Two former presidents of League 1 football side Paris Saint-Germain have been found guilty of illegal transfer dealings and handed suspended jail sentences.

Francis Graille and Laurent Perpere were convicted of forgery and using forged documents to boost salaries in a bid to attract big name players to the club with undeclared money.

Perpere was president of the club between 1998 and 2003 and was given a US$50,000 fine and a twelve-month suspended jail sentence. Graille replaced him as president and held the position until 2005. He was handed a US$25,000 fine and an eight month suspended prison sentence.

Several agents were also handed suspended jail terms for their parts in the scam, while Nike France was fined just under US$190,000 for its part in the operation.

Prosecutors had spent four years investigating the illegal employment practices at at PSG during Perpere and Graille’s reigns, which saw 24 players and two coaches allegedly benefit from the system to the sum of US$11 million.

Nike Golf has today announced two new appointments to its global senior management team, stuff with Simon Parkhill appointed to the role of General Manager of Nike Golf Japan, and Brian Karl to the position of Commercial Sales Director of Nike Golf EMEA.

Since arriving at Nike in 2001, Simon has played a number of key roles for both the Nike Brand and Nike Golf including assuming the position of Nike Golf Sales Director of UK and Ireland in 2006 where he was responsible for the sales and distribution execution in those strategic marketplaces for four years.

Following a two year stint as the Sales Director of the Football Category for the Nike brand in the UK and Ireland where he worked in partnership with key sports marketing assets such as Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC to maximize their commercial potential, Simon returned to the Nike Golf team in EMEA as the Senior Commercial Director of Nike Golf EMEA in 2012.  For the last two years in that role, he has been responsible for leading a team of 50, focused on accelerating the sales and profitability of this critical geography.

“I have mixed feelings, sad to leave Nike Golf EMEA at such an exciting time for the Brand and the Business. We are poised to accelerate our growth in this market and in Brian we have the right person to lead that charge.

“But I’m equally excited to be taking up the challenge with Nike Golf in Japan; our potential for growth in that marketplace is unlimited,” he added.

Parkhill’s 13-year tenure with the brand will continue in Tokyo, where he transitions with his wife, Louise and their three children.

As successor to Simon in Europe, Brian Karl has accepted the position of EMEA Commercial Sales Director. The 15-year Nike Golf veteran was most recently the Director of Sales for National Accounts in the USA geography, bringing a focused approach to account specific strategic planning and a discipline on account profitability. Prior to this role, Karl has held numerous sales positions at Nike Golf in the USA, ranging from Territory Sales Rep to National Account Manager to Multi-Course Business Director. He has a proven track record of success and will be bring a strong commercial expertise, high level of strategic thinking and brand management to his new role.

“There has never been a better time to be with Nike Golf and I am excited to join the EMEA Team. With our stable of athletes and innovative products coming to the market we are poised for tremendous growth,” added Karl.

In the coming weeks, he will be transitioning to Amsterdam with his wife Monica and their two children.

Commenting on the two appointments, Nike Golf EMEA General Manager Angus Moir said: “While we are disappointed to lose Simon from the EMEA business, I know that Brian will continue the great work that Simon has started as we reset our business model for 2015 and beyond. Our brand momentum is very strong after Rory McIlroy’s Open Championship victory and these changes will further fuel that success.”

Liz Nicholl, the chief executive of UK Sport, is adamant that governing bodies will reach their target to get more women in the boardroom

Maria Miller, Culture Secretary and Minister for Women, wants to see at least a quarter of women making up sporting boardrooms by 2017 – but research conducted by Sky Sports has revealed more than half of our national bodies are lagging behind.

Liz Nicholl believes organisations should be made to have women at their top tables but admits an emphasis on ‘quotas’ could be hindering the battle for diversity.

“Absolutely, boards should be made to have women members,” Nicholl told Sky Sports News.

“Using the word quota sounds like anyone would do when it’s about really good women, great women, being appointed to create balanced boards. Diverse boards are more effective boards and they make better decisions.

