A new viral ad campaign has been launched by 188BET that sees four Chelsea stars fighting against an army of giant alien invaders via a 3D projection.

The official betting partner of the London club challenged David Luiz, symptoms Branislav Ivanovic, Paulo Ferreira and Nicolas Anelka to play Alien Invaders, a huge interactive video game beamed on to a 90-foot wall in a warehouse in Battersea, south-west London.

The ad sees the players destroy the Alien Invaders by kicking footballs at the giant screen, with 50 points awarded for hitting a single alien and a bonus 188 points on offer for hitting the Alien Invaders ‘mothership’.

Each player took it in turns to battle the invaders, and striker Anelka proved himself to be the sharpest shooter with a score of 2088. The Frenchman’s accuracy was rewarded with a special 188BET Alien Invaders trophy and a donation by 188BET of £1,500 to charity of his choice.

The triumphant Anelka said: “It was a funny game, a good game to play and I hope one day I can have a garden big enough for this kind of game. The four of us enjoyed it and we were trying to help each other out getting the footballs back but I am happy that I won.

“The trophy will now sit next to the Premier League medal and all my other trophies!”

To help mark the launch, 188BET is offering fans around the world a chance to win a series of money-can’t-buy prizes on its official website, with Jeff Baker, head of marketing services at 188BET, adding: “188BET is always trying to think of new and innovative ways to activate its relationships with its partner clubs.

“For this video, we combined the latest in 3D projection technology with the skill of Premier League footballers, to create what we hope will be an original, fun and engaging video.”.

Sepp Blatter’s opponent in the upcoming FIFA presidential elections Mohamed Bin Hammam has sought to take the credit for the more positive and forward-looking ideas in the Swiss’ manifesto.

Bin Hammam, Qatari president of the Asian Football Confederation, is Blatter’s only challenger to a potential fourth term as president of world soccer’s governing body.

The 75-year-old current incumbent talked last week of expanding FIFA’s financial support for national associations and reforming the organisation – the second issue, in particular, being one which Bin Hammam welcomed in his latest personal blog.

He said: “To ensure we are not left behind by an ever-changing world, we have to be sure to think at least one step ahead. In recent times, that has not been the case at FIFA. But now, at last, Mr. Blatter is coming out with fresh suggestions about how to run the game’s governing body that might not have seen the light of day had there not been a challenge to his leadership.”

Bin Hammam said many of Blatter’s ideas represented a change of approach, adding: “It seems my challenge has made Mr. Blatter reassess his view of football’s future. Competition is healthy and it is vital to the continual development and progress of the sport that we all hold so close to our hearts.”

Bin Hammam has also promised a wider distribution of World Cup profits and offered 17 extra seats on the controversial executive committee.

Last night the Sacramento City Council voted unanimously to spend the next three months working with downtown developer David Taylor and arena builder ICON Venue Group in analyzing the financial feasibility of a new NBA Kings venue.

Taylor said that he would begin “trying to meet with the Kings” this morning. Team ownership has stopped speaking publicly about the arena process.

The study will be free for the city. Once it is complete, clinic the city will conduct its own analysis and bring it back to the council.

The Olympic media center is likely to be turned into a technology center once the Games have finished after one bidder lost its financial support leaving iCity favourite.

Consortium UK Fashion Hub had its primary backer developer Resolution Property pull its support for its bid.

Resolution Property said in a statement: “We decided after more detailed consideration that the underlying property asset did not fit with our own particular investment strategy,” Resolution Property said in a statement on Friday.

The withdrawal leaves the way clear for the so-called iCity bid, which includes data center manager Infinity and an unnamed property company, and which fits with British Prime Minister David Cameron’s vision for London’s East End to become a technology center to rival California’s Silicon Valley.

“We are very encouraged by what we’re hearing,” said a source close to the iCity consortium, who declined to be named.

The eastern fringe of central London is already home to an area branded Tech City by the Cameron government, a district spanning the Shoreditch and Old Street neighborhoods that has attracted scores of internet start-up companies over the past five years.

The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which will oversee development of the Olympic park once the games are over, is expected to choose the winning bidder next week.

During the Games, the media center – located to the northwest of the Olympic Stadium – will be used by more than 20,000 journalists. Under iCity’s plans, it will be turned into offices, research labs and a data center in a bid to create more than 6,000 jobs.

A spokesman for the LLDC said: “No decision has been taken on the future of the Press and Broadcast Centre. We cannot give further details while the commercial process is ongoing.”

Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the English Premier League, is hopeful goal-line technology could be introduced in time for the 2012-13 season with FIFA having so far resisted calls for technology.

World soccer’s governing body has slowly began to change its mind on the subject, inviting companies to showcase their technologies, with any results over the 90 per cent accuracy mark to continue development with the body.

Scudamore told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme: “We’d like it now, and the good news is FIFA is now prepared to listen.

“We feel the technology is there, we should be able to use it.”

Thus far, FIFA’s argument against technology has been that it feels the sport should be the same at all levels from grass roots to the World Cup.

However, after high-profile errors have cost teams at the highest level of the sport many feel the use of technology is long overdue.

Scudamore added: “It’s gone on far too long, it’s an embarrassment to us as football administrators.

“It’s just a question of how we can persuade FIFA it can be done.

“I would like to have it the season after next – next season is too early but certainly the season after next, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t.”

The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) has revealed losses amounting to US$7.5m for the 2010 financial year, an improvement of $5.2m on the 2009 loss of around $12.75m.

The NZRU body stated at its annual general meeting (AGM) that the results met their budget for the year, attributing the overall loss to preparations ahead of the Rugby World Cup in the country later this year as well as new funding provided to Super Rugby and ITM Cup sides, including payments to unions with players in the national squad.

Former All Blacks winger Bryan Williams was also elected as president of the organisation during the meeting, succeeding John Sturgeon following the end of the latter’s two-year term. Williams’ former team-mate Ian MacRae will act as his vice-president.

NZRU chief executive Steve Tew stated: “Obviously, we would prefer to at least be achieving break-even, but in the current context the 2010 result was satisfactory in that we came in under our operating budget while at the same time provided additional financial support to Provincial Unions.

“Of the (NZ)$9.4 million loss, approximately $6.4 million is accounting for the NZRU’s investment in hosting Rugby World Cup 2011 and $3 million for the budgeted operating deficit. The $3 million in operating deficit is largely accounted for by the increased funding to Provincial Unions of around $2 million and additional support for our Investec Super Rugby franchises.”