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David Hytner's article hints at Ivan Gazidis's plans to sell the Arsenal brand:

" Gazidis has identified a huge discrepancy between the worldwide reach of the Arsenal brand and the revenue that it generates. He believes that bringing the latter up to speed - the club have sophisticated strategies in place to do so - is the surest way forward. It is simply not possible to play the sheikhs and the oligarchs at their own game."

The problem is if Arsenal continue to fail then there won't be a brand to market. This season has seen a number of teams playing attractive, free flowing football, surpassing Arsenal's increasingly bowdlerized version. Flogging a brand that was at its peak more than half a decade ago by dressing it up is not going to win any new customers. It won't matter a whit if the fan sits in Kuala Lumpur, Djibouti, or Anchorage, if your own London base is increasingly alienated with the club and the direction its taking. Nostalgia only puts familiar bums on the seats, the rest of the remote world wants new silverware. Falling out of the Champions League is a surefire way to guarantee that this has no hope of success.

Another thing, these "sophisticated strategies" cost money with no guarantee of returns. The monies would be better spent in transfers, uncovering basic truths why Arsenal suffer so many injuries, restructuring wages in tune with actual performances rather than mere experience. The more hardwired aspects of the club need to work before it can go to the made for TV audience.

Yeah, Becks own underwear designs, part of H&M's David Beckham Bodywear collection will feature in a 30 second ad in the second quarter of this years Super Bowl, which will not feature the Green Bay Packers. Will it drive you to encase your goolies in a Becks underwear or will you come up fourth and inches? Tats optional.

By the way, he did sign a two year deal to continue with the LA Galaxy, and every MLS bigwig is happy because he's the saviour of the league after all. The deal allows him the freedom to participate in the 2012 London Olympics. And sell lots of T shirts.

Adidas backed out of a renewing LIverpool's kit deal as they weren't overly impressed with the club's performance. No matter. The Reds have reached an agreement with US based Warrior Sports that is worth £25m a year for 6 years, which more than Man Utd's annual £23.5m deal with Nike.

New Balance, the parent company of Warrior Sports, is also the supplier to the Boston Red Sox which is owned by John Henry's Fenway Sporting Group, which also owns Liverpool. Connections do matter. Which means if Arsenal fails to qualify for Europe are their kits going to be provided by Dick's Sporting Goods owned by Stan Kroenke?

Indians will see Roberto Pires in action next month

Instant cricket, the 20/20 version has found a home in India's Premier league, one of the world's most lucrative sporting brands, till corruption eroded its worth. The success of the IPL is inspiring a new soccer league in India which will see the likes of Roberto Pires, Fabio Cannavaro, Juan Pablo Sorin, and others participating in a soccer competition styled on the IPL format.

30 players and six coaches from overseas will be auctioned off in Kolkata for the month and half long tournament that begins Feb 25th and ends April 8th. There will be six teams and each team will get an "icon" player with a $600,000 salary cap counting towards a maximum of $2.5 million spending money the first year. The league initially will be confined to West Bengal, home of the most soccer crazy fans in India, but the Celebrity Management Group, the brain trust behind this project envisions an expansion to other states in due course. Accordingly, CMG has signed onto a 30 year contract with the Indian Football Association.

To encourage local talent there will be a cap of four foreign players and the rest of them will be picked up from the U21 Indian teams. This component cannot be overstated because India is one of the most dismal nations, if not the most dismal, when it comes to playing soccer with a FIFA ranking of 162. Any exposure to the sort of quality that players like Pires, Cannavaro, or Sorin provide will be good for the development of the sport.

Other players tapped for this league include a number of names in the twilight of their careers. Familiar names like Jay Jay Okocha, Hernan Crespo, Robbie Fowler, Fernando Morientes, and Maniche will get an opportunity to make some pretty easy money while entertaining Indian audiences.

Former Arsenal player and legend Pires is pretty excited about coming to India.

"I am proud to be the first Frenchman to go and play there. And eight weeks is nothing."

