Chelsea FC’s bid to buy back the freehold on Stamford Bridge has been rejected after a extraordinary general meeting of Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO) shareholders.

Billionaire Blues owner Roman Abramovich and his board must rethink their proposal to CPO, which would have helped their move to a new 60,000-seater stadium, after it was voted down at a dramatic extraordinary general meeting.

Chelsea failed to convince the holders of 75% or more of the shares in CPO to back them at the gathering in Stamford Bridge’s Great Hall. The plan was supported by 61.6% of the 5,796 votes cast in person or by proxy, leaving the club 13.4% short of their target.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck confirmed Abramovich had been quickly made aware of the outcome. Buck, who refused to speculate whether the club would make a fresh proposal, said: “Roman’s disappointed, but he respects that Chelsea Pitch Owners have spoken.

“It’s really a matter of discussing with the rest of the board and discussing with Mr Abramovich what – if any – next steps there should be, can be, will be.”

The outcome prevented Chelsea regaining ownership of the land they sold to supporter-led group CPO in the 1990s in order to ensure the club was not made homeless by property developers.

Under confusing circumstances the vote looked set to be postponed at one stage when an adjournment of the meeting was proposed by one shareholder who challenged the validity of the vote and the handling of proceedings by the CPO board and its chairman Richard King.

That motion received widespread support and appeared certain to succeed until King dramatically intervened to reveal a no vote would almost certainly carry the day.

With 4,000 proxy votes already counted, King confirmed that for the club to triumph, they required the holders of 1,400 of the 1,700 shares present at the meeting to back their proposal. That convinced the 700 shareholders present to cast their votes, which were quickly totted up before the result was announced.

iSportconnect reported earlier this month (click here) that Chelsea made an offer to buy back the Stamford Bridge freehold, saying they would not be able to move to a new stadium unless they could profit from the land on which Stamford Bridge sits.

The International Rugby Board Council (IRB) has confirmed it has postponed the election of its chairman until December, after the council explained that the election should not take place during the Rugby World Cup competition.

An election must be held before 1st January, 2012, when the current mandate of current chairman Lapasset and vice-chairman Beaumont expires. 

IRB said in a statement: “This decision was taken after a resolution was passed to defer the vote until after the completion of Rugby World Cup 2011. Both candidates [Lapasset and Beaumont] and Council were in agreement that in future the election of chairman should not take place during Rugby World Cup but should take place at the IRB Annual Meeting of Council in the year following rugby’s showcase tournament.”

The election had been due to be held in Auckland today, Wednesday 19th October.

The outcome of the election is thought to be too close to call, with New Zealand and Australian understood to be backing the former England captain Beaumont on the basis of his promises to reform the IRB’s commercial model, including World Cups.

Meanwhile, Lapasset has based his manifesto around the growth of the global game over the last four years, specifically having driven

The Australian soccer A-League will be reduced to just 10 teams next season after debt-ridden North Queensland Fury was dropped from the competition.

The former owner of the club withdrew his support after the side lost millions of dollars, leaving the club under league administration for the past year.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) supported Fury for the A-League’s 2010-11 season, but insisted that the club had to raise enough capital to justify its continued participation in the tournament.

A statement from the FFA chief executive Ben Buckley, read: “The decision was determined after considering the financial position of the club for season 2011-12 as too big of a financial risk for FFA to undertake. Despite the hard work put in, the target of US$1.52m of capital from the Retain the Fury campaign was not met, with less than $304,000 being pledged.”

He added: “Whilst the club and the advisory board had attracted some very encouraging sponsorship commitments, the projected loss to run the club next season is still in our assessment in excess of $2.03m.”

According to local media reports, the FFA invested between $7-9.12m into Fury during its turbulent two seasons in the A-League. Administrators had planned to expand the league to 12 teams next season with the addition of a second Sydney side, but the plan was scrapped due to financial concerns.

English Rugby Union team, unhealthy Saracens confirms it will be entering into detailed discussions with the London Borough of Barnet about the possibility of transforming Barnet Copthall Stadium into a vibrant, arthritis multi-purpose sports venue, with real benefits for the entire community.

The stadium, currently home to Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers amongst other sports clubs, would become a premier athletics venue and potential training centre for the 2012 Olympic Games, as well as being an outstanding community sports hub and a Premiership rugby ground.

The emerging proposals would comprehensively refurbish the existing main building to the west of the site and create a new permanent stand to the east which would be used by spectators of athletics meetings and rugby matches. Demountable stands would be in place during the winter season to facilitate up to 16 Saracens fixtures.

Saracens is urgently seeking a home with the potential to ensure the club is sustainable in the long term; Barnet Copthall would provide this opportunity and bring Premiership rugby back into north London, heartland of the club’s support since 1876.

