While the events surrounding the unwinding of Kaká situation keep been derailed in the media as certain parties try to “spin” what really happened with a player and AC Milan into moral decision, the truth of the matter was that it was purely a business move that was derailed by those with a hidden agenda. This should not be a surprise given the underlying related businesses involved particularly as the groundswell of his next move is being orchestrated, although there still are no comments of his astonishingly low sponsorship revenue.
However turning away from the business aspects of the deal, Mark Hughes commented of the matter as well as new acquisitions Nigel de Jong and Craig Bellamy:
“There’s are a lot of negativity around what we do - or so it seems. I think that people have lost sight of what we were trying to do, which was to bring one of the best players in the world to Manchester City. We should be given a little bit of credit for that.
“We were not able to conclude the deal, but we got very, very close. There were a lot of things to be worked through and it was always going to be a long process, but it fell down and there was always a danger of that. From a footballing point of view, it would have been ideal to work with a player of that quality but it is not going to happen and we move on.
“The Kaka situation was one we had to move for. When you have the opportunity to go for one of the best players in the world, timing issues go out of the window. When you get the indication that a player of that quality could be available, you have to move quickly.
“We will use the negativity that has been used by others as a strength. We will build slowly, build correctly and make sure we are stronger in the future.
“We have a plan with what we want to do, and I am delighted with the signings we have made. Craig will open up space behind defences with his blistering pace, Nigel is a really strong individual with character and a good approach. Those are the kind of players we will continue to bring in and those kind of players who will make us strong.”
Showing posts with label Kaká. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kaká. Show all posts
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
How the Kaká deal fell apart
As the Football world quickly moves away from the events leading up to Kaká staying at AC Milan and not moving as most believed to Manchester City, a number of interesting twists in the tale have come to light.
From the start of this deal to its very end it involved not only the respective clubs and player but the powerful forces of Adidas, Nike as well as Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN TV network stated intent of purchasing the rights to English Premier League matches live. From the broadcasting vantage in many ways the potential move of Kaká to Manchester City represented a near perfect situation for Disney's expansion into Football and the Citizens global branding with one of the sports best examples on and off the pitch. A great athlete not only none for his on-pitch splendor but of irrefutable character and quite possibly the perfect figurehead for the sports emergence within the American market. However not to be outdone, the targeting of Kaká, one of the most recognizable names in Adidas and subsequently the German based company would fight off any assault with whatever they could muster.
While in the shadows of this entire deal with City headed up by chief ex-Nike man Gary Cook as chief exectutive it is not by chance that their attempts were directed towards one of the rivals most well-known athletes. Along with his Nike's £285 acquisition of Umbro and sponsorship involvement of England's national academy, this was a point in the massive financial battle of worlds Football market as City moves slowly under the Nike umbrella.
However what remains to be seen is the "how and why" Man City executives were "played" in this situation. While in the past the executive team of the Citizens have made a series of negotiation blunders, this time they were letter perfect and came with a brilliant plan. Knowing full well that Mr. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite aka Kaká is a man of the highest moral character and it would take more than just a sizable contract to lure him to Manchester, they were ready to table a proposition that would fulfill some of his personal goals and build a charitable foundation of extraordinary proportion. If true be told, City's management which has stumbled on many occasions outdid itself in a not only a brilliant tactical move but one to bring it to the forefront of sports management and leadership. However these plans went stray and after acknowledging Kaká represents the values as the ambassador of the sport, Mr. Cook noted that they were never able to meet with him and all "his representatives wanted to talk about how much we were going to pay him."
After vetting AC Milan's interest in negotiating a deal and being assured "in which Milan made it quite clear Kaka was for sale", Mr Cook told the BBC, he along with a board member from Abu Dhabi and one other senior executive to finalize the deal. However the intent of Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and owner of AC Milan changed as per Mr. Cook:
“We were confined to a room, with no food or drink, and we asked some questions of the football club and more importantly we asked some questions of the representatives of the player and they simple could not answer the questions."
So what happened to the deal, possibly the greatest hint is the breadcrumbs left by Kaká's teammate David Beckham, less than forty-eight hours of the deal collapsing when informed Spanish media source "AS" that the he is likely to move to Real Madrid, where he can continue wearing the three stripes this summer.
