Alex Ferguson brands TV as both “god” and the “devil”
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed that the football industry has sold its soul to the TV “devil” in his first interview with the BBC since boycotting the network.
During the grilling Ferguson remarked: “When you shake hands with the devil you have to pay the price. Television is God at the moment” .
Bemoaning the power which producers have in dictating the timing of fixtures, Ferguson was adamant that the gam wasn’t receiving sufficient payment from the broadcasters to justify the disruption – despite £100’s of millions flowing into Man U’s coffers.
In the year ending June 2011 media accounted for the clubs single largest revenue stream, generating £119,4m for the club.
Root cause of Ferguson’s ire was the scheduling of European matches on a Wednesday night, which Fergie believes leaves insufficient time for players to recuperate for domestic matches on a Saturday lunchtime.
Sport observers point out that policing and the manoeuvres of Uefa and Fifa all have a role to play in fixture scheduling.