Verizon FiOS has signed an agreement to carry the SEC Network and expects to begin airing it prior to Aug. 28.

“We welcome the SEC Network to FiOS TV and look forward to carrying the studio content and athletic events it will offer, including the season-opening football doubleheader on Aug. 28,” said Terry Denson, Verizon’s vice president for content acquisition and strategy. “The preseason college poll lists eight SEC teams in the top 25; SEC football ratings are head and shoulders above other conferences; and SEC fans are extraordinarily and uniquely passionate about not only those teams but the entire conference as well. This deal with Disney-ESPN reinforces our already strong partnership with them which involves much more than this great new network.”

Sean Breen, Disney and ESPN Media Networks senior vice president, affiliate sales, added: “With the addition of Verizon FiOS, SEC Network is now available on nine of the top 10 multichannel video distributors in the country.   We look forward to serving their customers in time for college football season.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. It also includes live viewing rights and additional live and on-demand content scheduled for SEC Network + across other platforms like smartphones, tablets and laptops via WatchESPN and SECNetwork.com. In addition, the deal also includes rights for the FiOS Mobile app, which will be available to FiOS customers in the near future. FiOS customers can already watch over 100 live channels in-home and over 50 live channels on the go on the FiOS Mobile app, for no additional charge, including live sports from the ESPN branded networks.

The first year of the SEC Network programming will consist of more than 1,000 live events, including 45 football games, more than 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games, 75 baseball games and 50 softball games. The fall schedule also has 25 soccer and 45 volleyball matches. Programming also will include in-studio shows, daily news and information and original content.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said, “Today is a good day for Verizon FiOS customers and SEC fans across the country, particularly inTampa and Dallas. We look forward to serving them with an array of live events and programming.”

Justin Connolly, ESPN senior vice president, college networks, said, “The addition of Verizon FiOS to SEC Network’s distribution footprint is great news for fans nationwide. We have gotten off to a great start since launch, and we look forward to serving more fans with comprehensive coverage of the SEC’s 21 sports.”

Rangers have lost their chief executive Craig Mather after he decided to resign from the post.

An announcement was posted on the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday morning that also confirmed non-executive member Bryan Smart had stood down.

Mr Mather said he is leaving his post with Rangers International Football Club plc with immediate effect “in attempt to help calm speculation” over leadership at Rangers amid a long-running boardroom battle.

The company is now looking for new members of the board to be put up for election at the annual general meeting, ambulance which has been postponed from its intended date of October 24 after opposition shareholders successful took Rangers International to court.

On Monday former oldco director Paul Murray and ex-Rangers International chairman Malcolm Murray were granted an interdict to postpone the meeting after the current board refused their attempt to put themselves and two others – Alex Wilson and Scott Murdoch – up for election to be appointed directors.

Rangers said in the stock exchange statement: “The company announces that, by mutual consent, the chief executive, Craig Mather, has resigned from the company with immediate effect. The company also announces that non-executive director Bryan Smart has resigned from the board with immediate effect. The directors would like to thank both Craig and Bryan for their contributions to the club.

“As a matter of priority, the company, working with its advisers, will now seek to strengthen the board, both to meet the standards required for an AIM company, and to achieve stability through a consensus amongst major shareholders, which can then be considered by all shareholders at the annual general meeting.”

In an announcement on the Rangers website, Mr Mather said he regretted the leadership battles at the club, but claimed he is leaving the company in good shape.

He said: “The interests of the club are of paramount importance and I believe these are best served by me leaving the club.

“Despite recent events and speculation, the facts of the matter are that the club is financially secure and in a far better place than it was a year ago. Unlike most football clubs Rangers has money in the bank, no borrowings and this season we have assembled a squad which is capable of progressing through the leagues.

“My short tenure as chief executive has been beset by incessant attempts to destabilise the operations of the club, all done supposedly in the interests of Rangers. I had real faith in the rebuilding of Rangers and invested significantly in the club. Sadly, those who have been most active in upsetting the very good progress we have been making were not willing to do the same.

“I leave with my head held high and will remain as a shareholder and a supporter of Ally and his team.”

Cardiff City FC have announced today that they have elevated club director Mehmet to Chairman with immediate effect.

Previously Acting Chairman, Simon Lim, will continue in his role of Chief Executive Officer at the club, working with the support of the local management team.

Dalman is an investment banker and spent seven years on the board of Commerzbank and also spent time with Deutsche Bank and Credit Lyonnais.

Following his appointment Club Chairman, Mehmet Dalman, said: “I am honoured to take up the role of Club Chairman at Cardiff City Football Club.