“There are some things that need to change before a board can appoint an independent, outside of the membership of their governing body, to the board; articles need to be changed, sometimes that takes a year to get through. It’s a journey but what we’re hearing is that the sports are very committed.

“Making people aware of opportunities is also important and I’ve seen a big difference in the way the sports are now handling that; they’re openly advertising for board appointments.”

Nicholl revealed UK Sport would re-examine the figures after the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“We might consider sanctions at some point,” she added.

“(A quarter) is not a tough target, you’d expect that to be achievable a lot earlier. We hope to have a really good look after Rio 2016 when we make our decisions about the next funding cycle because that is the point we can decide whether or not to make (female representation) a funding requirement.”

Leora Hanser of the Women’s Sports & Fitness Foundation believes the target should be set higher.

“We applaud the 25 per cent expectation but I think we’d say that 30 per cent is the new normal; when you have a third of women in the board that mainstreams diversification,” she told Sky Sports News.

“No one is saying we need to have 25 or 30 per cent tomorrow; the timeframe is quite generous.

“Women on boards can help improve participation among females at grassroots level, they can help boost the support for women athletes at elite level and they can help improve media coverage of women’s sport.

“There’s a whole host of really talented women – often outside of the sports sector – out there so we need a better process to let these women know that opportunities are available.”

Global interactive marketing provider ExactTarget have announced that Papa John’s Super Bowl-themed marketing campaign was named the best cross-channel digital marketing campaign of 2012, ambulance earning the pizza giant ExactTarget’s annual Power of ONE Award.

Papa John’s International, ask Inc, rx the world’s third largest pizza chain, earned the ExactTarget Power of One Award for its Super Bowl-themed FREE PIZZA FAST campaign that integrated email, mobile, social media, television, print advertising and Website promotion to drive sales during the important Super Bowl season. Papa John’s is the Official Pizza of the National Football League and Super Bowl XLVII.

“Papa John’s is a trailblazer in digital marketing, creating new and engaging cross-channel experiences for its customers that build loyalty and lasting business results,” said Scott Dorsey, co-founder and chief executive officer of ExactTarget. “The team at Papa John’s and those across all of our Power of One Award recipients are transforming their businesses with ExactTarget and unlocking the power of digital marketing to connect with their customers.”

Papa John’s award-winning campaign invited customers to vote “heads or tails” on Papa John’s website to predict which side the official Super Bowl coin would land. As part of the online voting process, the company seamlessly integrated the opportunity to enroll in Papa John’s Papa Rewards loyalty program. When the Super Bowl XLVI coin toss fell in their favor, Papa Rewards members were automatically sent a unique email, featuring a one-time promo code for a free pizza.

“Our FREE PIZZA FAST campaign proved to be incredibly successful in generating awareness and participation in our Papa Rewards loyalty program,” said Andrew Varga, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Papa John’s. “We’ve seen the benefits of creating campaigns across all marketing touch points and are honored to be named the Cross-Channel Campaign award recipient.”

ExactTarget’s annual Power of ONE Awards recognize the world’s best digital marketing campaigns that demonstrate how one team and one idea can connect a brand a customer across all channels. The awards honor the top campaigns across nine categories: business-to-business email, business-to-consumer email, small business email, social media, mobile, design, list growth and reseller.

The PGA Tour has assumed operational control of the Canadian Professional Golf Tour which will be renamed the PGA TOUR Canada in 2013.

The conversion will begin November 1.

Moving forward, the new PGA TOUR division will provide direct access to the Web.com Tour for its leading money winners, based on the final Order of Merit. The top five players will receive playing privileges on the Web.com Tour, while the next five will be exempt into the finals of the Web.com Tour qualifying school.

The announcement was made today by PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem; Pierre Blouin, Chairman of the Canadian Tour Board of Directors; and Rick Janes, Commissioner of the Canadian Tour.

“Having gained a thorough understanding of the golf landscape in Canada over the course of the 2012 season, we are confident that by fully dedicating our assets and resources, PGA TOUR Canada will be well positioned to play an increasingly important role in professional golf,” Finchem said. “With a solid foundation of existing tournaments along with outstanding opportunities to establish new events, we are confident PGA TOUR Canada will strengthen and grow in the coming years.”

