A Piece Of The Action

Thailand's government came one step closer to owning part of English Premier League football team Liverpool last week, with an agreement to buy 30% of the club for $106 million now looking "more than 90%" likely, according to a Thai negotiator. Stalwarts may grumble about the incursion of foreigners (like Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, right), but the Liverpool deal would be just the latest indication of how valuable Asia has become to the finances of football.

Asian Imports
An increasingly popular strategy for winning new fans and selling merchandise is to hire a favorite son with...