An Irish football fan living in Australia has bought the Australian broadcast rights to his country’s Fifa World Cup qualifier against Sweden in a bid to ensure the expat population do not miss the crucial game, according to the Reuters news agency.
The game in Dublin on September 6 had been left without television coverage in Australia, which has a sizeable Irish population, after Australian broadcasters failed to pick up the rights.
However, David Feeney struck a deal with the Kentaro agency.
“They said my bid was too low, but that it was close… then I raised bid and they said okay,” Feeney said.
The Dubliner has partnered with a horse-racing channel to show the match via a closed-circuit system at a number of venues across Australia.
Feeney has also acquired the Australian rights to England’s World Cup qualifier away to Ukraine on September 10. He said he has used his home as security to borrow the money to acquire the rights.