From the start of this deal to its very end it involved not only the respective clubs and player but the powerful forces of Adidas, Nike as well as Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN TV network stated intent of purchasing the rights to English Premier League matches live. From the broadcasting vantage in many ways the potential move of Kaká to Manchester City represented a near perfect situation for Disney's expansion into Football and the Citizens global branding with one of the sports best examples on and off the pitch. A great athlete not only none for his on-pitch splendor but of irrefutable character and quite possibly the perfect figurehead for the sports emergence within the American market. However not to be outdone, the targeting of Kaká, one of the most recognizable names in Adidas and subsequently the German based company would fight off any assault with whatever they could muster.
While in the shadows of this entire deal with City headed up by chief ex-Nike man Gary Cook as chief exectutive it is not by chance that their attempts were directed towards one of the rivals most well-known athletes. Along with his Nike's £285 acquisition of Umbro and sponsorship involvement of England's national academy, this was a point in the massive financial battle of worlds Football market as City moves slowly under the Nike umbrella.
However what remains to be seen is the "how and why" Man City executives were "played" in this situation. While in the past the executive team of the Citizens have made a series of negotiation blunders, this time they were letter perfect and came with a brilliant plan. Knowing full well that Mr. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite aka Kaká is a man of the highest moral character and it would take more than just a sizable contract to lure him to Manchester, they were ready to table a proposition that would fulfill some of his personal goals and build a charitable foundation of extraordinary proportion. If true be told, City's management which has stumbled on many occasions outdid itself in a not only a brilliant tactical move but one to bring it to the forefront of sports management and leadership. However these plans went stray and after acknowledging Kaká represents the values as the ambassador of the sport, Mr. Cook noted that they were never able to meet with him and all "his representatives wanted to talk about how much we were going to pay him."
After vetting AC Milan's interest in negotiating a deal and being assured "in which Milan made it quite clear Kaka was for sale", Mr Cook told the BBC, he along with a board member from Abu Dhabi and one other senior executive to finalize the deal. However the intent of Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and owner of AC Milan changed as per Mr. Cook:
“We were confined to a room, with no food or drink, and we asked some questions of the football club and more importantly we asked some questions of the representatives of the player and they simple could not answer the questions."
So what happened to the deal, possibly the greatest hint is the breadcrumbs left by Kaká's teammate David Beckham, less than forty-eight hours of the deal collapsing when informed Spanish media source "AS" that the he is likely to move to Real Madrid, where he can continue wearing the three stripes this summer.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Man City end talks to bring in Kaká
In a peculiar twist, Manchester City have issued a formal statement that they have terminated discussions to bring Kaká from AC Milan.
Citizens executive chairman Garry Cook said the following:
“Whilst Manchester City Football Club has an obvious interest in world class players of the quality of Kaka, we owe it to our fans that such a transfer must work on every level; commercially, financially, in terms of results on the field and within Manchester City’s broader community.”
While this shuts the door on the Kaká transfer, their is considerable talk of the behind the scenes event and how this deal unraveled after the terms had apparently been agreed to.
Citizens executive chairman Garry Cook said the following:
“Whilst Manchester City Football Club has an obvious interest in world class players of the quality of Kaka, we owe it to our fans that such a transfer must work on every level; commercially, financially, in terms of results on the field and within Manchester City’s broader community.”
While this shuts the door on the Kaká transfer, their is considerable talk of the behind the scenes event and how this deal unraveled after the terms had apparently been agreed to.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Silvio Berlusconi hints of Kaká’s departure
As per the FIFA web-site, Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and owner of AC Milan hinted of the imminent move of Kaká to Manchester City:
“Nothing is decided yet but it is very difficult to ask someone to stay and respect his contract when he has been offered such a huge amount of money.
“You have to act in a moral way, like a big brother, as I did with Sheva (Andrei Shevchenko). I didn’t know how to say no to him when the offer came in from Chelsea.
“We can’t possibly increase the salaries for everyone as we would have to do to keep hold of Kaka,” he said.
“I’ve already said it and (vice-president) Adriano Galliani believes it too but my reasoning is clear: you can’t say no to a lad who has a short career and who has the potential to earn much more than he is currently being paid. On the other hand we can’t raise his salary because it’s already very high and we would have to raise the salary of all the other players as well”, although he equally added “I hope he stays.”
“Nothing is decided yet but it is very difficult to ask someone to stay and respect his contract when he has been offered such a huge amount of money.
“You have to act in a moral way, like a big brother, as I did with Sheva (Andrei Shevchenko). I didn’t know how to say no to him when the offer came in from Chelsea.
