DaveKOTW

MANCHESTER (Reuters) - Manchester United announced a four-year shirt sponsorship deal with U.S. insurance company AIG Inc. on Thursday worth 56.5 million pounds.

The deal covering United's famous red shirts, the biggest of its kind in British football, will begin next season and was hailed as "a blue chip deal for a blue chip club" by United chief executive David Gill.

"This is a deal that is right for Manchester United and it underlines our position as the world's leading club," Gill told a news conference.

"AIG's global operations compliment our great fan base and we are excited about the global prospects this relationship brings."

United, second in the Premier League behind champions Chelsea, are in their first season under the control of American billionaire Malcolm Glazer and his family after his controversial 790 million pound takeover.

United's nine million pounds-a-year shirt deal with Vodafone finishes at the end of this season after the mobile phone giant pulled out two years early to switch its allegiance to the Champions League, Europe's top club competition.

"We believe this relationship will mutually benefit both organisations and we look forward to maximising the value of this high-profile sponsorship to help grow AIG's businesses around the world," Martin Sullivan, president and CEO of American International Group Inc., said.

Gill said that Bryan Glazer, son of Malcolm, had been involved in setting up the deal. The American company's worldwide reach will help United increase their commercial operations, particularly in Asia, Gill said.

"We are looking to be more accessible to our global fan base, and having a partner with the knowledge and experience of AIG is invaluable," Gill said.

"AIG has over 250,000 employees and agents in Asia alone - a region where we have an estimated 40 million fans. This deal presents both of us with so many possibilities."

Chelsea, owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, signed a five-year, 50 million pound deal with South Korean electronics company Samsung in 2005.

Glazer's arrival was fiercely opposed by many fans who were worried about the debt-heavy structure of the takeover.

United pulled out of a more lucrative deal with online betting company Mansion at the weekend and Gill said Thursday's deal proved the Glazers were with the club for the long term.

"We could have taken a bigger deal. We didn't. We took the deal that was right for Manchester United and this is with their (the Glazers') full backing, approval and awareness.

"We are not just trying to make the fast buck. We are trying to do the things that make us stand out from the crowd."

United posted a 20 percent fall in profit to 46 million pounds in the 11 months to the end of last June after revenue fell to 157.2 million from 169.1 million.

United, European champions in 1999, were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage this season and struggled in the Premier League before mounting a spectacular recovery which has put them within seven points of Chelsea.

United's title of the world's richest football club was taken by Real Madrid in February for the first time in the nine-year history of the survey by consultants Deloitte.

© Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

In protest or to masturbate?

Ok Cool, I think i'll be the first to get to the predicitons (if someone hasn't beat me to it by the end). Really great previous show btw...

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

"Captain Charisma" Christian Cage © vs. "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner

I gotta feeling that although Steiner is definately the more experienced in the "big" matches, I think that Christian is gonna continue his tenure, as to keep his credibility as a Champion and Steiner will take a back seat (definately gonna see the Jarrett Vs. Christian rematch)

World X-Cup Final - Ultimate X Match

Jerry Lynn (Team USA) vs. Shocker (Team Mexico) vs. TAKA Michinoku (Team Japan) vs. Petey Williams (Team Canada)

Despite great starts from the Mexicans and The Americans, you can never right off the down right dirty tactics mixed with the talent of Team Canada. I expect nothing less

Grudge Match

"King of the Mountain" Jeff Jarrett vs. "The War Machine" Rhino

Sure, Rhino is a War Machine but The King of the Mountain > J00 (not an opinion I share lol)

NWA World Tag Team Championship

America's Most Wanted © vs. The Naturals

AMW using the naturals as a stop gap to bigger matches with Team 3D

TNA X Division Championship - No Disqualifications

"The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe © vs. "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles

Joe isn't ready to lose. Styles may take a serious beating

The James Gang vs. The Latin American Exchange w/Konnan

Just got a feeling...

World X-Cup Round 3 - Ladder Scramble Match

Sonjay Dutt (Team USA) vs. Mosco de la Merced (Team Mexico) vs. Kaz Hayashi (Team Japan) vs. Teddy Hart (Team Canada)

1. Will Jeff Hardy show up at the PPV? Yes/No

2a. Will there be any debuts at the PPV? Yes/No

2b. If you answered Yes to 2a - who will the debutant be?

