The British colony of Gibraltar has been accepted as a provisional member of UEFA on Monday following a decision by the executive committee meeting in St Petersburg.

A decision on whether to grant full membership to the colony, which has a population of only 28,000, and allow it to become UEFA’s 54th member will be taken by the full Congress in London next May. 

Gibraltar’s case has been strengthened by a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that UEFA has to consider its membership.

Spain still claims sovereignty over Gibraltar after it was ceded to Britain under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.

An edict from the Consejo Superior de Deportes to all sports federations in Spain says they should block any membership application from organisations in Gibraltar.

If Gibraltar is admitted to European Championship qualifiers it would be the smallest country to compete, smaller even than San Marino, who play England next week.

English Premier league team, Fulham have been granted permission to turn Craven Cottage into a 30,000-seater stadium.

They are set to expand the capacity of the ground by an additional 4,300 seats.
The decision was made by Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council’s planning applications committee on Thursday.

The changes will see a new upper tier added to the Riverside Stand, while planning consent also allows for the partial demolition and rebuilding of the western ends of the Putney and Hammersmith stands.

The club will add an upper tier to the currently single-decker Riverside stand, while the western ends of the Putney and Hammersmith stands behind the two goals, will be partially demolished and reconstructed.

“This modest expansion, which will be carried out in a sensitive and sensible way, will allow the club to remain competitive in the top tier of English football,” council leader Nicholas Botterill said.

“It will also remove the existing, rather ugly, Riverside Stand.”

Alistair Mackintosh, the Fulham CEO, said the club was delighted with the decision, adding: “Craven Cottage is synonymous with Fulham FC, and it is vital that the club is given every opportunity to develop the facilities available to ensure that it can continue to prosper and compete and remain at its home for the long term.

” I am confident that an increased capacity and major improvements to the facilities can help us deliver the chairman’s vision of long-term growth and self sustainability for this football club.”

Women’s Rugby in South America is starting to take off after the first women’s Sevens circuit in the Region was launched in Brazil.

The “Super Sevens” gets underway in San Jose at the end of June and is designed to promote the shorter format of the sport ahead of the Olympic Games 2016 in Rio de Janeiro while also assisting with the development of women’s teams in Brazil.

“This is great news for women’s Rugby and bodes very well for Brazil as they look towards Rugby’s return to the Olympic Games in Rio 2016,” said IRB Head of Development and Performance Mark Egan.

“It follows on from a very successful CONSUR Sevens tournament in Rio earlier this year and, in February 2013, that event will again take place in Rio for what will be the regional qualifying tournament for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 in Moscow. So clearly, these are exciting times for Rugby Sevens in South America,” he said.

The Brazil women’s team did well at the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai, making it through to the Bowl final and lighting up the tournament. It also took part in three recent IRB Women’s Sevens Challenge Cups in Dubai, Hong Kong and London.

President of the Brazil Rugby Union (CBRu) Sami Arap Sobrinho said: “Women’s rugby is growing all over the world and we are proud that Brazil is very much part of that success.”

“Today we have a national team that has been South American champion eight times in a row and has represented the Region proudly on the world stage. We believe we can develop further and achieve even better results. That is why we are rewarding the women’s clubs with this high-level national competition. The more they play together, the stronger they will become,” said Arap Sobrinho.

There will be one Super Sevens event held each month for the next five months with each being hosted by a club with support of the local Union and under the supervision of CBRu. There will be 10 core teams participating, made up of the top six sides in the Brazil Sevens 2011 plus four other teams invited by mutual agreement between the local Union and CBRu.

Kenya is hoping to secure $5 million (£3.2 million) to help market itself during London 2012, it has been revealed. 

Brand Kenya, the agency set-up by the Government in the East African country to help bring investment into the country, is currently searching for a property that can act as “Kenya House” during the Games.

The group will also Kenya’s remarkable success in distance running to help give a positive image of the country and persuade people to invest there.

