Arsenal News 24/7Writer: Nick Simmonett 
Date:Friday February 9 2007
Time: 7:17PM
UK time is: 23:59:40
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Arsenal Confirm Billionaire Deal!
Arsenal Football club have announced a technical partnership with American side The Colorado Rapids, as revealed by Vital Arsenal late last night.
The Rapids are part of the Kroenke Sports Enterprises which is owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke.
The exclusive deal provides Arsenal with an excellent marketing opportunity in The States, as the popularity of football looks set to rocket in America as clubs try to sign ageing stars such as David Beckham, Luis Figo and zinedine zidane.
It was not confirmed that The Rapids will change their name to incorporate 'Arsenal` in their name but two domain names including 'coloradoarsenal.com` have been purchased by the Kroenke Sports Enterprises.
An annual football tournament will be hosted at a new football academy funded by Kroenke and Arsenal. The tournament will include Arsenal, The Rapids as well as other teams from the only American professional football league - MLS.
This is just the latest step in David Dein`s evil master plan to conquer the world after Arsenal set up a centre for footballing excellence in Thailand last year.
The Rapids will travel to London to train with Arsenal for 5 days on March 8th.
AFC`s MD (managing director) Keith Edelman couldn`t hide his delight as he confirmed the deal: 'We are delighted to be able to announce our partnership with Kroenke Sports Enterprises and the Colorado Rapids.
"This is a very important step for Arsenal Football Club as this becomes our first venture into the United States marketplace. We are approaching this as a long term development partnership that will benefit both clubs significantly.'
Edelman is not the only person delighted by the deal, KSE Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer Paul Andrews had this to say: 'We are thrilled to have established such a partnership with one of the leading clubs in the world that will help continue the expansion of our sport well into the future.'
Colorado Rapids MD, and Arsenal fan Jeff Plush said: "This groundbreaking partnership with Arsenal, a team that has been in the first flights of the sports for more then 100 years is the one of the stepping stones to continue pushing our sport into the next level. In today`s international business community, soccer is the only true global sport that transcends ethnicity, culture and language and with this type of relationships we are making sure that our company is expanding this vision through our worldwide sport."
This is just the latest step made by Arsenal Holdings PLC to secure the long-term future of Arsenal football club after they secured a £100Million deal with Emirates and got the go-ahead for the Highbury Square development.
The marketing value of football in America is hard to estimate but this deal could be worth millions of pounds a season.
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Your Comments
Where did you first hear about this happening? Vital Arsenal that's where....unless you looked at The Independant website early hours of this morning. :D
simmy8_2000
that's the way a real club operates. and it's AAARSEEEENAAAALLL, ARSEENAAAL FC...
G4L
oh it's the mighty , it's the mighty COLORADO ARSENAL, the best football team in all the land eh?AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA.Are you lot going to stop yappin' about not having money now?It's like England is colonizing 'soccer'.
k_chelski
'We are trilled to have established such a partnership with one of the leading clubs in the world'
Trilled? Does this mean that they've been blasted by budgie seed? Sorry Nick, I'm in silly mode this evening. Another good bit of business for the club! Nothing new there then.
flv
Ye but unlike you we didn't need millions to be successful...wake me up when you do a proper double or atleast get near to going a season unbeaten
Anon 1
lol FlV. I'll get straight on to it Sur. :)
simmy8_2000
There you go....fixed.
simmy8_2000
K_chelski this is how a proper football club is run. I know Chelsea tried to go down that route but they couldnt hack it and were on the brink of extinction before your sugar daddy arrived. whatever happens, however many trophies you win the whole world will look back at you and know you are quitters who couldnt handle life in the real world of football! hahahahahahaha.
iceman10
Imagine a man who gets himself a load of credit cards. He goes out buying all the things a man could want, 50 inch flat screen hdtv, Joey chair, bentley, you name it he had it. The ladies flock to him as he walks round the clubs with his Rolex showing on each arm and his pimp daddy suit. After his spending finally catches up with him he has to announce himself bankrupt, the ladies are no longer there, the rolex is replaced by some bizarre sundial type thing on his wrist. Suddenly in a puff of smoke the devil appears and asks the man if he would like to have all that wealth back and more in exchange for his soul. the man happily sells up and continues his spending but on a much grander scale. Would you respect this man more than the man who instead of spending on credit and selling his soul actually built an empire created his own wealth and lived in luxury created by hard work. I know who i would respect more.
iceman10
good move by arsenal !! looking to tap the americal market but with a long-term perspective, as always with all dealings related to the club. I see more short term benefits to the Rapids, though i dont see how this can possibly harm us in the long term.
prits
Iceman, the rich folks don't need yo respect, hahah.You know , i think it's hard to get rid of wealth.As Chris Rock once wisely said, "you can't get rid of wealth".