He maybe the first Frenchman to play there but India has a long history of French colonialism since the 17th century. Does he know the French used to have a colony near Kolkata called Chandernagore, now renamed Chandannagar? It was part of French India till the 1950s.

CMG was also behind bringing Diego Maradona to Kolkata back in 2008 which brought the city to a standstill. The Argentinian great kickstarted a project called Mission 2020 which envisions India qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. The last time India went to a World Cup was in 1954 but they withdrew because FIFA refused to accede to their demands to play barefoot. More recently, Bayern Munich came calling playing an Indian XI as part of Baichung Bhutia's testimonial which ended rather badly for the home side losing 4-0. Which gives an idea of how uphill India's climb is for World Cup qualification.

India maybe in the soccer doldrums but 60 million fans represents a huge market for clubs hoping to get new business. Bayern and Liverpool have ambitions in India which includes setting up soccer academies. Positive developments like this soccer league which actually helps India improve the quality of its soccer can only be welcome.

Not exactly an Oscar award winning performance from Rooney in an ad about the anticipated arrival of a mysterious new red devil at Manchester United.

Soka Afrika is probably the first documentary that really tackles the problem of trafficking of young footballers from Africa to the European leagues through the story of two aspiring footballers who set out to find their fame and fortune and end up taking very different journeys. It won the best film at the Kicking and Screening film festival in NYC and London this year.

As this Soccernet article points out that one of the big motivations for Simon Laub, the producer of Soka Afrika was to draw attention to the yeoman work done by organizations like Foot Solidaire set up so to protect these youngsters from unscrupulous agents. Many poor families end up going bankrupt paying fees and airfares for their son on the promise of lucrative contracts from clubs which never materialize. One of the big projects is to develop some sort of database on legitimate agents who can be trusted to do what is right for those seeking to move overseas.

The organization also rehabilitates those end up stranded in Europe. Many of them become demoralized and lose interest in pursuing a football career. The stigma of being labeled a failure also prevents them from returning home. Playing football at a local club boosts self esteem. The family is counseled to accept the player back after months or years spend in an alienating place.

All this requires funding and so far Foot Solidaire has had to scrape by through donations. The founder, Jean-Claude Mbvoumin, a former Cameroonian international, is hopeful that increased exposure to their work will spark an interest from FIFA or UNICEF who should rightly be concerned by this form of human trafficking.

More Hope Solo. Going hermano e mano with Steve Nash in EA Sports Soccer 12 which is due in stores today.

What you need to be wearing this season if you are going to be using the scissor kick.

The 2022 World Cup will set the Qatar government back by $221bn in development and infrastructure costs according to an analyst who does this for a living. Small change for the richest country in the world even as they stand to lose billions without recouping but a small fraction. FIFA by the way will have made out with its billions in TV and merchandising revenue with all its earnings non-taxable because of its non-profit status.

To put this in perspective, the 2006 World Cup in Germany cost $8.5bn to host. South Africa spent $4bn for the 2010 World Cup. The business generated from these events boosted the GDP by about .5% in both countries.

The projected costs of the 2014 edition runs to $15bn with about 50% devoted to developing transportation (rail, road, and air) because Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world. The World Cup will boost Brazil's GDP by 1.5% according to a bank estimate.

That escalates to about $65bn to $115bn by the 2018 World Cup where the estimates to carpet Russia with high speed rail covering a surface area of 6,601,668 sq miles (the largest country in the world) will itself entail an expenditure of $35bn to $85bn, depending on the source. Without that additional burden, the figures plummet to a more sedate $25bn to $30bn.

This is eclipsed by Qatar where traversing its miniscule 4,473sq miles (164th in surace area) is not the really the problem but building stadia, training facilities, and accomodation that is air-conditioned will cost them $171billion. A new port and expansion to the Doha International Airport adds another $50bn.

There will be no hard feelings between Qatar and FIFA even if the 2022 World Cup is underwritten as a comprehensive loss because by that year the oil and gas earnings generated will more than make up for it (FY 2011 $80.8bn). Government revenues are projected to rise on an average $50bn a year because of increased demand in the energy sector. The 2022 World Cup is more of a vanity project than a economic fillip to a country that really does not need one.