“This is the logical next step for the Tour’s sustainability and growth,” Blouin said. “The PGA TOUR provided invaluable assistance throughout the 2012 season and through its evaluation process saw strong potential. Golf is incredibly popular in Canada and PGA TOUR Canada will be a very important part of Canada’s sports landscape in the coming years. I also want to acknowledge the efforts made by Rick Janes and his staff throughout the process to assist the PGA TOUR in gaining a better understanding of the Tour.”

Details on the full schedule and the Tour’s executive structure will be announced at a later date. PGA TOUR Canada will debut with a minimum of eight tournaments in 2013 offering a minimum purse of $150,000, with the goal of eventually growing to 12 or 13 events. All tournaments will be held in Canada during the summer months.

“We have long recognized the many advantages of joining forces with the PGA TOUR,” Janes said. “It not only brings a new level of stature to Canada’s domestic circuit, it ensures that PGA TOUR Canada will continue to attract the best young professionals and offer the highest level of competition. For developing young Canadian players the opportunity to compete on home soil against top PGA TOUR prospects from around the world is a tremendous advantage.”

The PGA TOUR will work with all Canadian media outlets including its television partners, Shaw/Global TV and TSN, to broaden coverage of PGA TOUR Canada. The TOUR also will highlight PGA TOUR Canada through all media resources, including PGATOUR.com and digital platforms.

Golf’s popularity in Canada is reflected in an in-depth economic impact study that showed nearly 6 million Canadians play golf, representing 21.5 percent of the population, which was more than double the U.S. participation rate. The PGA TOUR has experienced golf’s popularity first-hand with the annual RBC Canadian Open, the Champions Tour’s Montreal Championship and the highly successful 2007 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal GC. Canada also consistently ranks second only to the U.S. in traffic to PGATOUR.com, the PGA TOUR’s official website.

“We view this as a win-win proposition that strengthens an established Tour in a country that absolutely loves golf,” Finchem said. “As the Tour continues to develop and grow, charitable contributions and the value provided to tournaments sponsors will increase, as well. As for the PGA TOUR, this expands our brand in Canada and gives us geographic integration throughout the Americas in concert with PGA TOUR Latinoamérica.”

PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, which emerged from a collaboration between the PGA TOUR, Tour de las Américas, National Golf Federations, promoters and host clubs throughout Latin America, has debuted this fall with 11 tournaments in seven countries. PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s top five money winners will receive Web.com Tour playing status in 2013.

Between PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s plan to go to a split spring-fall schedule and PGA TOUR Canada’s summer schedule, players qualifying for both Tours will have the opportunity to play a year-long schedule. Both Tours will conduct their own qualifying tournaments for membership.

“We believe that PGA TOUR Canada has an important place in professional golf and will continue to help identify and develop talented players who aspire to one day play on the PGA TOUR,” Finchem said. “With that in mind, it makes sense to give its top players direct access to the Web.com Tour.”

Singapore GP has denied reports that a deal has been agreed with F1 to extend the country’s grand prix contract for five years after September’s race.

Singapore GP said in statement that negotiations on the terms of a second five-year contract were continuing.

SGP said: “What is presently on offer from Formula One Administration is insufficient for us to commit to a full five-year extension. We remain hopeful at reaching an outcome that is mutually beneficial to all parties.”{jcomments on}

A sponsors intervention may have helped Jaime Alguesuari secure a reserve drive seat at Mercedes GP in 2012.

Cepsa brought into the Scuderia Toro Rosso (STR) fold to capitalise on Jaime Alguersuari’s involvement but was disappointed with the firing of the Spaniard with STR also axing his team mate Sebastien Buemi even after the team had a successful season, just losing out on sixth place on the constructors standings.

Torro Rosso known for being a feeder outfit for its sister team Red Bull Racing decided to cut the drivers to make way for new and inexperienced talent in the form of duo Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Cepsa’s parent company, Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company, was disappointed with the decision to axe a driver it considered ‘the image of its international expansion plans’; and, according to Spain’s ASnewspaper, could use its influence to find him in the top flight.

