cough helvetica,sans-serif;”>Captain Horace Burrell, President of the Jamaica Football Federation, has been named on a Normalisation Committee charged with temporally directing affairs of the damaged Caribbean Football Union until a new executive is elected.

FIFA handed Burrell a six-month suspension for unspecified ethics violations as a consequence of the cash-for-vote scandal that shrouded the region in controversy and that has left it severely bruised. He will return back to his normal duties on 16 January, only serving half the time of his sentence.

Top elected official Lisle Austin was banned, while Trinidad and Tobago executive Jack Warner resigned whilst under investigation. A further eleven Caribbean officials were handed bans for up to 26months.

The appointment of the nine-man committee was agreed upon following a couple of days of meetings at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. 30 Presidents united to discuss and formulate a strategy to rebuild the CFU.

Yves Jean Bart, the acting CFU head who chaired the meetings in Zurich, stated that he was “proud to have been part of such a historical achievement and expects that the decisions taken at the Zurich meetings will result in a brighter and better CFU”.

FIFA president Blatter added: “I am very pleased that the representatives of the CFU have reached an agreement in order to move forward and to look into the future, for the good of the game in the region.”

The Normalisation Committee consists of Captain Horace Burrell (Jamaica), Yves Jean-Bart (Haiti), Luis Hernandez (Cuba), Victor Daniel (Grenada), Jeffrey Webb (Cayman Islands), Larry Mussenden (Bermuda), Ronald Jones (Barbados), Everton Gonsalves (Antigua and Barbuda) and Rignaal Francisca (Curacao).

An advertisement featuring Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton in his role as brand ambassador for Reebok has been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

The ban has come following claims published in a marketing leaflet produced by the brand that said that Reebok’s ZigTech Apparel helped blood vessels relax – boosting oxygen levels by up to 7 per cent.

However, the ASA said the claims could not be proven, and also criticised the ad for implying that the trainers worn by Hamilton featured the new technology. 

A spokeswoman for Reebok accepted the ruling but disagreed with the claims, stating: “This ruling was based on one complaint about one leaflet. The leaflet clearly showed the shoe on one side and the clothing on the other and, in our view, was not misleading.”

ASA has told Reebok that the ad cannot appear again.

The company had claimed its ZigTech Apparel was engineered with Celliant fibres, increasing oxygen levels by reflecting infrared light back into the body and allowing capillaries to relax. However, the ASA said the two studies submitted in support of the company’s claims were not ‘documentary evidence’

The IPC Athletics European Championships is heading to Great Britain for the first time after Swansea in Wales secured the 2014 edition of the event.

Around 600 athletes from 40 countries will compete in the event which will be staged at Swansea University between 18 and 23 August 2014. It will be the first major international multi-day para-athletics event to be held in Great Britain following the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The successful bid, adiposity submitted by Swansea University was based on a strong partnership approach involving the Welsh Government, the City and County of Swansea, Disability Sport Wales and British Athletics.

Xavier Gonzalez, the IPC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted and excited that Swansea will host some of the world’s leading and emerging para-athletes when it hosts the 2014 European Championships.

“This is another major event to add to the rapidly growing IPC Athletics calendar and will help build on the momentum of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the most successful ever.

Ed Warner, IPC Athletics Sport Technical Committee Chairperson, said: “Athletes want to compete in major events, and this European Championships will give some of this continent’s best and emerging athletes the opportunity to sample high level competition.

“At IPC Athletics we are capitalising on the success of London 2012 by building a strong pathway of events through to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and beyond.

“We now have World Championships in place through to 2017, a number of Grand Prix organised for 2013 and the first IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup set for this April in London.

“Swansea 2014 joins this growing list of events and we are optimistic that we will be able to announce the host city of the 2016 European Championships in the near future.”

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of the BPA, said: “This is fantastic news for disability sport in the UK. The London 2012 Paralympic Games demonstrated that the British public have a big appetite for disability sport and this event will provide them with a further excellent opportunity to see elite level disability sport.

“The success of the Swansea bid means our athletes will have the opportunity to compete at an elite level on home soil once again in 2014, and I am confident that this event will form a crucial part of their preparations for Rio in 2016. It also provides the British public with an opportunity once again to show their support British athletes as they take on the best in the world.

“This winning bid, which comes just a few months after Glasgow won the right to host the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships, will contribute towards a growing number of world-class international disability sport competitions which will be held in the UK following London 2012.”

Phizzle Inc., a leading technology provider of advanced mobile marketing products and digital advertising solutions, today announced an agreement with the Columbus Blue Jackets to power its mobile marketing initiatives. 

Together, Phizzle and the Blue Jackets will create campaigns designed to provide fans greater opportunities to connect with the team while providing corporate partners the ability to enhance their marketing initiatives. Making mobile an instrumental aspect of the live event experience, Phizzle is providing the Columbus Blue Jackets with data-driven tools that engage sports fans across multiple communication channels, including text message, QR codes, mobile Web, social media and more.

Phizzle’s proprietary technology, Broadcaster iX can produce real-time, interactive HD graphics for the Columbus Blue Jackets’ home games, enabling fans at Nationwide Arena to interact with the team and corporate sponsors via their mobile phones and the digital scoreboards. A variety of text messaging campaigns (pre, during, post-event), can be activated to provide a fun, exciting and participatory audience experience including alerts, Text-2-Win promotions, Text-2-Vote polls, and Text-2-Screen contests.

