The story of what happened after a little-known start-up offered $US60 million over three years for the rights to the UEFA Champions League | VinceRugari zoesam93 fergushunter
revealed in February that the little-known start-up had offered $US60 million over three years for the rights to the UEFA Champions League - stunning incumbent rights holders Optus Sport, and several other bidders - Azzopardi and Sports Flick had suddenly become serious players.Nine months on, Azzopardi finds himself in a precarious situation. He is no longer the shareholder of the company he founded and, to make matters worse, he is subject of an ongoing criminal investigation by NSW Police .
Sports Flick never publicly confirmed it had won the bid, and of course, it never sealed the deal - in April, the company confirmed it was backing out of negotiations, citing the uncertainty in European football caused by the short-lived Super League saga, when 12 of the world’s biggest clubs announced plans for a breakaway competition that would rival the UEFA Champions League.
But Azzopardi alleges the day before $9 million was due to be paid, Galati asked to delay the transfer of the total amount until June 30, and instead transferred $1 million. After securing the Rugby League World Cup rights for $5 million in a deal that also included a revenue-sharing component, and beginning talks for the Serie A rights, Azzopardi alleges that Mariani and Galati agreed to invest a total of $15 million into the company.
He claims Galati then produced a police badge from Queensland, saying: “I am a former Queensland police officer now working for internal affairs. You better tell me the truth otherwise you will be going to prison for a very long time. The people in the kitchen are here to arrest you, if needed. You have embezzled the funds and the Rugby League World Cup has received zero dollars.
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