MUMBAI: Asian sports marketing, media and event management company World Sport Group (WSG) has appointed Ten Sports to air the 2011 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship on Ten Action+.

All 15 matches of this seventh edition of the SAFF Championship which will be played at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium New Delhi from 2 - 11 December will be telecast live on Ten Action+.

Eight countries from the region: India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan will participate in this tournament.

Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande said, "We are delighted to broadcast the 2011 SAFF Championship. The championship will not only help in the development of football in the region but also in fostering goodwill among neighboring nations. The telecast of this prestigious tournament reaffirms our commitment to grow our football and sports broadcasting business, and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster."

WSG senior VP, country head, India Harish Krishnamachar added, "World Sport Group has worked on seven editions of the Saff Championship and we are happy to be producing this event in India. Together, our capability and the football pedigree of Ten Sports will help us deliver a world class event".

Drawn in Group A alongside Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bhutan, five-time winners and defending champions India will kick-off their campaign in the Saff Championship with a match against Afghanistan on 3 December. Pakistan is in Group B along with runners-up Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, which will be held on 9 December, two days before the summit clash.

MUMBAI: The South Asian Football Federation (Saff) has announced the renewal of its agreement with World Sport Group (WSG).

The deal will run through 2017. Sports marketing agency WSG has been the commercial partner of Saff since 1996.

The new agreement commences this year and covers four Saff Championships - 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 - the regional governing body?s flagship competition, which is held biennially. Together, SAFF and WSG have delivered six Saff Championships since the event was first launched in 1997.

SAFF president Kazi Salahuddin has been quoted in media reports saying that the partnership with WSG was key in its financial stability. He noted that the standard of competition among its member nations has been increasing.

IMG senior VP, football, Asean, Australia and South Asia Ian Mathie noted that in just over a decade and a half, football in South Asia had grown both on and off the field. The Saff Championship he added is widely watched and is growing in popularity across the region.