How far would you go to watch the Republic of Ireland football team? Australia based David Feeney has spent "tens of thousands of dollars" to secure the TV rights for Ireland's crunch World Cup qualifier against Sweden next week, so that Irish fans Down Under will be able to watch the boys in green.
Reuters spoke to Feeney and report:
Originally from Dublin, Feeney contacted a friend involved in broadcasting in Ireland before making a bid to Kentaro, the German media company that owned the broadcast rights.
"They said my bid was too low, but that it was close then I raised bid and they said OK," says Feeney, who has partnered with a horse-racing channel to show the match via a closed-circuit system at a number of venues across Australia.
Having had to take out a loan to secure the rights to both that match and England's trip to Ukraine, Feeney revealed how he managed to bring his wife around to the idea.
"She was hardest to convince alright, but we have an agreement that if it (the venture) makes any money, she gets to keep it!"
