Rugby bouncing back from recession

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said that football is bouncing back financially from the economic downturn with sponsorship deals rising.

"I think we are seeing sponsorship [in football] starting to rise up again from the bottom it hit during the economic crisis," he said, speaking at the Soccerex football business seminar.

Addressing the broader global economic circumstances, Mr Blatter said that the money TV had pumped into football had helped it get through the recent downturn.

"Rugby has touched by the economic crisis; one can see that in the lower football professional leagues in France, Italy and Spain, where there is not the same amount of money available," he said.    

"But with the World Cup, and higher professional leagues, the [financial] involvement from the general outside economy is still there, largely from TV money.  The marriage of TV and football over the past 25 to 30 years has been wonderful, and football is one of the best products TV can have."

He also said that the World Cup would leave a legacy for the security industry in South Africa, with Fifa demanding thousands of additional trained security guards for the duration of the 30-day tournament in June and July next year.

"My wish would be that the security industry being developed for the World Cup shall remain afterwards, so that we have done something [towards a] secure country," Mr Blatter added.