“We can’t possibly increase the salaries for everyone as we would have to do to keep hold of Kaka,” he said.
“I’ve already said it and (vice-president) Adriano Galliani believes it too but my reasoning is clear: you can’t say no to a lad who has a short career and who has the potential to earn much more than he is currently being paid. On the other hand we can’t raise his salary because it’s already very high and we would have to raise the salary of all the other players as well”, although he equally added “I hope he stays.”
Friday, January 16, 2009
Kaká to be unveiled as early as Sunday
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak are readying to unveil their next great coup as this Sunday Kaká will be presented as a new member of Manchester City, as per news agency Arabian Business and its affiliates.
The agency notes an unnamed source saying:
“The big advantage right now is that there is a global credit crisis and there are not many clubs in the world as financially secure as Man City. This is a very big attraction for Kaká.”
The news organization further cites their source as claiming that negotiations revolve around Kaká’s demands for a twenty per-cent wage increase:
“There has been a lot of ups and downs and the sticking point has not been the transfer fee but Kaka’s wages. His people have seen the offer made to him as being on the low side and they are looking to raise it by 20 percent given the fact that Kaka will not be playing Champions League football for now at least.”
Please note that while this report has been noted by my sources as “credible” but further noting the deal “has yet to be signed”, Manchester City has yet to issue a statement.
The agency notes an unnamed source saying:
“The big advantage right now is that there is a global credit crisis and there are not many clubs in the world as financially secure as Man City. This is a very big attraction for Kaká.”
The news organization further cites their source as claiming that negotiations revolve around Kaká’s demands for a twenty per-cent wage increase:
“There has been a lot of ups and downs and the sticking point has not been the transfer fee but Kaka’s wages. His people have seen the offer made to him as being on the low side and they are looking to raise it by 20 percent given the fact that Kaka will not be playing Champions League football for now at least.”
Please note that while this report has been noted by my sources as “credible” but further noting the deal “has yet to be signed”, Manchester City has yet to issue a statement.
Man City deal for Kaká plagued by poor negotiation tactics
With the mainstream media combing through crumb of information for a possible insight into whether the massive €120m offer for AC Milan’s Kaká will bring the talented maestro to the Citizens and various pundits debating the worthiness of paying any Footballer £500k per week, ownership is starting to raise their eyebrow at who is spearheading their efforts.
As Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak took over the club, they not only brought Manchester City financially strong ownership but a highly successful business team that understands negotiation tactics from every angle. While publicly they have continued to give a vote of confidence with the club management they are growing weary of their "point men" as they stumble through the negotiation of Mr. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, aka Kaká.
Make no mistake about it, the ownership is committed to the long-term success of Manchester City and while the club stumbles presently, they will stay the course and provide supporters the hardware they clamour for in time. Their initial £32.5m acquisition of Brazilian star Robinho from Real Madrid before the summer transfer window closed was just the start of things to come but very quickly they have realized they need a bigger "business team" with City if they are to achieve their goals. In leading the charge for Kaká, ownership has provided the financial resources to secure the deal but in the negotiation upper management is stumbling and not providing all the reasons why the young Brazilian should move to City.
While some managers with the Premier League, such as Arsenal's Arsène Wenger scoff at the size of the offer, every owner and business manager rubs their hands with glee knowing full-well that this will have a direct impact upon the bidding war between Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN, Sky Broadcasting Group Plc and Setanta Sports Ltd. for the the rights to broadcast Premier League matches, as well as the global brand of Football in England and naturally asset valuations of each club. While naturally the economic downturn has thrown a dark pall on the sale of many clubs, backroom deal-makers are well aware that elevated broadcast revenue will punch up simmering offers and wait to see how the bids turn-out this February.
In a very circuitous route, this returns to the Kaká saga because not only is Man City's ownership questioning how this deal is being orchestrated but so are the many business entities that will be directly impacted by it. Leading into a major rounds of talks between Kaká's representatives and Man City on Monday, a change negotiation tactics are needed.
As Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak took over the club, they not only brought Manchester City financially strong ownership but a highly successful business team that understands negotiation tactics from every angle. While publicly they have continued to give a vote of confidence with the club management they are growing weary of their "point men" as they stumble through the negotiation of Mr. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, aka Kaká.
