Goal-line technology is set to get the go-ahead by football’s law-makers after successful trials over its accuracy, according to sources on the International FA Board (IFAB).

Exhaustive tests on the two systems, Hawk-Eye and GoalRef, are said to have been successful and will be ratified by the IFAB next week.

The news comes in the wake of another controversial moment at a major tournament, as Ukraine had a goal disallowed in a group-deciding game with England when it was shown to be over the line.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who had previously resisted calls for technology to be introduced, said it was a “necessity” after the incident but his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini is still opposed.

It was Platini’s idea to deploy extra match officials near to both goals as a trial during Euro 2012. He maintains it would be a “historical mistake” if goal-line technology was introduced.

Although the tests aren’t thought to have proved 100% accurate in every case, they are still thought to be valuable enough to be introduced, though the IFAB are keen to stress it will be used as an aid for referees, who will still make the final call.

Both systems are designed to send an instant message to a specially adapted watch worn by the referee and have been tested in extreme weather conditions to uncover their durability.

The IFAB carries four votes on law changes, as does FIFA, with six needed to carry it through. Even if the motion is carried it will take several months for it to be introduced to stadiums.

FIFA are targeting the Cub World Championship in December as the first time they will be used for one of their tournaments.

The FIM British Speedway Grand Prix is set to return to Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in 2012 after a new five-year deal was agreed with both the stadium and the Welsh Government.

Next year’s event is set to take place on Saturday, August 25 2012.

It will be the twelfth British SGP to be hosted at the Millennium Stadium, with this year’s flagship World Championship event attracting in excess of 43,000 fans – putting it right up there with the biggest on the British motorsport calendar.

BSI Speedway managing director, Paul Bellamy, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been able to extend our contract and commitment to Cardiff and the Millennium Stadium for another five years. As ever, we will look to continue to raising the bar and give fans the most amazing experience.

“This year’s meeting was again a huge success and as a city, Cardiff has totally embraced World Championship speedway. The Fanzone proved even more popular than ever this time around.

“As always, we want to ensure fans are getting value for money. So as well as joining forces with the stadium and Welsh Government, we’ll once again be working with Cardiff & Co to offer fans booking advance tickets the chance to reserve hotel rooms at reasonable rates.

“This new five-year deal is great news for us, the fans and for Cardiff, and we’re very much looking forward to another great year leading up to the next British SGP.”

First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones, said: “I’m delighted that we are able to announce a funding package for the BSI Speedway Grand Prix for 2012 – 2016 which will give stability for the event to grow and prosper in Wales.

“The event attracts visitors from outside of Wales to Cardiff and provides a significant economic boost to the city. This year, the event was televised in 140 territories, giving Wales’ profile a major boost.

“This support secures the event at the Millennium Stadium for the next five years as it is an important fixture for the summer season in the city.”

Millennium Stadium Manager, Gerry Toms, said: “We are delighted that the British SGP will be continuing its close and successful association with us for the next five years.

“The event has become a firm attraction on the calendar of major events which take place at the Millennium Stadium and it is always an exciting, entertaining and dramatic occasion when speedway comes to Cardiff.

“All of the world’s best riders take part and the levels of skill and competition on show create a truly amazing spectacle for the fans.

“The feedback we get from people who attend is invariably always extremely positive and the atmosphere and excitement created by speedway extends from the stadium on to the streets of our capital city with a true sense of something big taking place here.

“There is always a sense of growing excitement as we transform the stadium from a rugby venue into a racetrack and the hard work everyone puts in is always worth it because we are always assured of a great show.”

Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) acting president Lisle Austin, who was suspended from the role having initially stepped in to replace the ousted Jack Warner, claimed a court ruling yesterday, June 30, allowing him to return to office.

Austin assumed the position of acting head of CONCACAF after Warner was suspended by FIFA’s Ethics Committee in the wake of its investigation into bribery allegations. Warner later resigned but Austin was then suspended by the CONCACAF Executive Committee after trying to dismiss general secretary Chuck Blazer.

