After getting the boot from the Great Britain Olympic football team, David Beckham will participate in the Opening Ceremont of the London Games. 

The former England footballer confirmed that he will have a part in the ceremony and that he a flame might be involved. It is understood however that the 37-year-old will not be the person who lights the cauldron.

The opening ceremony is expected to have a final torch relay inside the stadium, as has happened with all recent Olympic Games, with a number of sports stars, former Olympians and others selected for their contribution to the London Games carrying the torch before the flame is lit.

The identity of the person who will actually light the flame remains a closely-guarded secret.

Beckham told CNN: “I’m excited to be part of such a huge occasion for our country.

“It’s exciting to have the Games in the east end of London and I’m very honoured to be part of that.”

Asked if a flame was involved, Beckham added: “I think I might have one.”

Beckham was part of the London bid team that won the right to host the Games in Singapore in 2005 and he said he was proud to see the Olympics actually happening in his home city.

“It was seven years when this whole process started and to bring the Games to the part of London where I grew up is so exciting,” he said.

“I was at the stadium yesterday and it really is incredible to see the changes that have happened there and around about.

“There will be a few events I’m hoping to get to and take my kids to so it should be fun.”

Xirrus, for sale the leader in high-performance wireless networks, decease announced today that it has outfitted Gillette Stadium, allergy home of the National Football League’s (NFL) New England Patriots, with a wireless network that will serve its premium seating areas.

Club members in Gillette Stadium’s Putnam Club will now be able to access exclusive video content on their smart phones instantaneously on game days.

The 6,000 fans in the Putnam Club will be able to use the stadium’s new proprietary smart phone application to instantly view the NFL Network’s Red Zone channel, four exclusive camera angles—one on each sideline and one in each end zone—not available to network television viewers, a continuous loop of an instant replay of the previous play, highlights from earlier in the game and real-time statistics and information.

According to estimates from Gillette Stadium officials, up to one-third of Putnam Club guests will stream video content at any given time. With two identical Putnam Club locations soaring three stories high and covering a total of 120,000 square feet, Gillette Stadium required a first-class Wi-Fi solution that could deliver hardwire-caliber reliability at a great scale. The stadium chose Xirrus Wireless Arrays, which delivers unparalleled performance resulting in four times the coverage, eight times the bandwidth and eight times the capacity of a traditional wireless network.

Fred Kirsch, Patriots Vice President of Content, said: “We strive to provide a top-notch game day experience for our fans. Delivering high-quality video content to smart phones is part of our vision for providing a premium experience to fans in the Putnam Club, and Xirrus is helping to make that vision a reality.”

Steven Wastie, Chief Marketing Officer at Xirrus, added: “As the number of users of smart phones and other wireless devices grow, so does the demand for uninterrupted access to sophisticated content on those same gadgets. Football stadiums are just the type of large, densely-packed areas that are going to be challenged to fulfill this mandate from customers. Today, Gillette Stadium and Xirrus are both at the cutting edge of delivering on this promise.”

Jack Warner, the president of CONCACAF disgraced by allegations from former FA chief Lord Triesman yesterday, May 10, has insisted that the organisation has still not made its mind as to whether to back Sepp Blatter’s re-election at the upcoming FIFA ballot.

Speaking on local television in his native Trinidad, Warner claimed that CONCACAF’s position was not finalised, despite having repeatedly made it clear that the confederation, which has backed Blatter on both previous occasions, would vote as a bloc on June 1.

When asked about his endorsement of Blatter, Warner stated: “Who say so?”

Warner said he had not yet heard the proposals of Blatter’s opponent, Asian Football Federation president Mohamed Bin Hammam.

After being denied a visa to attend the CONCACAF congress in Miami last week, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president, Mohamed Bin Hammam is due to meet a majority of CONCACAF’s 35 members later today.

“Fair play suggests that [Bin Hammam should have his chance],” said Warner. 

“If that was the case [that Blatter has won my support], I would have endorsed Blatter in Miami. 

“Bin Hammam is coming here to put his case to 30 of us, and why we should support him.”

The CONCACAF president, who is also a FIFA vice-president, says bin Hammam still has time to win him over, adding: “While he is my colleague and I’ve known him for a long time, I want [him to tell me] how he would do things differently.”

“How would FIFA benefit, how in four years’ time we could have a better FIFA. If you could tell me that, then of course you could have me.”

Major League Soccer (MLS) have announced today that former head of security for the Football Association (FA) Ray Whitworth will become their Vice President, viagra order Operations and Security.

Whitworth, drugs who brings more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement from his years at the English Football Association (The FA), store the Metropolitan Police Football Intelligence Unit and Arsenal Football Club. He will oversee all operations and security areas for MLS, including all MLS venues. Whitworth will report to MLS Executive Vice President Nelson Rodríguez. 