Since making its Olympic debut at Melbourne in 1956, Kenya has won a total of 75 medals, 23 of them gold, including six at Beijing in 2008.

“We want to market Kenya not as a sporting nation, but an investment destination,” said Mary Kimonye, the chief executive of Brand Kenya. 

“We are seeking funds from the private sector through a partnership that will enable us sponsor a number of events in the Kenya House.

“The level of funding we are looking for from companies that we want them to raise is about $5.5 million (£3.5 million/€4.2 million).”

A number of groups, including Export Promotion Council, Export Processing Zones, Kenya Investment Authority and Kenya Tourism Board, are already working together to raise money to fund the project.

“Kenya’s competitive advantage as a country to do business was boosted mainly by its superior infrastructure, capacity for innovation, quality of education, sophistication of financial markets and exotic natural resources,” said Kimonye.

Kenya House will probably be located in central London and will showcase the country’s tourism, culture, coffee and food markets.

The plan has the support of Kipchoge Keino, the godfather of Kenyan distance running who won the 1500 metres at Mexico City in 1968 and who is now the chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.

Kenya’s team won a total of 14 medals at Beijing 2008, including victory in the men’s 800m for Wilfred Bungei, their best ever performance and hopes are high they will do even better in London.

“We have our brand as our athletes have done us proud in the past sports events,” said Keino, who claimed a second gold medal at Munich in 1972 when he won the 3,000m steeplechase. 

“We have the best tea, coffee, tourism, culture. Let’s put together and sell what we have.”

Paul Barber, Chief Executive of MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps FC, has taken part in an exclusive Featured Profile interview with iSportconnect news editor Martin Laurence.

Paul spoke of his decision to leave his boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur where he served as Executive Director, a position which he claimed was “a dream come true”, in order to become the Chief Executive Officer with the MLS franchise. Barber felt that the opportunity to lead the Whitecaps was one that doesn’t come around too often, stating that “moving to North America was just one of those opportunities that I didn’t feel I could turn down, either professionally or personally.”

He stated how he believes and admitted that football is still an emerging sport in the US and added that one of the main challenges in his role at Vancouver was “selling the game, as well as the club.” Barber added that he feels that the sport can compete with the major American sports and added that “in Vancouver, more people play our sport than play Canada’s favourite pastime, ice hockey, across the whole of British Columbia.” The Spurs man admitted that, “although it will take a little bit more time than the next couple of years”, he has “no doubt that football will become the biggest sport in North America too.”

Paul also spoke of his disappointment in losing out on the possibility of England and USA winning the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids respectively, stating: “As someone who supported England’s bid, nothing would have given me more pleasure than seeing FIFA award England the 2018 World Cup and the United States the 2022 World Cup.”

Among one of a number of major sponsorship deals to have been agreed by the club, Barber spoke of the significance of the Whitecaps kit sponsorship with Bell. MLS commissioner Don Garber recently lauded the club as being ahead of their league counterparts, including David Beckham’s LA Galaxy, in terms of sponsorship revenue, and Paul has had a large part to play in the sides recent successes off the field. Paul revealed that the process of signing a shirt sponsor in Europe with a club like Tottenham is “actually a very similar process” to that in the MLS. He added that the deal with Bell Canada was a “fantastic fit” and that, “To date, they’ve been a first-class partner in every respect. They are a world-class organization.”

Having also worked for the Football Association (FA) before moving to Canada, Mr Barber spoke of the difference between working for a federation and a club, saying: Football federations are, by definition, very political…They’ve got a lot of important governance work to do and a huge number of issues to deal with daily. Inevitably, they are slow moving and can seem to be ponderous.” He added that the nature of working for a club is same in North America as it is in the UK, stating: “Clubs, on the other hand, tend to be faster moving and less hierarchical, therefore quicker to make decisions.”