Chairman Nigel Wray said: “There is a unique opportunity to create a fabulous stadium. Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers would thrive, Saracens would use the artificial turf pitch around 16 times per year, and the rest of the time – up to 350 days per year – the field could be used by schools, local clubs and the wider community.

“Barnet Copthall would also become a new hub for the award-winning Saracens Foundation, which has been working with more than 500,000 young people in London over the past decade, improving lives by running various courses that link education and sport.

“It goes without saying we will consult widely and extensively with the local community and stakeholders to establish a proper dialogue and ensure we create an asset that meets all the requirements of local residents and sports clubs.

“In the process, we will create a home for Saracens, an ambitious club playing entertaining rugby in a superb stadium, an institution which will make the people of Barnet and all North London can feel proud for many years to come.”

Geoff Morphitis, Treasurer of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers said: “This is a tremendous opportunity in these difficult financial times to refurbish a stand that is nearly 50 years old and to bring in new facilities.

“This would ensure the venue can continue to host top class athletics meetings and serve as a valuable sports facility for the local community. We look forward to working with Saracens to ensure the delivery of an outstanding sporting venue and to expand our work in the local community.”

The Japan Football Association have announced a partnership with the Iranian Football Association.

Asian champions Japan and rival Iran have struck a deal to cooperate in promoting football at home, with a focus on the women’s game.

As part of the agreement, the countries will share and exchange personnel, including coaches and referees, as well cooperate in areas such as sports medicine and professional league management. The association said it signed the deal with its Iranian counterpart in Tehran on Tuesday with plans to work together on “invigorating women’s football”, as Iran reportedly plans to launch a female league next month.

Japan won the 2011 women’s World Cup as the first Asian nation to lift the global football trophy for either sex, having come a long way since it launched a women’s league in 1989. They also lifted their first women’s Asian Cup this year.

Women’s football has been popular in Iran for decades, although the Islamic government has banned women from entering most sporting events, including football matches between male sides, since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Since 2005, the JFA has signed similar partnership agreements with counterparts in eight other countries – France, Spain, Germany, Singapore, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Vietnam.

Pocono International Raceway, adiposity Inc. through their partnership with Frontier Communications have introduced a new communications system to benefit employees, doctor staff, race teams, media and fans.

Partnering with long-time telecommunications provider Frontier Communications, Pocono Raceway enlisted the expertise of Frontier’s engineering and operations teams to design a telecommunications system that would accommodate current and future growth and also help attract other entertainment opportunities. Because of the unique design of the three-turn facility, however, Frontier had to create a system that would fully integrate different locations and end users and support their various communications requirements. Frontier’s solution was a Mitel 3300 VoIP system, allowing increased capacity up to 1,400 users.

“We’ve made many enhancements to our facility over the years and the new communications system is another step in our plan to become a year-round entertainment venue,” said Brandon Igdalsky, President and CEO, Pocono Raceway. “Communications are the life-blood of any business and we are excited to have Frontier Communications, an industry leader, as a partner in this exciting endeavor.”

The versatility of the new VoIP system allows it to support growth without requiring a completely revamped platform. “We appreciated what Pocono Raceway needs now as well as what it might need in the future to address communications for concerts, trade shows and other entertainment and raceway events,” said Michael Morton, General Manager, Frontier Communications. “The Mitel solution integrates rich telephony features with advanced applications that are accessible via desktop devices and managed over a web-based embedded system. The system is highly scalable, so it can grow as Pocono Raceway grows. It’s an efficient and cost-effective system since ‘moves, adds and changes’ are completed over the web, a huge benefit to the raceway.”

With more than twenty years of serving as the communications partner for Pocono Raceway, the Frontier team delivered not only an industry-leading solution, it also delivered a promise of continued personalized service and responsiveness. “We’re backed by the resources of a Fortune 500 company but we are based locally. Frontier’s employees live in the markets we serve, so we understand the needs of customers and we work toward a mutual goal of creating vibrant communities,” added Morton. “Year-round events at Pocono Raceway would be an exciting economic driver to the area, fostering additional jobs and overall new business opportunities. We’re excited to help make this happen together with Pocono Raceway.”

Igdalsky echoed the benefits of the decades’ long partnership with Frontier, stating, “We’re proud to build on our relationship with Frontier. They’ve supported us as we’ve changed and grown; their staff and technicians deliver excellent personalized service; and they understand how our transitioning into a year-round facility will have a huge impact on our Pocono region. We’re glad to have them on our team.”

Die RSMG Insights Holding, erectile zu der auch das Beratungs- und Forschungsinstitut Sport+Markt gehört, therapy hat den bisherigen Konkurrenten IFM Group zum 1. März übernommen.

Zur IFM Group gehören auch die in Karlsruhe ansässige IFM Sports und das britische Marktforschungsunternehmen IFM Sports Marketing Surveys. Die gesamte IFM Group wird unter dem Dach der in Amsterdam gelisteten RSMG Insights Holding eingegliedert. IFM Sports und IFM Sports Marketing Surveys werden aber weiterhin als eigenständige Unternehmen und unter ihren Markennamen operieren.