Most recent, as Head of Team and Corporate Security for the English Football Association (The FA), Whitworth oversaw security for all levels of the England National Teams, including advance visits and all travel, movements, hotels, liaison, including all airport and aviation issues. 

A former police officer, Whitworth will begin his new position at MLS in early 2014. 

“With the growth of MLS’ fan base and the popularity of supporter groups at each of our clubs, being able to add a professional of Ray’s experience and stature will prove extremely valuable,” said Rodríguez. “Integrating operations and security throughout all of our events, matches and daily course of business is a natural progression and further reflects the evolution of the League.” 

Whitworth, who has worked multiple FIFA World Cups and European Championships during his time with The FA, had previously consu

Residents of the South Korean city of Pyeongchang, host of the 2018 Winter Olympics, are reportedly growing frustated by POCOG’s failure to listen to them regarding key decisions.

Controversial decisions have included switching the opening and closing ceremonies from the originally planned sites, and changing venues for events.

Hong Young-ki, a resident of nearby Daegwallyeong, said: “The most frustrating problem is that POCOG has been failing to communicate with us. The decision to change the venue of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games should have been discussed with the local people in advance.”

Another contentious issue is POCOG’s plans to build an ice hockey stadium for the men’s competition at the Gangneung Athletic Complex. The decision comes despite the request of Wonju, a city in the same province as Pyeongchang, to build it near the city to try to achieve balanced regional development.{jcomments on}

London 2012 organisers are facing fresh criticism this week from the world’s media after they adopted a new system whereby they are charging up to £150 ($239) a month for access to the internet during the Olympics and Paralympics.

Media organisations from all around the world are due to attend the third World Press Briefing, where officials from London 2012, including chairman Sebastian Coe, will update them on preparations for next year’s Games. 

But they have already come under fire from the AIPS, the International Sports Press Association, who are angry that more than 10,000 accredited journalists face the prospect of having to pay for the internet despite BT being a Tier One London 2012 sponsor. 

London 2012 are proposing to make journalists to sign-up for one of three packages to gain internet access.

A bronze package will cost £90 ($143) per month, silver £130 ($207) and gold £150 ($239).

Gianni Merlo, the AIPS President, said: “We have asked LOCOG to offer the rate card at no cost. We believe it is possible to offer the rate card at no cost because in the past large organisations have offered the media a chance to use internet free of charge at many other large-scale sporting events, e.g. the FIFA World Cup and all recent World Championship eventsnc, including the 2011 World Championships in Athletics held in Daegu, Korea.”

London 2012 have claimed that the packages they are offering will guarantee the most reliable and fastest internet connection ever at a major event.

“The managers of LOCOG have pointed out that their offer package also includes the cables in all the stadiums and that this has been a great investment,” said Merlo. 

“However, we think that this is normal, because the organisers of an Olympic Games must offer this, as did the organisers of the FIFA World Cup in all the stadiums. It is not something special, nor is it unique.”

The AIPS are also upset that there is no dedicated Media Village for journalists and that they will face further internet charges in hotels. 

“[It’s] a choice that is understandable and has saved the Organising Committee a lot of money but in this case the international media has been penalised,” said Merlo. 

“For example, many of the official media hotels do not offer a free internet connection, therefore forcing colleagues to in effect pay a second rate card. This is absolutely unacceptable.

“We suggested to the LOCOG press office managers that, with BT, they could develop the possibility of offering a USB mobile internet modem to all the accredited media, one which could be used outside the Olympic Park, because, journalists now work everywhere, including on the buses during transfers. 

“BT, the communications giant, is one of the 2012 Olympic sponsors and so we’ll pay what the sponsor makes available to LOCOG. It makes us think that, in the end, we’ll be the ones paying for the sponsorship.

“The problem of the rate card was immediately criticised last year by the SJA, the British Sports Journalists’ Association, and we completely agree with them. I believe that the Organising Committee could find a solution and offer the press the basic rate card free of charge for the media and on payment for special requests, as is right and correct.”

London 2012 claim that neither they or BT are making any profit from the charges and, for one fee, cabled internet connectivity will be available at all venues, as well as the Main Press Centre and Olympic Village, for the first time in the history of the Games. 

But Merlo is not satisfied with the response from London 2012.

“We believe that what the Organising Committee is providing to the press should be standard practice for a top event such as the 2012 Olympics which will be held in Great Britain and not in a third world country,” he said.

“Yes, journalists can afford to pay, we are not beggars. But it is the duty of the organisers in these difficult times to make available the best working conditions with the minimum sacrifice . 

“What must not be forgotten is that it is the media who have in the past saved the spirit of the Olympics  without  asking for anything. And this because they believe in sport. For this reason we believe that further steps can be taken and these are within the power of LOCOG, an organisation that we respect for its high professionality.”