k_chelski
does this mean wenger can call time outs now?
is anyone here old enough to have seen the NASL in the 70s? (national american soccer league) i hear it failed because refs regularly made bogus calls so they could go to commercial...
bootoo
Im glad you dont want respect because il never respect lotto chavs who show no humility. i know Mr Kenyon and Mr Abramovich want respect tats why they arrange trips around the world to promote you guys, I can see them now on the karaoke in a US bar "R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Find out what it means to me
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Take care, TCB"
iceman10
K_Chelski, do you not think that people like RA do what he has done with Chelsea for respect? I sure as hell dont think he did it out of the goodness of his heart, and it's not making him any money.
simmy8_2000
iceman, i never said i didn't want your respect.I SAID RIIIICH folks, don't want any respect.Yeah simmy, billionaires are not respected enough.I guy that has more money than the queen of england is not respected.He didn't need to buy chelsea.He bought it because he wanted to be a part of football.Those americans bought liverpool for money, and when they realise that it was a bad move (believe me they will) hahaha, that will be it.
k_chelski
I Will respect what the 2 Americans are doing if they actually run the club as a business and achieve success on the field. To run a football club as a business and win trophies is incredibly difficult, some teams just cant hack it :)
iceman10
Real madrid are the example of that iceman - galactico theory worked well for a while, still is raking in the cash, but the results and silverwear have run dry
bootoo
'He bought it because he wanted to be a part of football.' He is part of football. In fact, he's the tool of football 8-)
flv
Looks like you are keeping up with the Joneses!
sandgroanun
everyone bar chel$ki will c(r)a$h and burn, only the mighty blues will prosper. sometimes the chavs sound like an upgraded model of a deluded spud. wanted to be a part of football. good lord. he still wants to be I assume, but somehow in the footballing world Roman has very few friends who mean something in this footballing world u mention. His only friend is his cash. It's the same with you so-called football club.
G4L
*you, a so-called football club
G4L
I didn't say everyone will crash and burn, i said liverpool will crash and burn :-).I don't mind watching arsenal grow, just as long as we beat you in every occasion, ;p.Why the you lot always bring stereotypical comments?
k_chelski
Fact: without the billionaire you could not beat us to save your life, but I suspect you'd remember that. Fact: Our left-backs (Nutty, Silvinho raise your hands) were scoring regularly against that small team you were, are and always will be. Fact: your club is treated like a toy in the hands of a spoiled (rich) brat, where everything is run by the hard cash. Fact: players go to chel$ki to make a small fortune, then they actually go to a normal club to play regular football. Fact: the more abramovich-type fellas in the game, the less soul this game has. now go put on your Lampard shirt and pray Roman gives him 50+ quid a month so he doesn't ***** off to Barca.
G4L
Fact: 10% of your annual turnover gets blown on 3 players wages (lampard, Ballack and Terry). Ive seen people treat a game of monopoly more seriously in business terms than Abramovich treats Chelsea.
iceman10
Hahaha.G4L, here's a couple of facts for ya.We were in the champions league before Abramovich bought chelsea.Something other rich clubs, failed to do even now, that they are rich.If we were so small, abramovich wouldn't have bought us.Another fact is that Abramovich has soooo much money, and he built his wealth.It's his money, let him spend it.I'm tired of you, and your manager giving us economy tips.We don't need that,i'm sure Mr.Abramovich has enough financial advisers.
k_chelski
Well if he's so rich, why doesn't he just randomly buy the fans a season-ticket? It would be peanuts to him, right? Or he lets them do it just to get the (false) feeling that you are contributing/part of the club? Your debts prior to Abramovich were in the region of 80 million and no Champions League was going to save you, schmuck! You were bound to do a Leeds (hey, played in a CL semi-Final as well!) only to be saved by the bell by a Russian magnate who needed to escape his country, hide and launder his 'built wealth', as you like to put it. And what better option than Chavski FC, the Titanic of London football.
G4L
I can't say I've done detailed research on this partnership, but from the outlook, it's a nice prospect. And an Arsenal Cup! Man, that sounds too sweet. I don't particularly agree with the "popularity of football looks set to rocket in America" comment you made Simmy, but that's for another day to discuss. Go Go Arsenal!!!
ducksworth
K_chelski it was buying the likes of Lampard and Hasselbaink on credit pre Abramovich that got you into that financial mess. Anyone can look rich and succesful buying on credit ask Leeds utd fans. It was embarrasing you couldnt afford to pay your bills at the end of the month tho. Like a spoilt uni brat who has maxed out her credit card your team goes crying to 'daddy' for help. Your club is like the girls in the film clueless!
iceman10
Before winning the world club MLS cup would it not be better to win the Champions League European Cup? All the rest of the trivial stuff can come later :-)
col8
Arsene sounds absolutely thrilled with the prospect of playing preseason matches in the US, not! Are the suits starting to make decisions without consulting Wenger? At least we know where Jens will be playing next year!