Wie das Magagzin „Sponsors“ berichtet, ambulance wird die RSMG Insights Holding damit unangefochtener Branchenführer auf dem Gebiet der Sportmarktforschung und steuert nach eigenen Angaben Projekte in über 170 Ländern. Repucom-Chef Paul Smith lobt den IFM-Kauf: „Wir sind unserem Ziel näher gekommen, eine globale, transparente Plattform zur Sponsoringbewertung zu etablieren.“

Der Kauf der IFM Group wurde durch GF Capital mitfinanziert. Das New Yorker Private-Equity-Unternehmen legte schon beim Repucom-Merger 2010 Kapital ein. „Mit der Übernahme von IFM haben wir einen globalen Marktführer geschaffen“, sagt Erik Baker, Mitbegründer und Geschäftsführer von GF Capital.

Das Finanzunternehmen ist zu rund einem Drittel an der RSMG Insights Holding beteiligt. Die weiteren Anteile halten mehrheitlich die Sport+Markt-Vorstände Hartmut Zastrow und Torsten Zoega sowie Repucom-Chef Smith. „Keiner der Gesellschafter hat eine alleinige Mehrheit“, sagte Zastrow gegenüber „Welt Online“.

Laut Baker biete der Sportbusiness-Markt große Wachstumschancen, vor allem die Nachfrage nach der Erfolgsmessung, die jüngst erneut von RSMG angekündigt wurde, werde immer größer. „Wir sind für global agierende Unternehmen interessant, die Sponsoring auf der ganzen Welt betreiben“, sagt Baker und denkt bereits weiter: Die Unterhaltungsindustrie biete große Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten. „Wir untersuchen, wie wir am Wachstum dieser Branche teilhaben können“, so Baker.

Oliver Kaiser, der IFM 1988 gründete, und nach dem Abschied von CEO Oliver Graßy Ende 2011 wieder das Ruder beim Sport- und Research-Berater übernahm, ist nach dem Verkauf all seiner Firmenanteile guter Dinge. „Die Konsolidierung war überfällig“, sagt Kaiser und sieht seine neue Geschäftschance in der Verknüpfung von Fakten mit strategischem Know-how.

„RSMG schafft den globalen Datenpool, wir setzen ihm das Stammhirn auf, mit dem Sponsoren und Rechteinhaber die zentralen Entscheidungsgrundlagen erhalten“, erklärt Kaiser weiter. Dazu soll er mit rund einem Dutzend Mitarbeitern von Frankfurt aus eine Strategieberatung aufbauen. RSMG Insights wird eine Minderheitsbeteiligung an diesem Unternehmen halten und auf Kaisers Expertise zurückgreifen können.

Fragen wirft die neue Allianz aus kartellrechtlicher Sicht auf. Denn mit der Übernahme entsteht unter anderem auf dem deutschen Markt im weitesten Sinne ein Monopolist. Der Kölner Sportökonomie-Professor Christoph Breuer hegt nicht zuletzt deshalb Zweifel an dem Zusammenschluss: „In jeder Branche hat der Abnehmer Nachteile, wenn durch eine fast monopolartige Stellung die Marktmacht auf Anbieterseite liegt.“ Breuer bemüht die Wettbewerbstheorie: Preise tendierten dann nach oben, der Innovationsdruck dürfte sinken.

The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has made the swimming competition of the Arab Games Doha 2011 an official qualifying event for the London 2012 Olympics.

Khaleel Al-Jabir, drugs director for sports, sample viagra said, “The fact that the Arab Games swimming competition has been selected as a qualifying event by FINA is testament to the thorough preparations and world-class standards set for the Arab Games Doha 2011.

“Our vision is for an Arab Games swimming competition which will inspire, and offers all participants and nations the perfect preparation for London 2012 or future international championships. It will be an ideal platform for all Arab athletes to realise their potential and compete at the highest level. Once again, Qatar sits alongside the leading sporting nations as a trusted partner and renowned sporting hub, showing real leadership in every aspect of hosting major sporting events.”

FINA representatives will be on site in Doha for the Games coming up in early December to oversee the competition.

Ahmed Ghaith, elite level Qatari swimmer, said, “The fact that the Arab Games Doha 2011 swimming competition is a qualification event for London 2012 is a testament for the Arab Games, and an excellent opportunity for all the participating swimmers.

“I participated in the Arab Games in 2007, in Cairo, and am expecting Arab Games Doha 2011 to provide me with an ideal sporting environment to develop my skills and talents to compete on more regional and international platforms in the future. In December, my goal is to win – for my team and for Qatar.”

The staging of the Arab Games Doha 2011 is also pivotal for the city as Doha is in the bidding to host the Olympic Games in 2020. After winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar has focused on bringing more and more high level events to the country.