This ruling was extended on a global basis by FIFA, but Austin has now fired back after claiming victory in a court ruling in the Bahamas. Austin stated that the Bahamian court had ruled that CONCACAF’s decision to suspend him and appoint Alfredo Hawit in his place was a contempt of court because the body had ignored an earlier injunction.

A statement from Austin, reported by Reuters, read: “In its ruling yesterday (Wednesday) the Bahamian Court held that CONCACAF is in contempt of court as a result of its disobedience of the terms of the Order dated 10 June, 2011.

“As a result of the contempt, the court did not allow CONCACAF to proceed with its hearing to discharge the order. Therefore, the injunction against CONCACAF remains in place,” he added. “The organisation cannot interfere with my ability to perform my duties as acting president. It is my intention to lead CONCACAF into an era of transparency, accountability and reform.”

International Sports Management Limited (ISM), a UK based player management and events specialist, launched its India operations on Tuesday, 15 February.

Among the company’s client roster are top Indian sports professionals Jeev Milkha Singh , Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia, on its roster. World number one Lee Westwood, three-time Major winner Ernie Els and reigning Open champion Louis Ooosthuizen are also under ISM management. 

Newswire PTI quotes founder Andrew Chandler as saying: “We at ISM have been thinking about India operations for a long time. While cricket has always been very big in India, we have noticed the growth of golf and the way Indian players have made a big impact in world golf.

“We have been managing Jeev Milkha Singh, Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia, all proven champions, but now it is time to more Indian players make a mark outside India.

He added: “Apart from managing players, we also wish to set up with local Indian partners golf academies, help in course design, and promoting new events in this region.”

The India operations will be led by Neeraj Sareen, a former junior amateur golfer, and a regular organiser and promoter of golf events in India.

The National Rugby League have hired corporate affairs specialist Sandy Olsen as their new head of media and communications. 

Olsen, a former journalist who has been involved with some of Australia’s leading companies including Energy Australia, Carnival Australia and Infrastructure NSW, replaces veteran media and communications manager John Brady who has resigned.

Since beginning with the NRL in February, Chief executive David Smith has moved to streamline and revamp the governing body’s corporate structure with a number of appointments including former Canterbury boss Todd Greenberg as head of football and former New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Jim Doyle as chief operation officer and overseer of the new Integrity Unit.

With the NRL looking to capitalise on the ever-growing digital media market and capture a larger share of the female audience, Olsen’s new role is seen as an increasingly crucial one within the organisation.

“Sandy is a strong acquisition for the game and we are delighted to have her join the executive,” Smith said in a statement on Thursday.

“Media and communications is a key area for our game and Sandy brings a great deal of experience in corporate affairs as well as a real passion for the sport.”

Unlike Smith, Olsen grew up with rugby league.

“This is one of the most dynamic media and communications roles imaginable and for someone who has grown up with rugby league it is a real opportunity,” Olsen said.

“I am looking forward to working with Dave, the executive and the clubs to promote the positive changes taking place in the game.”

Olsen will begin with the NRL in January.

NBC have announced that the 2012 Games were the most-watched U.S. TV event in history, with a total of 219.4 million viewing at least part of the coverage, according to data from Nielsen.

That is up 2% from the No. 2-ranked Beijing Games four years ago and dwarfs the records for single broadcasts of major events. The Super Bowl, for example, has in recent years set ratings records with about 100 million total viewers.

The Olympics unfolded over 17 days and across multiple networks in the NBC family, a record-breaking 5,535 hours in all, so the company had plenty of time and channel space to rack up that Everest-sized total.

All of the top 10 “most-watched events” on Nielsen’s list consist of Olympics, and all were telecast on NBC except for the Lillehammer Games in 1994, which ran on CBS. For the purposes of the statistics books, Nielsen counts someone as a “viewer” if that person watched as little as six minutes of a telecast.

Even so, the numbers were impressive. Sunday’s closing ceremony with the Spice Girls, George Michael, Queen and other British pop acts gathered 31 million total viewers, the highest tally for a non-U.S. Olympics since the Montreal Games back in 1976.