Paul also spent time as a non-executive director for Hampshire County Cricket Club and spoke of his surprise that the sport was already played in Vancouver. Barber quipped: “I think North Americans would find it hard to believe that it’s possible for followers of cricket to sit through five days’ worth of action and still not have a result!” As his second favourite sport Barber stated that “if you can understand the sport of cricket, then you can very easily become a fan,” but when asked as to whether the game could establish itself as soccer has in Vancouver, he added: “Whether cricket can truly compete with the big North American sports in the way football is at present, is certainly more debatable. I doubt it, to be honest”.

Mr Barber concluded on his interest in iSportconnect and the services it provides, saying: “iSportconnect is an extremely useful way of keeping up to date with the latest news from across the sports business world. The short, sharp electronic headline format makes it an easy, quick and valuable read.”

To read the full interview click here – http://tinyurl.com/65l9qfz

EDITORS NOTE:

Paul Barber was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps FC in March 2010 after serving as executive director at Tottenham Hotspur for five years. In his time with the Premier League club, Barber reported to chairman Daniel Levy and was responsible for all of the club’s key operational divisions, including commercial areas, hospitality and ticketing as well as international tours and friendly matches. Before then he worked as commercial and marketing director at the Football Association (FA), where he was tasked with developing programs for marketing, communications and commercial affairs, including broadcasting rights of the England national team and FA Cup. Barber’s sporting allegiances do not simply revolve around football and he is a fond cricket supporter having served as a non-executive director for Hampshire County Cricket Club.

The Sauber Formula One Team have announced a new premium partner in Mexican insurance group, Interproteccion.

The company’s logos will now be clearly visible on the rear wing endplates of Sauber’s Formula One cars under the deal which starts as of 2011. The Interproteccion logo will also adorn the drivers’ overalls and team clothing.

The agreement shows an increased Mexican influence on the Sauber team after agreeing a deal with telecommunications company, Telmex in recent times. The financial details of this deal are yet to be released although the Telmex deal is believed to be worth a sum of US$20.6m over two years. In addition, Mexican GP2 driver Sergio Perez joined the Formula One Team.

Team principal, Peter Sauber stated: “We met the key people from Interproteccion for the first time at the Brazilian Grand Prix in November, and are very pleased that we’ve been able to come to an agreement so quickly. Interproteccion is present in over 100 countries, and the international nature of Formula One offers correspondingly broad potential for synergies. We’re particularly happy, of course, that in Interproteccion we’ve now added a second Mexican company to our list of partners alongside Telmex.”

Interproteccion chief executive officer, Ignacio Casanueva, added, “We are proud and thrilled to be a partner of Sauber Motorsport, who have signed the two talented Mexican drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez for next season – Sergio as a race driver, Esteban as a test and reserve driver. Interproteccion is always aiming to achieve the highest standards, with both our clients and our partners. And supporting talented young drivers like Sergio and Esteban is a way of saying, ‘we believe in Mexico, we believe in success.”

The International Golf Federation (IGF) have appointed their first president, the governing body announced on Wednesday 15 December, as Royal and Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson.

Dawson, who has been joint secretary of the IGF since 1999, will serve a two-year term from January 1 alongside Ty Votaw, who has been appointed executive vice-president of the federation.

Votaw, a PGA Tour executive vice-president, co-ordinated golf’s bid to be included on the 2016 Olympic Games programme. Just over a year ago, golf and rugby sevens were confirmed as new Olympic sports.

Anthony Scanlon was introduced to IGF last month as the federation’s new executive director and the two new appointments represent a significant re-shuffle at the head of the IGF.

“These announcements, coupled with Antony Scanlon’s appointment as IGF executive director and our relocation to Lausanne, demonstrates golf’s determination to play an active part in the Olympic movement,” said Dawson.

Votaw added: “As we look ahead, the work has just begun in regard to the Olympic Games and the co-ordination efforts that are required in order to ensure success in Rio, but we very much look forward to the challenge.”

International Speedway Corporation (ISC), which currently owns and operates 13 active NASCAR tracks, has revealed it will update its media technology to enhance the experience fro fans on race days.

