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And try for a slice of the billion dollars!!! This group is based in Singapore??? Billion dollar deal for Asian football By Soccernet staff November 24, 2009 Mohamed Bin Hammam has sealed a record-breaking deal. The deal, which dwarfs the total revenue earned by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) between 1992 and 2008, gives Singapore-based sports marketing, event management and media group WSG rights to AFC events up until 2020. "What has been achieved for this contract is quite tremendous," Bin Hammam told a select group of reporters in the Malaysian capital after the signing. "From 1992 to 2008 our total revenue from rights was $150m... for everything. Now we talk about eight years with $1 billion ... and this figure will go up, we are sure." Bin Hammam credited WSG with spotting the potential in Asian soccer. WSG have been commercial partners of the AFC since 1993. "It is AFC's pleasure to renew our tight relationship with WSG, who were the first ones to recognise the incredible potential of the Asian game. "They came to support us when our revenues (from rights) were close to zero. We had difficult times where our competitions were worth nothing ... people wanted to pay nothing." The agreement is expected to deliver "at least" $1bn in revenues to the AFC over the contractual period, WSG said. "This is a landmark deal and shows what Asian football is capable of achieving." WSG Chairman Seamus O'Brien, said: "In 1993, we made a commitment together with the AFC to take Asian football to the world. "Today, in just over a decade and a half, the value of Asian football has grown 10-fold and it has earned its rightful place on the international stage. "Its events are being watched and followed throughout the world, not just in Asia, by billions of passionate fans and viewers." Tuesday's deal with the AFC comes a week after WSG partnered with the fledgling OneAsia golf tour. Financial details of that deal were not made public, but under that multi-year, multi-million dollar agreement WSG are responsible for marketing and managing sponsorships and licensing arrangements for the golf tour.

dunno if gotta aircon or not??? A FAMILIAR sight in military camps and training grounds here, the Land Rover Defender will be making way for a new generation of sports-utility vehicles, the Ford Everest. The Ministry of Defence has placed an order for 870 Thai-made Fords as part of a programme to renew its ageing fleet of some 3,000 Land Rovers. The recently sealed deal with Sime Darby's Regent Motors - the Ford agent here - is said to be worth around $85 million, with an option for 500 more vehicles. The Straits Times understands that more than 50 Everests - painted in the army's camouflage green - have already been delivered. The purchase comes after plans to launch a novel scheme - to have civilians co-own and drive military SUVs during peacetime - was shelved. The Everest is Ford's made-in-Asia, made-for-Asia product, based on the Ranger pickup truck. It is assembled in Thailand, Malaysia, India, Vietnam and the Philippines. In civilian form, it is marketed as a seven-seater SUV. Regent Motor had wanted to add it to its passenger car range two years ago, but decided against it as it felt Singaporeans might want a more refined vehicle. But the robust SUV is expected to be a hit with the military. Mr Lee Nian Tjoe, editor of Torque, a motoring magazine published by Singapore Press Holdings, said: 'The Land Rover Defender may be cool, but from a practical point of view, the Ford Everest is better.' Mr Lee, an avid off-roader, said being an Asian car, the Everest is 'easier and cheaper to maintain'. The SUV is also more user-friendly for our soldiers. It has a three-litre diesel engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. It can be driven as a four-wheel or two-wheel drive - hence saving fuel when it is not required to negotiate rugged terrain. Most of the Land Rover Defenders here are 2.5-litre diesel manuals with permanent four-wheel drive. The purchase represents Mindef's first major move away from Land Rover. Mindef spokesman Colonel Darius Lim said: 'After an extensive evaluation, the Ford Everest was selected...to replace the ageing Land Rovers, some of which have been in service for more than 20 years.' Besides meeting 'operational requirements'. he said the Everests were 'more cost-effective than the Land Rovers'.

Check out the facelift for the Rover 75....... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New-look Rovers Break Cover... The face of things to come from Rover has been revealed - Auto Express has the first official pictures of both saloon and estate editions of the new 75. Our exclusive shots show how changes to the front and rear give a more upmarket look, aimed at improving the model's fortunes in a competitive class dominated by the BMW 3-Series and Audi A4. On sale in time for March's registration-plate update, and priced from