Another IPIC arm, Aabar, is a major shareholder at Mercedes Petronas GP and the report claims that the link could see Alguersuari given the chance to slip into the back-up role at Brackley, supporting Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher. With Petronas having recently ended its MotoGP sponsorship, there are doubts over the longevity of its F1 involvement, and Alguersuari’s arrival could be useful in providing a replacement.

Alguersuari has already said that he would not consider the second seat at HRT, the Spanish-based operation having the only known vacancy remaining for 2012 , but has yet to confirm any other plans for 2012, unlike Buemi and Nick Heidfeld, who have both headed for sportscar rides.

Discuss Jaime Alguesuari’s release here

Yorkshire County Cricket Club are on the verge of proposing a sweeping change of the County Championship that would see the competition split into three divisions and clubs playing 14 matches per season instead of 16.

The plan will be pushed by Chairman Colin Graves at a meeting of the England and Wales Cricket Board on January 12 amid ongoing discussions into the structure of English cricket.

The 18 first-class counties have been asked by the ECB to respond to suggestions put forward in a recent review of ways of improving the county game.

The Morgan Review, drugs conducted by former ECB chairman and International Cricket Council chairman David Morgan, stomach has made various recommendations after in-depth consultation with the counties that have gone back to the counties for further discussion.

Graves is content with the structure of the intenational game, but he does not like the ideas for Championship cricket.

These include a reduction from 16 to 14 games in an effort to reduce an overblown fixture list that would see the counties remain in two groups of nine and a mere acceptance they would no longer play each other twice.

Some clubs would prefer a First Division comprising eight teams and a Second Division of 10 counties. But Graves would rather see two divisions of eight teams and a consequent reduction to 14 matches, along with a Third Division that could be swelled by such as Minor Counties and university sides.

Graves told the Yorkshire Post: “I think we need to come up with a more creditable proposition,” , who sits on the ECB board that will meet to finalise proposals.

“I certainly don’t want to see an eight-10 split, which I don’t think would work very well at all.

“The way I see it, the mathematics are like this. In the first instance, you need eight teams in a division to get up to 14 games per county, with each county playing the other home and away.

“As there are 18 counties, you are faced with the choice of either scrapping two counties or adding more to them to make a Third Division. I can’t see any counties being scrapped and I don’t want to see any counties being scrapped.

“Counties aren’t going to vote for counties being scrapped because, at the end of the day, that would be like turkeys voting for Christmas. I would much rather see more teams added to the Championship to make a Third Division – say another four teams to make up a division of six – rather than any move to scrap two of the counties.”

Graves said he was open to suggestions as to which teams could comprise a Third Division.

“I have an entirely open mind about it and I think it should be done on a democratic basis,” he said. “If Yorkshire aren’t good enough, for example, there’s no reason why Yorkshire couldn’t play in Division Three. Just because we’re Yorkshire, we can’t expect to stay out of the bottom division.

“At the end of the day, if there were three divisions and we were to end up in Division Three, that would be our fault.

“I think it would be a workable solution to have a six-team Third Division made up of the two remaining counties who are not in divisions one or two plus four other sides.

“You could get the Minor Counties involved, the universities or even teams such as Scotland.

“I think you have to look outside the box a little bit and really try to make the thing work.

“I will be putting my ideas forward at the ECB meeting and I hope that people will take them on board.”

Graves accepts many Yorkshire members would not want a reduction in Championship games.

Yet amid a widespread acceptance that something has to give, and with counties reluctant to reduce the amount of money-spinning one-day matches, the Championship format remains the most vulnerable.

“I fully understand the Yorkshire members would not like a reduction to 14 Championship games,” said Graves. “But we can’t keep going as we are with the amount of cricket people are wanting to play, so there’s no alternative as far as I can see.

“We need clarity going forward because the fixtures need sorting out and there needs to be a better spread.

“It’s something that needs to be resolved sooner rather than later because it’s going to bite us if we don’t take action.”

Morgan’s interim proposals would result in a maximum reduction of 12 days’ cricket per county in 2014 compared to 2011.

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