FIFA Presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam, challenger to current incumbent Sepp Blatter, believes he is “well placed” in the contest and has denied he is trying to buy votes by offering increased financial help for the 208 national associations.

Bin Hammam, in London to meet leaders of the Football Association ahead of the election at Congress in Zurich on June 1, said he has been encouraged by promises of support. The FA will decide at its board meeting on May 19 whom to support; many senior figures favour Bin Hammam, largely because they are against the notion of Blatter reigning over a fourth term.

The 61-year-old Qatari promised to double FIFA’s annual financial support to each member association to US$500,000, prompting Blatter to respond with an overall development pledge of $1bn over the next four years.

Bin Hammam said: “I have had a lot of support since declaring my manifesto and I think I am well placed. I said when I announced my candidacy that my chances were 50-50 and although I would not change that figure I am feeling confident.”

He denied that his promises were disguised financial incentives, saying: “People want to hear what the candidate is going to help them with. The need for the funds is essential for national associations – they need to have development projects, national teams, youth teams, facilities and it all costs money. This is not an improper act – people should know what I’m planning.”

Chairman of English nPower League One soccer side Leyton Orient, the club closest to the newly constructed Olympic Stadium, Barry Hearn has written to the UK Prime Minister David Cameron to appeal against the expected decision to award West Ham with the venue rights.

Hearn has consistently voiced his concern that if the Premier League side to inherit the stadium, they would adversely affect the revenue and indeed threaten the future of his London club.

Hearn has reportedly requested that Cameron and mayor of London Boris Johnson, not to rubber-stamp the move, so that they can have time to put their case forward. 

Media reports indicate that Hearn is consulting with lawyers about a possible judicial review, which could significantly delay the process of confirming West Ham’s tenancy at the new stadium.

Hearn said: “How on earth has nobody even considered us and how on earth has the government or Premier League, or anybody else, not even had the respect to discuss it with us?

“It’s a question of due process and whether the Olympic Park Legacy Committee, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and even the Prime Minister have given consideration to Leyton Orient in these discussions.”

The Oreint chairman feels that West Ham’s likelihood to heavily discount tickets in order to fill the potential 60,000-seat capacity of the ground would impact on attendances at their Matchroom Stadium, and that this goes against FA and Football League rulings.

Kenya has been announced as the new host of the Orange African Nations Championship (CHAN) in 2018.

The new development comes just weeks after Kenya missed out in the Afcon 2019 bid presentation.

According to a statement on the Confederation of African Football (CAF)
website, viagra sale Kenya’s bid was successful following receipt of the necessary Government guarantees.

“The CAF executive committee has designated Kenya as host of the 2018 Chan following receipt of necessary Government guarantees and complete dossier including the required infrastructure and security, remedy ” a statement on the CAF website said.

Kenya pulled out of hosting the African cup of Nations in 1996 that was later moved to South Africa who won it in the same year. 

Research released today by sponsorship experts Havas Sports & Entertainment (HS&E) shows sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games has already led to substantially stronger brand image and purchase intent across a wide range of official sponsors’ brands. 

Perceptions of brand image are on average 25-50% more positive across a representative selection of Tier One and Tier Two London 2012 sponsors included in the study.  Those aware of a brand’s Olympic sponsorship are on average 50% more likely to find a sponsor brand ‘inspiring’ and ‘trustworthy’ and 25% more likely to view a sponsor as ‘world-class’ or ‘admired.’

This enhanced brand image  then successfully translates into a significantly higher purchase consideration, generic | with those aware of a brand’s sponsorship being on average 50% more likely to consider purchasing a sponsor’s product. 

The study was commissioned by HS&E, pills to identify the effects of Olympic Games’ sponsorship on sponsor brands, and to track interest in and attitudes towards the Games over a period of two and a half years. 

Alastair Macdonald, Sponsorship Insights Director, HS&E, commented: “Our findings demonstrate London 2012 sponsorship is already providing sponsors with tangible image and business benefits.  These patterns apply specifically to the Olympic sponsors – the same effect does not apply to competitor brands, which indicates this is a genuine sponsorship effect. 

English Premier League soccer club Manchester City has linked up with global sports video game producer Electronic Arts (EA) in an innovative move into the virtual content market.

The last International Olympic Committee (IOC) member to be expelled over corruption, see Ivan Slavkov has died, cheap aged 70, shop after a bout with pneumonia.

After he was secretly videotaped by the BBC offering to deliver the votes of his colleagues in exchange for money, Slavkov was suspended from the IOC in 2004, before being expelled from the IOC a year later at the Session in Singapore. 

Slavkov was elected to the IOC in 1987 having served as president of the Bulgarian Football Association and the Bulgarian NOC.

In 2000, Slavkov came under the watch of the newly-formed IOC Ethics Commission for dealings involving the 2004 Olympic bid from Capetown, South Africa. But no sanctions were issued when the case was closed by the commission.

At the 2005 IOC Session, Slavkov delivered a 20-minute plea for mercy, a plea that failed to win much sympathy from members who had seen the BBC program in a private viewing just hours before the vote . 

Slavkov tried to convince his colleagues that he was trying to expose the phony agent, not take a US$25,000 bribe. 

The vote to expel was 82 for, 12 against and 5 abstaining. No IOC members have been expelled since Slavkov.

Chairman of UK Athletics, Ed Warner, has conceded that it will be practically impossible to fill the Olympic Stadium post 2012 for athletics events.

UK Athletics main event is the two-day London Diamond League Grand Prix, currently held in Crystal Palace, but this draws a capacity crowd of just 17,000, under a third of the 60,000 capacity promised by West Ham’s bid which is still pending approval.

Some of the lesser meetings are likely to struggle even more to attract spectators, with the likes of the UK Championships being the next in line in terms of prestigious events, bringing a capacity crowd of around 8,000 to Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium.

The success of West Ham’s bid to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) to occupy the stadium involved a crucial commitment to 20 days of “top-class athletics” per year. Warner however, has stated: “‘Top-class’ is not a technical term in athletics as ‘first-class’ is in cricket. By ‘top-class’ we mean the two days of the Diamond League, down to championships for each major age group. Some will attract a significant paying public, others a smaller paying public. We will also be able to bid for major European and world championships.”

In defence of why having a 60,000-seat venue still makes sense for events watched by crowds in the hundreds, Warner said: “We have never argued that athletics makes the stadium commercially viable. But we want our athletes to aspire to run on the track in a facility of such quality, and the warm-up track underneath is also important. West Ham made the call that they can make the stadium work financially, and we were able to piggy-back on that.”

Additionally he attempted to allay fears that West Ham may be forced to pull the athletics track promise which was so integral to their bid, adding: “We have a commitment to an IAAF category one facility, to be maintained in the stadium, for the duration of the lease.”