Phizzle’s innovative mobile communications platform combines powerful functionality with an easy to use interface, enabling our extensive client roster comprised of major sports teams to effectively engage and foster deeper relationships with their fans, sponsors and community members. Phizzle’s technology allows the Columbus Blue Jackets to instantly add fans to its database by having them engage via their mobile device by either texting GOCBJ to 90561 or by visiting BlueJackets.com/CBJTextAlerts.

“We are extremely fortunate to partner with the Columbus Blue Jackets,” said Ben Davis, CEO of Phizzle. “The Blue Jackets are committed to providing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy to effectively increase fan participation. Phizzle’s technology is the perfect solution to deepen that relationship.”

“Phizzle is a natural partner for a professional sports team like the Columbus Blue Jackets,” said Marc Gregory, Vice President of Digital Marketing and Media with the Columbus Blue Jackets. “We are excited to be using Phizzle’s mobile marketing tools to offer our fans the opportunity to interact with the team.”

Phizzle recently announced partnerships with a number of NBA teams including Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.

BSkyB and BT have paid the price for buying Premier League rights for a record price of £3billion by shares being reduced for both media companies.

BSkyB shares dropped more than 7 per cent, wiping £764million from its market value, and BT was nearly 3 per cent lower as investors got their first chance to react  to last night’s deal for domestic live TV rights for three seasons from 2013/14.

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB said it would offset the higher price through savings elsewhere in the business, although its reassurances failed to prevent the shares slide.

The long-term Premier League partner paid £2.28billion to secure the rights to show 116 games a season and newcomer BT forked out £738million to gain a 38-game-a-season foothold.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore yesterday admitted he was surprised by the final total.

He said the thrilling climax to last season, when Manchester City won the title on the final day, was a significant factor in the recession-busting 70 per cent increase.

The new deal will extend Sky’s relationship with the Premier League to 24 years, while the football governing body is breaking new ground with BT.

BT will launch its own ‘football-focused channel’ through BT Vision, which will offer new interactive features, but they will look to make it available on other platforms.

Sky’s five packages cover matches on Saturday evenings, Sunday lunchtimes, Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings.

BT has bought the rights to matches that kick off at 12.45pm on a Saturday and for bank holiday and midweek games.

Shares in BSkyB were down 47.75p at 647.75p while BT’s stock was 6.1p lower at 203p in mid-morning trading.

Gloucestershire Cricket Club’s £10 million ($15.35m) redevelopment plans have been denied by council planners.

Members of Bristol City Council’s planning committee refused the application to expand the 122-year-old club’s Nevil Road ground after a lengthy debate last night.

The decision by six votes to four means Bristol will not be able to host international cricket in the future and has opened up the realistic possibility the club itself may leave the city.

The plans were thrown out not because of the expansion of the ground itself – up to a maximum capacity of 17, anabolics 500 seats – but rather the tower block of 147 flats that would help pay for it. Opponents said that at seven stories it was too big, anesthetist lacked sufficient parking and would be harmful to a conservation area.

The other major sticking point was a failure to agree a planning deal to pay for local improvement projects. Rather than providing the required £4.4 million ($6.75m) of contributions towards education, green space, libraries and health the club’s developer was offering just £83,000 ($127,311).

The scheme also failed to provide a single affordable home, with the club claiming it would make the development “financially unviable”.

Speaking after the meeting, residents said they were not anti-cricket and would welcome the club coming back with a smaller-scale proposal.

The club now has the option of submitting revised plans, appealing the decision, or walking away.

Last night chief executive Tom Richardson said: “We’re extremely disappointed with the verdict. We will sleep on the decision.”

Mr Richardson told councillors the club needed to expand.

He said: “What happens if we do not develop? We would lose international cricket. It would be extremely difficult for the club financially. As a major sporting institution we would be on a clear downward path.

“As a consequence, the club would have to consider relocating out of the city.”

Alison Orton, of residents group Howzat?, said: “We are not a Nimby organisation and we are not against the redevelopment of the club but we firmly reject this scheme, as it would be too big. The crucial issue is the enabling development – a block of flats that would rise seven storeys.”

The plan was rejected on the grounds it was too big, failed to meet council guidelines on sustainability, and lacked enough money for a planning deal, known as a section 106 agreement, towards improvements to education and green spaces.

Speaking after the decision, resident Daniella Radice said: “Everyone agreed the scale was too big.

“The cricket club could come back with a better option. We’re definitely not anti-cricket.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has paid 45 percent of the outstanding salaries owed to Sri Lankan cricketers from their participation in ICC World Cup 2011.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed that the ICC paid $2 million, a part of the due 25 percent of the country’s participation fee for the last world cup, Xinhua reported.

U. R. Senaviratna, the secretary of the Sports Ministry said that the ICC paid part of cricketers salary directly to their accounts without going through the SLC.

“The payment of USD 2 million made by the ICC was due to be paid to SLC for hosting some matches of the last world cup,” Senaviratna told Xinhua.

SLC has assisted the ICC has provided payment by providing bank account details of each player and the relevant amounts owed to them. Instead of allowing the island’s crisis-ridden cricket administration to pay the cricketers, the ICC chose to pay the cricketers directly.

The cricketers and staff were left without wages for nine months as a result of an unprecedented financial crisis following co-hosting the World Cup earlier this year.

SLC ran into financial crisis after running up debts of $32.5 million to finance the building of two international stadia and to renovate a stadium in Colombo, for the mega event.

The three stadia had been handed over to the military as SLC was unable to maintain them.