..cos he doesn't want to dirty his Adidas shoes.This is a bit hard to imagine.

England overcame World War II buoyed by the bulldog spirit of Winston Churchill, the perfect choice for a war time leader. Yet, it was Clement Atlee who was voted to rebuild an England recovering from the war's aftermath and the decline of empire. 50 years later these two men rank in the list of greatest leaders. Two very different personalities but both provided the proper leadership needed for their country for their times. Those who believe Wenger's departure will be apocalyptic will be well advised to remember this example.

Arsene Wenger led Arsenal to heights never touched before. It led to the cult of AKB for all the right reasons. But something happened on the way. He got too close to the board and co-opted their message. There was no firewall. No separation of pitch from boardroom. Before long he was opining on the shareholding fight and the composition of the board. One doesn't quite know when the shift from managerial duties to a mouthpiece began but the drift has been going for long. It's now a cozy relationship without expectation.

Wenger's present avatar is now one of fiscal responsibility. His transition to an activist has been a natural fit because of the club's own belief in living within its means. It also means putting aside a wishlist which could pose a serious potential conflict of interest with the austerity that is being practiced at the Emirates.

Look at Roberto Mancini's frustration at his board (an entity that can buy the world fifty times over) at their perceived foot dragging on Samir Nasri. Today, Nasri delivered a stinging vindication of Mancini's desire to have him on the board. Manciini's first responsibility is to deliver City's first Premiership title and not a philosophical point. Sir Alex provided Wenger with strong words of support but he's never laboured under the illusion of being any more than the manager of Utd even after a record 20 titles. Juan Mata wasted no time in making an impact after Andre Villa-Boas showed the requisite alarm in not having a wide game. Ditto for Kenny Dalglish with Luis Enrique for Liverpool.

Arsene Knows F**k All (AKFA) might be a bit harsh but there are chinks in the armour.

Steve McMahon is heading a private venture bringing Liverpool's brand to India and opening football academies in five different venues in India by 2012. The academies will bear his name and come under the auspices of the official LFC academy.

India along with China represent the biggest developing markets for football and Liverpool and Man Utd have been in the forefront to realize their potential for expanding their presence and profitability. Utd with its biggest fan base in Asia have announced plans to go public in the Singapore stock exchange to raise $1b in cash.

Liverpool's entry into India is a far more calibrated approach balancing the concerns of average Indian football fans to see a long term investment in developing the sport in their country with the economic bottomline. The club has ambitions to get their Stanley Park ambitions back on track and write off bank debts dragging down its profitability.

"This is not about the money, this is about me giving something back to the game," said McMahon, who is partnering with Liverpool and Indian real estate developer Carnoustie Management Pvt. in creating the schools. "The English Premier League should have been here a long time ago, we are here finally walking the walk."

The first academy will open in NOIDA which is minutes from New Delhi and McMahon envisions opening three other centres in Delhi and the NCR region. North East and East India will then follow in about a year. The expansion will be complete with centres opening in Mumbai, Goa and South India in the next 18 months. The target demographic is the burgeoning middle class who have lots of liquid cash and can obviously afford the fees to train their children. It's too early to say whether this is looked on as any more than piano lessons, learning French, or a way of keeping them out of trouble.

European giants Bayern Munich have also expressed an interest in opening a soccer academy in West Bengal near Kolkata. Blackburn Rover's Indian owners are also contemplating opening a similar school in Pune.

It's reflective of the nascent interest in the sport in India long starved off institutional support and now relying on the private sector to fill that lacuna. Hopefully Liverpool's presence represents translates into real gains. The club should open up opportunities for Indian youngsters to play in their senior teams because only exposure to international standards will bring commensurate improvement in the Indian national team's fortunes. McMahon sees that happening:

"We expect about 500 children in each location and that is what we want, more the better. Our aim is to build small blocks and then move around the country. We are also hoping to send children from here to Liverpool FC and maybe, they will play for the club and other big European teams."

