Michel Platini has spoken back after the threat of a breakaway European Soccer League. ‘What they suggest is impossible’, ‘if they go ahead with it they will be thrown out’.

The possibility of a breakaway European Super League emerged again last week from members of AC Milan and Bayern Munich  and also by the European Club Association (ECA) after they voiced their anger at match scheduling and revenue sharing.

The ECA wants the issues addressed before its current deal with FIFA and UEFA expires in 2014. After this date clubs will no longer be legally bound to compete in the Champions League or release their players to compete in internationals.

Last week, AC Milan’s Umberto Gandini, an ECA Board member, was quoted as saying that players may have to choose between club and country in future.

“We are the ones who invest the money, we are the ones who develop the players, we are the ones who give the players a reason to play,” Gandini, a director of Serie A champion AC Milan, told Bloomberg.

“Without the clubs, what do you think they are going to do?”

Two FIFA Executive Committee members have been unveiled as speakers at the Leaders in Football conference later this year.

Dr Michel D’Hooghe and Jim Boyce will participate in a session entitled “Where now for the global game?”

D’Hooghe is Belgium’s Committee member, having held the role for many years. He is highly respected within the industry, holding the position of honorary president of the Belgian Football Association. Boyce is honorary president of the Irish Football Association and recently replaced Englishman Geoff Thompson on the Executive Committee.

David Davies, former Football Association executive director, will moderate the Q&A session. D’Hooghe and Boyce will be joined by Football Association chairman David Bernstein, who has confirmed he will be giving a one-to-one interview. Leaders recently announced the combination of five leading conferences covering Football, Performance, Sponsorship, Digital Sport and Horse Racing to create the “Leaders” Sports Summit at the home of Barclays Premier League club Chelsea FC on October 5-6.

The Football Association (FA) has increased ticket prices by up to 22 per cent on last year for next month’s FA Cup final, apoplectic the most expensive of which will cost as much as £115 (US$188.2), rather than £95 ($155.5) in 2010.

The cheapest tickets available stand at £45 ($73.6), a £5 ($8.2) increase from last year, while other tickets will be available at £85 ($139.1) and £65 ($106.4).

Both teams that reach the final on 14th May will receive 25,000 tickets each, with the remaining tickets going to members of Club Wembley, organisations affiliated to the FA and volunteers from grassroots football clubs across the country.

This weekend’s semi-finals have matched fierce Manchester rivals United and City together at Wembley on Saturday, before Bolton face Stoke the following day. The winners of each will compete the final in May, with Bolton or Stoke earning a place in the Europa League with victory.

According to media reports, the FA could expect to face criticism for the price hike, with the recession still having a major effect, especially as all four semi-finalists must travel down from the north of England – making the trip all the more expensive for soccer fans.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has predicted chaos in the capital this weekend, with an army of fans from all four teams traveling to London, as well as the Virgin London Marathon also taking place – with up to 50,000 runners expected to take part, plus spectators.

Prize money for the US Open tennis championship will top US$22.6 million this year, an increase of US$1 million compared to 2009, the US Tennis Association has announced.

Both the men’s and women’s singles champions will collect a record US$1.7 million, as well as an additional bonus of up to US$1 million based on their performances in the US Open Series.

This year’s competition includes a 6.7 per cent increase in men’s and women’s singles prize money over 2009.

The US Open begins on 30 August at Flushing Meadows, New York.

The Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games has suffered another star withdrawal after it was announced Shelly Ann Fraser will not be competing as she wants to focus on next year’s World Championships.

The Jamaican sprinter, who is the fourth fastest woman in history, said the Games starts too late in the season (3 October) and has decided to opt out.

She said: “It is a problem for me. October is really late. It is a long season and trying to peak for the Commonwealth and then coming home in December to start training for a World Championships is too much to ask, especially for someone like me who is also a student. I will be in school. I don’t think I am going.”

The news comes after Fraser’s compatriot, Usain Bolt, also pulled out of the games to focus his attentions on the 2012 London Olympic Games.

English Conference Premier team Aldershot Town have appointed social entrepreneur Tracy Jarvis as a Non-Executive Director of the Club.

Tracy, vcialis 40mg who has also been a prolific striker for the Shots Ladies team, is founder and Managing Director of the Community Matters Partnership, an organisation which helps businesses build partnerships and launch projects within their communities. Born in Aldershot, she has won the BBC Social Entrepreneur, Social Enterprise Vision and Enterprise Growth awards.

Tracy has also worked with the Education Business Partnership, and is now a business consultant working with a variety of leading employers to help them develop Corporate Social Responsibly strategies.

Chairman Shahid Azeem said: “I have known Tracy for years and she will be a fantastic asset for this Club. Her focus will be on community engagement and social responsibility, to help Aldershot Town increase its profile and reach new people in this area. I know her drive and determination will take the Club forwards.”

Jarvis said: “I’m absolutely delighted to join Aldershot Town, and very excited about the opportunity to help support the Club within the community. I’ve supported the Club for over 20 years and it will be great to give something back. The work I am already doing with local businesses and community groups will help to make Aldershot Town a hub for people to meet, work and enjoy football.”

Traithlon England have announced today that the National Aquathlon Championships have been cancelled. 

In a statement they said: “It is with great disappointment that we must inform you that the National Aquathlon Championships due to be held this weekend 18th May 2014 has had to be cancelled.

Unprecedented at this time of year, adiposity there has been a serious build-up of blue/green algae. Keith Ritchie the Event Director of Nicer Events has expressed his disappointment in having to cancel the event after a water quality test fell outside the normal safe swim limits. 

“Those who have registered for the race will be contacted directly by Nicetri Events in due course about actions following this announcement.

“Triathlon England would like to express their thanks to Nicetri Events for treating the safety of the athletes as paramount and giving advanced notice.

“We look forward to working with Nicetri again when they host the Middle Distance Championships on 8th June 2014.”

Honda Motor Corporation, check in partnership with Spanish company ExternPro, case will be the official Moto2 engine supplier for the next three years extending until 2015.

The Moto2 class, which was initially brought in to replace the 250cc two-stroke class in 2010, has since its inauguration been running a single-spec Honda CBR 600cc engine, with the aim of the championship to drive chassis development and uncover rider talent. It has been a hit with riders and fans from the start, and is providing ever-greater spectacles out on track as the series progresses.

New from 2013 is that ExternPro, part of the Parque Tecnólogico de MotorLand Aragón, will be the company preparing the engines for competition, ensuring their reliability, as well as carrying out regular maintenance. 

Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta commented: “Moto2 has been a success from the start, and just continues to get better! Honda has been our sole engine supplier since the inaugural race in 2010 and I am extremely pleased that we will continue to use its machinery for the next three years. The Honda engine has not only proved an exciting addition to the paddock, but has also been a technically very reliable asset, which is extremely important in motorsports. I would also like to welcome ExternPro on board, who have so far done a very good job during pre-season testing, and will no doubt continue to do so throughout the next three season.”

Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice-President added: “Honda is happy to continue to supply the CBR600 engines for the Moto2 category, as this class has been proven to be a good way to keep costs down and allow riders to prepare for MotoGP, as Stefan Bradl and Marc Marquez are currently demonstrating. We also welcome ExternPro as new partner to prepare the engine ready for racing.”