In addition to the thrilling live on-track racing action, fans will be able to enjoy rich multi-media content directly on their Sprint smartphones and other handheld devices, and on new high-definition video screens located throughout the racetrack. They will also enjoy enhanced connectivity to instantly share their raceday experience with friends inside and outside the track via Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms.

“With all the wonderful content available at-track, race fans are consuming our sport much differently today than a decade ago and they are sharing those experiences with friends across the country,” said ISC CEO Lesa France Kennedy. “We’re taking a strategic approach to provide the very best connectivity and superior multi-media content to further enrich the fan experience. We want to cater to all of our loyal fans in attendance and we are committed to making the necessary investments to provide the type of raceday experience our fans expect from the leader in motorsports entertainment.”

These enhancements, which began in 2013 and will continue in 2014 and 2015, focus on several key areas:

-Digital High-Definition Video Screens: Beginning with Talladega Superspeedway in 2014, new large high-definition video boards will be installed across all ISC tracks. These video boards will be located throughout each facility to ensure all fans in attendance have a clear view of the screens to enjoy all the great content that it will deliver.

-Unique At-Track Content: ISC has deployed a fully-integrated multi-media content strategy to deliver up-to-the-second live in-race and in-car cameras views, instant race data and other interactive race-day content to enhance the live on-track action and provide fans with a raceday experience unlike any other in the industry.

-Enhanced Connectivity: Wi-Fi service will be provided in premium camping and fan areas, as well as in high-traffic areas. These services were already installed at Michigan International Speedway and Auto Club Speedway of Southern California in 2013, and will be rolled out to other venues in the ISC family in 2014 and 2015. In addition, ISC is working with American Tower Corporation to provide improved cellular coverage to include 4G connectivity for fans during race weekends. These systems have already been installed at Daytona International Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, and will be rolled out in Phoenix International Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway and Auto Club Speedway in 2014 and the remaining ISC facilities in 2015.

In total, ISC and its partners have committed over $50 million to complete these enhancements through 2015.  

The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) have revealed they will visit Dubai for the first time for the Duty Free Darts Masters, which will be played on May 23 & 24 at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.

The world’s top eight darts players will compete in the event which will be part of the first leg of the PDC’s World Series of Darts.

Commenting on the upcoming event, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free said: “This is the first time that a professional darts tournament has been staged in Dubai and the first time that darts will be played in an outdoor arena. We think that this sport, which is growing in popularity across the world, will be a good addition to Dubai’s busy sports and social calendar.”

Two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis, the world number two, is joined by seven-time major title winner James Wade, World Grand Prix champion Michael van Gerwen, European Champion Simon Whitlock, two-time major finalists Andy Hamilton and Wes Newton and five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld in challenging for the title.

The players will initially compete in four knockout quarter-final matches on Thursday May 23, before the semi-finals and final are held on Friday May 24 to determine the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters champion.

“The Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters is an exciting event and I’m delighted that we’ll be coming to Dubai in May,” said world No.1 Phil Taylor.

“I’ve never had the chance to play there before so it’s great for me and the other players that we’ll be able to play for such a great title.

“The sport’s growing around the world and it’s a great chance for fans in both Dubai and from across the Middle East to see a live event, and hopefully this will be the seed for the tournament to grow in the coming years.”

With players from 21 countries having competed recently in the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship and 24 nations taking part in February’s Betfair World Cup of Darts, the PDC see the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters as an important stepping-stone in the sport’s worldwide growth.

“Darts is already a hugely popular sport in both Dubai and across the Middle East due to the live television coverage of our events on OSN, but it’s a very positive development to be staging the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters,” said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn.

“Darts fans in Dubai will now get to see the best players in darts in the flesh for the first time in May and this tournament will give them the chance to experience a full PDC event live.

“Our aim is that the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters will be the inaugural tournament in a World Series of Darts which will see our top players taking the sport around the world, and our negotiations are continuing to turn this vision into a reality.”