That closely tracked with overall viewing of the Games on nights when athletics were the focus. The NBC broadcast prime-time packages – assailed by many fans for airing hours after the events took place – averaged 31.1 million viewers, far higher than the 27.7 million who turned up for Beijing.

The London Games were also a huge hit online – and in ways that reveal how the digital market is rapidly changing. A total of 57.1 million unique users viewed content online, up 10% compared with Beijing. But there were 10.1 million unique users on mobile devices, skyrocketing 55% compared with four years ago.

“For 17 days, NBCUniversal has surrounded the American viewer with the London Olympics, which have now become the most-watched event in U.S. television history,” NBC Sports Chairman Mark Lazarus wrote in a statement. “There are thousands of dedicated and talented people in London and New York who take great pride in being part of these historic games and this television milestone.”

XOS Digital, sale Inc., clinic a global provider of sports video technology, today announced the finished installation of an XOS Thunder Remote Camera System for the Baylor University football program.

The team opted to use the system as the latest means to capture more footage angles for detailed coaching evaluation. The announcement was made today by Chris McCleary, CEO, XOS Digital.

“The success we had with our 2009 upgrade to the XOS indoor remote camera system was a key factor when determining options for our outdoor facility,” said Michael Bolding, director of video services, Baylor University. “We knew firsthand that XOS Digital’s expertise and experience with seamless integration of new HD technology would enhance our coaching efforts and operational workflow.”

Mounted on the exterior of the Jay and Jenny Allison Football Practice Facility, the XOS Thunder Remote Camera System consists of weatherproof cameras in climate-controlled casing. The system enables coaching staff to capture high-definition video for practice analysis using a variety of angles. The system incorporates Panasonic’s pan, tilt, zoom cameras, designed to provide fluid movement in all directions.

In addition to the outdoor football practice field cameras, an indoor viewing and transmission station was installed inside the Jay and Jenny Allison Football Practice Facility enabling the football video staff to control the cameras for optimal capture footage. This system incorporates a fiber infrastructure that sends live footage directly to the team video editing room, where video is used within the XOS Thunder HD video editing system for game prep and analysis.

“As the leading partner for remote camera systems in the athletic industry, XOS Digital combines its experience and insight on current trends, such as HD, to guarantee technology that will set any sports facility above the rest,” McCleary said. “We’re pleased to provide Baylor with the latest outdoor remote camera system to enhance its practice and game preparation operations.”

The Baylor University football program originally partnered with XOS Digital in 2005, when it added the XOS Sports Pro video editing system (the legacy product that preceded XOS Thunder).

Sao Paulo’s chances of staging the opening ceremony of soccer’s 2014 World Cup improved after FIFA accepted a guarantee that SC Corinthians Paulista’s new stadium will be completed in time for the tournament.

The stadium, symptoms being built by Odebrecht SA, medstore will cost US$522 million, according to Corinthians President Andres Sanchez. BNDES, the national development bank, pledged US$400 million and the city of Sao Paulo will provide a property fund worth US$400 million.

On a statement on the Corinthians website, Ricardo Teixeira, president of the World Cup local organising committee and the Brazilian Football Confederation, said: “This approval — in record time, less than a year — is the result of efforts by the government of Sao Paulo, particularly the Governor Geraldo Alckmin and Mayor Gilberto Kassab.”

FIFA’s approval of the project to build a new home for Brazil’s biggest soccer club by revenue — which originally had a cost estimate of US$1.2 billion — was required for Sao Paulo to host World Cup games.

In June, sports minister Orlando Silva said in an interview that the federal government would tell tournament organizer FIFA that Sao Paulo, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia are eligible to stage the opening ceremony.

FIFA will announce the venue in October.

Sanchez said: “I said before that if Corinthians could fulfill all the requirements of FIFA, the opening of the World Cup would be in Sao Paulo. Corinthians gave the guarantees required by FIFA, so the opening will be in Sao Paulo.”

Most of the funding for investment in airports, stadiums, ports and urban transportation before the World Cup will come from the government.