Thats the best damn thing that cuold ever haven to soccer in Australia.
Seven cuts ties
By Philip Micallef
September 30, 2003
SBS is hot favourite to regain the rights to televise Australian soccer after Channel 7 agreed to sever its ties with Soccer Australia yesterday.
SBS - favourite to win rights.
Seven has confirmed it would walk away from its arrangement to show national league and Socceroos matches.
Soccer Australia will cease to exist this week and will be replaced by a new company called Australian Soccer Association.
All existing contracts with Soccer Australia are null and void.
Seven's director of corporate development Simon Francis said yesterday the network would not hang on to the rights.
Francis said the network had held talks with ASA boss Frank Lowy.
"We agreed to walk away from our television rights agreement," Francis said. "We recognised the need for Frank Lowy to get on with business. We've formed a view the best solution for Lowy and his team is for us to show faith and walk away from the current agreement."
SBS head of sport Les Murray said his organisation would be "interested" in obtaining the rights.
"If the supplier offers us the property then we'd be available to talk," Murray said.
Seven acquired the rights to televise Australian soccer for 10 years in 1998.
The Daily Telegraph