Asia football fans sweat on broadcast rights as World Cup nears
HONG KONG: Swathes of football-mad Asia from China to India and Thailand are yet to confirm broadcast rights for the biggest-ever World Cup with kick-off barely one month away. Unsociable match times in the region is one reason why hundreds of millions of fans have been left sweating about whether they can watch from their sofas. Football’s showpiece is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and begins on June 11 when the Mexicans face South Africa. For fans in Beijing and Shanghai the opening match will start at 3:00 a.m., as will the final. In New Delhi that is 12:30 a.m., although some games will be better timing in Asia. Sandeep Goyal, chairman at advertising agency Rediffusion, told AFP that he was “privy to some discussions” between football’s governing body FIFA and Indian broadcasters. “The first problem is of match timings,” said Goyal. “The bigger, better matches are at 12:30 a.m. or 3:30 a.m.