Carnoustie Management Pvt Ltd manages the Lions, an international polo team and they have also been active in promoting adventure sports in India. Their real estate ventures include developing office and retail spaces, hotels, spas, and golf courses.

And Jesus said, go forth and save Arsenal for a recompense of loaves and fish

Kaka's future in Real is a mystery. The 2007 Golden Ball winner is drifting in a team that signed Mesut Oezil, Nuri Sahin, and Fabio Coentrao to bolster the midfield.

Jose Mourinho played him sparingly in the pre-season fixtures with the LA Galaxy as the only substantial outing. He came on for 13 minutes in the Super Cup second leg against Barca where he did little of consequence. In the meanwhile his €65m transfer fee and a yearly salary of €10m is a proving an albatross. Offloading him has become difficult and Milan ruled out a return move.

The rumours are a loan move to Arsenal could materialize as Wenger tries to introduce a spark of creativity in a midfield lacking Fabregas. For all the happy talk, Nasri is at best a short term bandaid.

Whether this has any traction is debatable. Kaka has been far, far short of his magnificent form for a number of years. He was MIA with athletic pubalgia which kept him out for a year and required surgical intervention. It's difficult to envision Kaka being match fit to play 90 minutes without risk of re-injuring himself. In addition, he's lost a lot of his quickness and ability to get through defenses.

We waited and waited: Samuel Beckett did write about this though

Man City showed us two ways they could score goals. A clever set piece and an open field piledriver which David De Gea could have stopped.

United showed a dozen ways. The equalizer was initiated by Tom Cleverly and what ensued was an intricate web of passes with preternatural positioning involving Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney, and Nani as they wove their way around a tightly packed City defense. The Portugese finally burst away and running left finished with a delectable chip over Joe Hart as United stamped its authority in the second half.

Sir Alex has an uncanny way of introducing the right substitution and this time it was Tom Cleverley as the game resumed in the second half. He was in the thick of things as Rooney took a step back and scoured the field for an outlet. Say what you will about Rooney behind that thuggish facade lies an acute footballing brain. He will be a force even as his scoring takes a step back. Another reason Utd look good for their 20th Premier League title is their deep bench strength. They will be in fine shape when the ides of March come knocking as their rivals tot up the injury count.

All three new signings were on display and Ashley Young was his usual energetic self with a hand in the first goal with his floated free kick which found Chris Smalling open and willing to put his boot. David De Gea after that mistake recovered to make some nice saves getting his hand on an Adam Johnson blast and then tipping Dzeko's effort. Phil Jones looked solid although City sputtering badly in the second half was really no test.

Which brings us to City. Edin Dzeko looked disconnected up front as the midfield wore a gaping hole. Yaya Toure did his best forcing the pace down the middle but he's not really a creative force. David Silva, clever little player that he is, finds more usefulness down the wing. United move their players almost rugby like in a line upfield so when they come to the box there are at least five players who can recycle the attack as they showed with the Nani goal.

Here is another problem for City apart from the imbalanced midfield. With the match tied 2-2, Roberto Mancini brings in Gareth Barry for Mario Balotelli. Really? You would think with over half an hour left to play the first thing on his mind would be to reclaim the lead. Instead he was thinking of penalties. His other two substitutions were Adam Johnson and Gael Clichy. The former has some fine attacking instincts but he's not a goalscorer. This would have been an ideal time to throw in Sergio Aguero. Everyone was waiting for that one but it never happened. City will be in fine position come May but Mancini's inability to go for the jugular will factor in them falling short.

It was all set up for a classic finish. Misery needs company. And so it was as Vincent Kompany made a hash of stopping Nani who went barreling forward one on one with Joe Hart, neatly side stepped the City goalie, and swiped the ball with his left foot for the perfect comeback. The scoreline reads 3-2 but it really does not tell the story of Utd's utter domination. Every pundit talks about this season as the closest in years but really it won't be.