This is a really hard question, and i'm a little tempted to say Goldberg, so i'm gonna go with it anyway..yep..Goldberg...with a very very very slight chance it could be Lesnar

3. I guess i'm gonna go with Team Canada! I've got a feeling are gonna win it due to some hefty interference from Scott D'Amore

good luck!

Theres a remake? :|

Peter Sellers would kill you in a fight, RK :@

But Steve Martin won't (He was talking about the ghastly remake)

Lol I've gotta admit, the Kevin Nash signing is ratings. You could just advertise the flyers for the show with...Kevin Nash...former World Champion, former bodyguard of HBK, nWo founding member and the giant with sensitive nipples in the Longest Yard. Thats ratings! Series Money in the Bank!

Disco Inferno is great! Keep an eye out for Norman Smiley. I mean, if he even has an open contract, you could get him to dance again..you know everyone in the world marks out for the big wiggle. Try looking for some of the lucha libres that WCW brought in during their time of change. Most of them are with WWE now granted but you probably get Kidman and La Parka.

This is hillarious

Some commentators have voiced concerns about the coverage of the movie's homosexual theme in the mass media both in advertising and in public events, such as press conferences and award ceremonies. Several journalists, including New York Daily News writer Wayman Wong, Dave Cullen [25], and Daniel Mendelsohn [26], have complained that the movie's director, lead actors, and publicity team all avoided using the word "gay" to describe the story, and pointed out that the movie trailer does not show the two male leads kissing each other but does include a clip from a heterosexual love scene.

They jump off a cliff into water naked. Not only is that nudity, it's also reckless endangerment, and possibly public drunkeness. What kind of example do you want to set for the Bohemian people? That gay people can go jump off a cliff?

The movie has "no value to the Bahamian public" apparently. Really?!

I'd say it's got a damn sight more value than half the shit that Hollywood turns out. How the fuck is it of less value than, say, The Ringer or The Pink Panther?

Unless the Bahamian Film Board has banned them too, in which case I'll stand corrected. Doubt it though.

It's sad, really, that a film that deals with homosexuality so tastefully and with artistic integrity, and portrays homosexuals as something other than the typical Hollywood "camp hairdresser/model" stereotype can cause all this controversy. It's not even remotely obscene.

The Bahamian Plays and Films Control Board ruled the film should not be shown because it features "extreme homosexuality, nudity and profanity".

The Rainbow Alliance called it "a farce" that a small group of people should try to "provide the moral compass for the entire country".

The film has also been effectively banned in China.

The government there refused to put it on a list of approved foreign films to be shown in Chinese cinemas, preventing it being shown in public.

Making choices

The film, which won director Ang Lee an Oscar, follows two cowboys as they embark on a long and complicated love affair set amongst the backdrop of conservative America.

Lee himself, who is from Taiwan, said the film tackles how gay men and women have found love denied to them by society.

The Bahamian film board said the film was of "no value for the Bahamian public".

But a theatre director from the islands, Philip Burrows, said: "You have a group of people who are telling grown men and women what they can and cannot watch.

"I cannot understand denying people the right to make their own choices."

Gotta say, The World X-Cup is looking great at the moment. Team USA look like they are gonna get the push in this although right now, you can never right of team Canada. Was actually suprised Bobby Roode lost although thats probably just because i'm a Roode mark. Team Mexico look kinda screwed. The build up between Hardy and Shelley was great - easily visible in my mind. Should be a great match. I kinda think at the moment that Jeff Hardy is gonna win...you know, people doubt you, then you pull through. Steiner/Cage, Rhino/Jarrett, great again. Holding off the inevitable rematches between Cage and Jarrett should pay off. I'll be intruiged to see if you can make anything of the womens division though (with the negotiations with Victoria)..you're gonna deffo have to sign some more female wrestlers - Jazz went on record as saying that she likes the girls on TNA but their not good wrestlers!

Will be reading and am looking forward to your next installment.

Wow mate, I am really impressed with this diary. Firstly, I love the Eugene dialogue, I especially like the way you managed to maintain the integrity of the matches but focus on the actual dialogue therefore keeping the story as its most important part. I think the wrestlers are definately all keeping up to their characters and the new Matt Hardy Gimmick definately could be brilliant. I was very interested with your brand changes, especially with Flair moving to Smackdown and Lashley to RAW. I tried thinking in my mind how well, in real terms Flair could be utalised on Smackdown, and I couldnt visualise it, but you've handled it great. London Vs. Flair would definately be an interesting match to watch. Gonna keep reading! good luck

Uwe Boll has nothing to do with the Silent Hill movie if I remember right, The guy who helped write Pulp Fiction (Or Resi Dogs. I forget too. >_>) directed Silent Hill and parts of it were shot in Kou's sexy city of Brantford.