Westl
G4L and iceman, both of you are wrong, our debt was simillar to liverpool's debt.So was liverpool 'doing a leeds' as well?
k_chelski
Actually k_chelski .. you are wrong. Liverpool never have had the levels of debt either Leeds or Chelsea pre-Abramovich had. It is arguable that Chelsea would have gone to the wall if Abramovich hadn't come in. And what sort of stupid comment is "the Rich don't want respect". Having read many gormless comments, that one is right up there - of course the Rich want respect - Abramovich wants respect for Chelsea, he wants to play attractive football to gain respect, he wants to win the Champions League to gain respect. The rich always strive for something they cannot buy. Respect. Anybody who thinks otherwise is living in a fantasy world. After all, a lack of respect means you aren't liked, struggle to do business, people deliberately do business to spite you etc etc etc. I know you are from Brazil but you should steer well clear of such unwise remarks
Sir_Harry
Sir_Harry, do you think bill gates cares about, respect from normal people?Do you think i guy that has billions, need any more respect than he has?The guy is richer than the queen.Any of the top20 billionaires, don't need a football club to earn respect, i think you're the one living in a fantasy world.Ok,i don't get your point about me coming from brazil, could you explain it to me?
k_chelski
your sheer inability to comprehend the term 'respect' is the cause of this pointless debate. You have been proved wrong in all of your arguments and what do you do? You come back to the beginning where you stated that rich people don't care about respect. Everyone craves for respect, especially 'businessmen' like Roman Abramovich. Fantasy world? look around yourself, and your club - it is more and more a Fantasy Football Club.
G4L
Proved wrong? Chelsea's debt was £80 million.This website(forbes) tells me 80 million was spent on liverpool's debt.If i'm wrong, this site is wrong as well. I understand what's respect.What you don't comprehend is that, Abramovich doesn't need a football club to earn respect!Damn, it's so easy.Top20 billionaires have alot of respect.If you read what i said again, you'll see my point.
k_chelski
K_chelski, there are different types of debt. Abramovich paid off the debt that was about to drive them into insolvency. Liverpool has a different type of debt, in many cases secured in securitisation debt which means it cannot be fore closed. Basic finance and economics - by paying off this debt the Americans at Liverpool can now use the capital to secure loans on the new stadium. £80m in debt at one club is not the same as £80m at another - its often a different type of debt structure. Chelsea's debt was like Leeds, Liverpools is more like ManUs and Arsenals. And of course Abramovich want respect .. why do you think Bill Gates is giving billions to charity? Doh. The point is these people want to be remembered for achievements. Look at all of the millionaires and billionaires through History .. they have all desired a favourable place in society and history that no amount of money can buy.
Sir_Harry
Abramovich has respect already.he gave millions to help education, healtcare , etc.Many places in russia love him.Sir harry, i don't think bill gates helps poor people for respect.If i had the money to help other people, i wouldn't do it just to get respect.Anyway, that's just me.If you had the power to give billions to charity, and that amount, wouldn't even tickle your pocket, i am almost sure you would.He loves football, he wants to see chelsea suceed.No one can be respected by everyone.Not even in football.There are crazy people who say pelé wasn't even that great.Here, in brazil.There are some rich people who don't care about what anyone thinks about them.That's a fact.There are some who wants to make a difference.Even with all that, you can't get guarantee respect.
k_chelski
Ah, you seem to have stopped your debt argument. When Kenyon and Abramovich go on about how they wanted Chelsea to be respected and not thought of as a rich man's plaything, what do you think they mean?
Sir_Harry
Well if what you say is true, why would i debate that?You changed you're argument.Chelsea is different than abramovich.Abramovich wants his club to suceed, that's different.Your inicial point was that, abramovich bought chelsea, to help his other business deals.Wanting the club to suceed is a different thing.Why would someone spend outrageous money, if not to make it the best in the world?He's ambitious.I like his ambition.He wants chelsea to be the greatest team in the world.Does Of course the respect comes with it, but do you really think he needs that respect?Do you think that his business deals, are not good enough as they way they are now?
k_chelski
My initial point was NOT that Abramovich bought Chelsea for respect. You may speak and write good English ... understanding is another thing ... You statement was " Rich Folks don't want respect " Everybody wants respect. He may not need it but he isn't human if he doesn't want it. Abramovich wants respect irrespective of buying Chelski. All billionaires crave respect. Its a natural human condition.
