long while. You have to take your hat off to Liverpool. They were in command for a long time and could have put the game to bed in the first half."

Arsenal target Given began his run of jaw-dropping stops in the 10th minute as he pushed away a fierce near post strike from lone Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt. Within a minute England midfielder Gerrard weaved his way around three United defenders only to see his left foot shot palmed away by Given.

However, the onslaught had only just begun and in the 14th minute the Magpies 'keeper denied Gerrard again as he sprung to his right to claw away a rising left footed shot. But that stunning save was eclipsed by an even better show of agility five minutes later as Given denied the Brazilian midfielder Lucas from point-blank range. When the former Gremio player saw his header, from a Gerrard corner, beaten away by the Newcastle goalkeeper moments later, the visitors must have begun to fear this would be no easy win on Tyneside.

United, for their part, had barely managed to break beyond halfway and the Magpies' owner, Mike Ashley, must have been wondering whether he had been premature in announcing his decision to take the club off the market for the foreseeable future. If his aim had been to usher in a period of calm at St James' Park, the effect had not extended to the pitch. Liverpool continued to press forward at will and two goals before half-time appeared to end the game as a contest. Inevitably, given his sensational start to the match, it was Gerrard who broke the deadlock in the 31st minute when he drilled Yossi Benayoun's pass in off the post. Poor Given had no opportunity to reprise his heroics and the Irishman was stranded again five minutes later when defender Sami Hyypia was given the freedom of the Newcastle penalty area to head home Gerrard's corner.

The experienced Finn could have grabbed a second three minutes before the break only for a diving Given to push the ball into the path of Newcastle's Charles N'Zogbia, who cleared. These were torrid times for United but, incredibly, Canada international defender David Edgar reduced the arrears on the stroke of half-time by heading in Danny Guthrie's corner.

Liverpool's third, five minutes after the restart, had an element of luck about it, with referee Mark Halsey failing to spot Lucas's hand ball, but Dutch international Ryan Babel tapped-in from five yards despite being surrounded by several Newcastle players. Gerrard grabbed his second from Lucas's astute through ball in the 66th minute. And when substitute Xabi Alonso wrapped things up with a well taken penalty 13 minutes from time with Gerrard off the field, after his fellow replacement David Ngog had been brought down by Edgar, Liverpool could celebrate heading into 2009 on top of the Premier League pile.

Agence France-Presse, source: foxsport)