....Okay so it's not sexy. Never the less Uwe had nothing to do with it.

Ahhh, a crush on Will Sanderson, I see

And thus, Uwe Boll continues to ruin possibly good adaptations... And I'll be damned if I know how does he get such names to work with him.

EDIT: Just saw this, he'll make an adaptation of Postal? How the hell do you make an adaptation of that? Ohhh boy, this ain't gonna be pretty.

FUN FACT: On Bloodrayne, Uwe Boll actually casted hookers in the movie, because, and I quote,

They were better than actors. We looked for local Romanian actresses, but there they are all from the theater and act very broadly. For 150 euros a piece the whores would be naked and do as they were told. It was better.

Heh, you gotta hand it to him, he knows how to make his money's worth

I've never seen a Uwe Boll movie, and I flat out refuse to. The scenes I saw were horrible. He took a game I liked alot (Bloodrayne) and slaughtered its story, after having done the some to Alone In The Dark. And in his interviews he always comes out as an idiot, arrogant asshole (go to his wikipedia entry for some pearls from his interviews). I wish I'd never heard of this joke of a director.

Not here Sum but a more general comment of people i have been talking to. For example, today, I was having a convo today with a few mates over some beers and we were talking about movies..you know how it goes the same old...video game into movie...without a doubt gonna suck comments...you know what i mean..

Okay, some after seeing some criticism about the silent hill movie, I figured, why slander a film thats got positives when we could be talking about a man that really has made movie history...My first experience of Uwe Boll must have come about, about a year ago maybe. I decided, yeah, man, I loved the Alone in the Dark premise and game and so, why not see the film about the game. I saw some write ups and I thought..sure, its got some bad write ups but it cant be THAT bad. Boy was I mistaken.

Sure you can expect no less from Tara Reid, but I kinda expected more of Stephen Doriff and Christian Slater. That film was bad. Plain and simple..

Such great lines including

Guard - sir..there are only 19 out of the 20 children here

Scientist - *looks confused* SHIT!

I think the movie actually looks quite cool. Good atmosphere. Strong cast (Sean Bean and the Rhada Mitchell). Definately gonna have a bigger budget than the Resident Evil stuff. At the end of the day, its gonna be a stand alone film series independent of the games so doesnt neccesarily have to follow you know?

If you want a film to moan at..try Alone in the Dark..

If only this were true...

man, id go to the cinema to see this...but not for paris hilton...

because it would be on par funny wise with a wayans bro movie!

eaaaaasy white chocolate lol

Looking forward to the next card. Also the big show seems to be coming along nicely. Quackenbush is getting one helluva push though. Shame you've got rid of Dan Maff. Not sure, personally, if Kazarian is crazy enough for CZW. Hope you prove me wrong

This is definately a very promising diary. im liking the back and forth action between Jarrett and Christian in particular.

I was wondering if you had many plans Maverick Matt or Lance Hoyt enter the picture? You know Traci deserves a push

Would also love to see a Bobby Roode Push. Keep up the good work homey!

I completed the game last week. I love 24 and I loved the game. I think its more of a, if you love the series, you will love the game. It tied up a whole load of loose ends from the gap between 2 and 3. I'm now watching series 3 on dvd haha

I decided to start a new game yesterday and for some reason, i thought managing Southampton would be a laugh. Unfortunately, I seem to have this knack of beating big teams and losing to the crappy ones. I'm currently 9th but Raziak has 9 goals in 10 games

"Open Heart Zoo" by Martin Grech...doesn't 'scare the shit out of me', but it's really haunting and having heard that during a live performance he once broke down into tears (Don't know whether that's true or not) it's made it even more creepy. Awesome song though.

I only finally got to see this film last night after a few guys I know said it was quite funny and well...

I thought it was mildly funny but am I the only one that didn't find it a little pathetic in regards to some of the actors?

Did you see how many flopped child stars were on there? Bloody hell, its like a whose who of failure.

I dont understand some though, like you know Corey Feldman and Corey Haim, those dudes were like in everything. And then, they just dissapeared completely.

I guess no one wants a guy who says "dude" a thousand times in a movie anymore...

the only one who really is still going is Keifer Sutherland...

I guess you could count Jerry O'Connell too (note..dont watch Fat Slags lol)