As the summer draws near, information about the upcoming showpiece match of the Argentine soccer team in China is gradually surfacing. It is reported that the Argentinean side has offered an appearance fee of up to US$5 million (about HK$39 million) to ensure that soccer superstar Lionel Messi will play for at least 45 minutes.
According to an in-depth analysis by the mainland's Sports Economy Watch, the $5 million Argentina charges is just the base fee, which also includes a share of ticket sales, broadcasting fees and other commercial revenues. As a team that just won the World Cup and has a huge fan base in China, such a fee is reasonable.
Inside sources revealed that the original plan was to charge a subscription fee through CCTV in order to generate revenue, but the Argentinean side valued the traditional TV broadcasting rights revenue more, and disagreed with the tournament organizers on the broadcasting share. Coupled with the low price of domestic rights and the problems of piracy and illegal viewing, the negotiations between the two sides on the broadcasting share have reached an impasse.
What is even more surprising is that the match was not played by the Chinese hosts, China, against Argentina, but by Australia as a substitute. The reason for this is that the organizers, who are not professional sports organizations, are inexperienced in match approvals and procedures, and did not consult and confirm with the CFA beforehand, which ultimately led to the national football team missing out on a great opportunity. Argentina's Asian tour will be on June 15 against Australia in Beijing and June 19 against Indonesia in Jakarta.