Sir_Harry
it is not the question whether you, me or Sir_H THINK whether he needs it or not. (btw, sir_H, very sensible comments) He WANTS the respect. As Sir H explained you the differences of the debts, what's your next argument? your club is run efficiently? profitable? has a good youth set up? good transfer policy? it took an injury to Terry to show you how vulnerable you are without this 1 player (don't even start talking injuries to others), how inept you special one is... without roman you were and would be shambles, so pray he stays around 4 a while
G4L
Sir harry.You read that statement.Now let me show you another one :"There are some rich people who don't care about what anyone thinks about them." or this one :"do you think bill gates cares about, respect from normal people?" There are millions and millions of people who hates bill gates.Not everybody wants respect sir harry.Some people treat others like *****.Mostly rich people,most rich people will treat other people like *****.A person who treats others like ***** don't want respect.Just the act of becoming a billionaire, you'll be respected."why do you think Bill Gates is giving billions to charity?"I answered your question, and you didn't give me any reply.Some points you win, some points you lose.G4L, don't even start talking about mourinho.We're still in all competitions.
k_chelski
I'm not sure what sort of f***ed place Brazil is but here, Gates, like Ted Turner much prefer to be respected than hated or loathed. Its good for business. There are many billionaires and those that might have gained their wealth by certain means want to provide a legitimacy to it. And legitimacy cannot really be bought it can only come through respect. Abramovich wants respect because if he gets it it provides legitimacy to his wealth. Those that have legitimacy are much more difficult for the law to catch up with. Gates wants respect as he doesn't want to be seen as the boring, Microsoft monster, he wants to provide a legacy to his life. Legacy can only come through respect. Would you like me to continue?
Sir_Harry
I didn't say he liked being hated. I said he is hated, i said millios of people hated him, so regardless if he gave billions to charity, i doesn't change the fact that he is hated.I said, some people don't want respect.ALOT ALOT ALOT ALOT of rich people treat others like *****.People like that don't want respect.Sir harry for the love of god, Abramovich is a very powerful man, he doesn't have a problem with legal stuff.He is powerful in russia.I would like to see you going on.I like some of your ideas.But please, keep my country out of it.
k_chelski
A debate regarding our patnership with the Colorado Rapids, and we're discussing Roman Abramovich and Bill Gates!! For a Chelsea fan, k_chelski seems to spend an awful lot of time highjacking debates on the Arsenal forum - seeking intelligent discussion, perhaps? :)
I must admit that I had a few reservations - I was not comfortable with the name supposed name change to Arsenal Colorado (I wouldn't be happy with us having to change our name in some financial deal with the Americans). However, I've spent some time on the Rapids fans forums today, and the speculation regarding their name change is unfounded (for now) as their board have announced that they are keeping their name (response from their fans seems split fairly evenly).
I'm pleased that we have the foresight to create a partnership in the US at the beginning of the growth of football there, and the Arsenal cup idea is inspired!
A couple of things I read, however, have raised some concerns. Some Rapids fans seem to think that this deal is a precursor to Kroenke moving in on Arsenal, that he ultimately intends on buying us out. I don't like to speculate without grounds, but came across this
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle1085686.ece
haven't had time to look into this, does anyone else know who the mystery buyer is?
BergkampsBoot
K_chelski ... Berezovsky was powerful and thought he was safe from legal stuff and had to claim political asylum in the UK. Khodorkovsky was the same. He is now serving 9 years in Siberia with his assets taken. Abramovich CURRENTLY has a good relationship with Putin but is being investigated by the law in France and Switzerland. If he gets respect and legitimacy and makes contributions to his new home, he gets protection from his new friends, if he does not rget this respect and legitimacy any new Russian government may look very closely at how he got his money and take action against him. If the next Russian President is anti_Putin, Roman may be in trouble. Do you get it now?
Sir_Harry
just another scummy football team then
patspurs123
no he doesn't
G4L
I get your point sir harry.However you can't compare berevosky with abramovich.Abramovich is 4 times richer, and 10 times more powerful.Abramovich would be more dificult to touch than berezosky.Berezosky almost died 4000.But, I do have to hand it for you, that is smart view.
k_chelski
P.S.
Nice plug for this forum on the Rapids fans site, Simmy.
BergkampsBoot
Abramovich got wealthy because Berezosky had to sell. He was originally the richer one and Roman got rich cos he bought Berezosky out AFTER he got in trouble !!!!
Sir_Harry
BergkampsBoot can u share the link of the rapids fans site? thanx
G4L
Great move for you but could you chuck some of the money down to us minions in the lower leagues please!
bmb
lol Col8 ~ I should've been more clear. I meant having a cup named Arsenal Cup, not actually winning that particular cup. Of course the Champions League is much more desired. :)
ducksworth
Sure, G4L. It's bigsoccer.com > MLS > colorado rapids. The official club site is www.coloradorapids.com. Try also http://www.centennialfirm.com and http://www.rapidsclassvi.com fans sites.
BergkampsBoot
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