Make no mistake about it, the ownership is committed to the long-term success of Manchester City and while the club stumbles presently, they will stay the course and provide supporters the hardware they clamour for in time. Their initial £32.5m acquisition of Brazilian star Robinho from Real Madrid before the summer transfer window closed was just the start of things to come but very quickly they have realized they need a bigger "business team" with City if they are to achieve their goals. In leading the charge for Kaká, ownership has provided the financial resources to secure the deal but in the negotiation upper management is stumbling and not providing all the reasons why the young Brazilian should move to City.
While some managers with the Premier League, such as Arsenal's Arsène Wenger scoff at the size of the offer, every owner and business manager rubs their hands with glee knowing full-well that this will have a direct impact upon the bidding war between Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN, Sky Broadcasting Group Plc and Setanta Sports Ltd. for the the rights to broadcast Premier League matches, as well as the global brand of Football in England and naturally asset valuations of each club. While naturally the economic downturn has thrown a dark pall on the sale of many clubs, backroom deal-makers are well aware that elevated broadcast revenue will punch up simmering offers and wait to see how the bids turn-out this February.
In a very circuitous route, this returns to the Kaká saga because not only is Man City's ownership questioning how this deal is being orchestrated but so are the many business entities that will be directly impacted by it. Leading into a major rounds of talks between Kaká's representatives and Man City on Monday, a change negotiation tactics are needed.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Kaká deal closer than you think
While Manchester City assistant manager Mark Bowen broke the internal directive to steer clear of commenting to the media regarding the Kaká deal when he noted to BBC Sport Wales that, “We believe the deal is very close” and “that it is very much a strong possibility that Kaka will be coming to Manchester City”, he didn’t go far enough is saying how close this deal is.
Mark Hughes, knowing he couldn’t avoid the topic, tap-danced around the issue and showed his most political side stating:
“Garry Cook and a number of other people went to Milan to get an understanding of the situation involving the player (Kaká), but to add any more substance to that would be wrong.”
It would be inaccurate to state that this “deal is done” but it is extremely close as with £100m on the line AC Milan’s owner Silvio Berlusconi’s business sense knows he would be a fool not to listen and after consideration is inclined to move on the cash windfall. However the brokering of individual deal for Kaká is the sticking point and will require not simply the top their top salary effort from the get-go but involve broader based issues off the pitch and significant interest from related parties in the deal.
Stay tuned for updates on the Kaká saga.
Mark Hughes, knowing he couldn’t avoid the topic, tap-danced around the issue and showed his most political side stating:
“Garry Cook and a number of other people went to Milan to get an understanding of the situation involving the player (Kaká), but to add any more substance to that would be wrong.”
It would be inaccurate to state that this “deal is done” but it is extremely close as with £100m on the line AC Milan’s owner Silvio Berlusconi’s business sense knows he would be a fool not to listen and after consideration is inclined to move on the cash windfall. However the brokering of individual deal for Kaká is the sticking point and will require not simply the top their top salary effort from the get-go but involve broader based issues off the pitch and significant interest from related parties in the deal.
Stay tuned for updates on the Kaká saga.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
City to offer £100m for Kaká
The rumours of Man City trying to lure Kaká have stepped-up to an entire new level as the Manchester Evening News is claiming that the Citizens are preparing a £100m off for AC Milan’s Kaká. Making claim that City’s ownership group see’s such an effort as a “perfect way of showing fans that he (Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan) intends to keep his promise to turn the Blues into a superpower in the coming” the article notes how executive chairman Garry Cook and representatives of Sheik Mansour have met with Adriano Galliani and Ernesto Bronzetti (Milan’s chief executive and commercial director) to present their offer.
Manchester City have yet to issue a formal statment.
pure rumour regarding Kaká
This should come to no surprise to anyone familiar with the Daily Express‘ habit of sensationalism, so please take this information as pure rumour. However the rag is reporting that ex-Nike man and now Man City Chief executive Gary Cook along with chief operating officer Paul Aldridge have traveled to Milan in an effort to lure Kaká to the Citizens with a salary of up to £200k per week. While I warrant it is an intriguing story and I naturally would welcome the Brazilian maestro to City not only for his brilliant play but for the type of man he is, the article fails to mention how business relationships between A.C, Kaká and Adidas would counteract such efforts. It would be a stunning achievement for this to occur and one that would shake the underbelly of the closed-door business aspect of Football for this to occur. While I suppose impossible is nothing, I very much doubt this deal will occur.
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