“I have enjoyed my time at the club since joining the Board of Directors in January 2012 and now relish the opportunity to contribute further in my additional role as Chairman with Cardiff City in the Barclays Premier League.”

On the announcement, Cardiff City owner Tan Sri Dr. Vincent Tan said: “Mehmet has had many years of experience in business across the world which he has brought to this great club since becoming a Non-Executive Director in January last year.

“This is more great news for the football club following last week’s amicable resolution with the Langston Corporation in which Mehmet played a big role. I wish him the best of luck in his additional role at Cardiff City.”

Ten Sports has secured the rights to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. 

Ten Sports has moved quickly to secure the Indian sub-continent broadcast rights. The games will take place from 4 to 15 April 2018. 

Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi commented on the acquisition, denture “After the enormous success of Glasgow 2014, medicine we are very happy to extend our partnership with the Commonwealth Games Federation for the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games. The ever increasing Indian participation and success at these Games is very encouraging and we at Ten Sports will continue delivering the best of action from the 17 sporting disciplines in the coming years.” 

Ten Sports is the first private broadcaster in the Indian subcontinent to give multi-channel coverage of the games along with in depth studio analysis and build up shows to educate audiences about the different sporting disciplines and medal prospects. 

Announcing the agreement, the Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Michael Hooper said, “The arrangement we have reached with Ten Sports to become another of our broadcast partners for 2018, coming as it does on the heels of the Commonwealth Games Federation’s deal announced earlier this week with Australia’s Seven Network, is testament to how popular the Commonwealth Games brand has become across the world.”

MPs have divulged their concern that the London 2012 Olympics may go over budget and said it was “staggering” that initial estimates about security costs were so wrong.

The Public Accounts Committee’s report into the London Olympics also raised concerns about the legacy of the Games and warned that the Olympic Stadium must not become a white elephant.

The Government, however, has continued to insist it is confident the Games will come in under budget.

Margaret Hodge, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “The venues and infrastructure of the London Olympic Games are on track to be delivered on time and within budget. The Olympic Delivery Authority’s management of the building programme has been exemplary.

“However, the £9.3 billion public sector funding package is close to being used up and we are concerned about whether the running of the Games will be held within budget. Taking into account costs outside the package, the full cost to the public of the Games and legacy projects is already heading for around £11 billion.

“We are particularly concerned about the significant increases in the security bill. LOCOG (the London organising committee) now needs more than twice the number of security guards it originally estimated and the costs have roughly doubled. It is staggering that the original estimates were so wrong.”

The report states that the LOCOG have been forced to renegotiate their contract with G4S for venue security from a “weak negotiating position”. Mrs Hodge added: “There is a big question mark over whether it secured a good deal for the taxpayer.”

LOCOG’s original estimate for the number of security guards in and around the venues was 10,000 – a “finger in the air estimate”, according to the PAC report. The Government announced in December that figure has more than doubled to 23,700. Security costs from the Olympics budget have risen from £282 million to £553 million.

“LOCOG itself now has almost no contingency left to meet further costs, even though it has done well in its revenue generation,” says the report. On legacy, the PAC report raises concerns over sports participation targets and the stadium after a deal for West Ham United Football Club to take it over was scrapped.

Mrs Hodge added: “We were promised a strong Olympic legacy but the Government has chosen not to adopt the target of one million more people participating in sport by 2013, and plans for the stadium have fallen through. It must not become a white elephant. The Government is dispersing responsibility for delivering the legacy and we need clarity about who is accountable.”

European neighbours Azerbaijan and Georgia will make a joint bid to host the European football championships in 2020, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said. 

“Azerbaijan and Georgia … will apply to jointly host the European football championships in 2020,” Saakashvili said during an address to Azerbaijan’s parliament during a visit to Baku. 

The bidding process to host Euro 2020 will start later this year and the winner is due to be announced in 2014. 

During his visit to energy-rich Azerbaijan, Saakashvili also praised the “strategic partnership” between the two small Caucasus states which have collaborated on projects such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline that takes Caspian Sea oil to European markets. 

This year’s European football championship will be jointly hosted by Polandand Ukraine, with the 2016 tournament to be held in France. 

Russia will host the 2018 World Cup.

Azerbaijan has also submitted a bid to host the 2020 Olympic summer games.

by Ismail Uddin

(Source: BBC): Leaders of England’s 2018 World Cup bid have written to Fifa distancing themselves from corruption allegations made against football’s world governing body by the British media.

England officials have also pleaded with Fifa’s executive committee to base its decision on the merits of their bid.

The letter, signed by chairman Geoff Thompson and international president David Dein, is the latest attempt to put England’s campaign back on track ahead of the vote on 2 December.

England are facing defeat after a backlash from Fifa members in response to an investigation by the Sunday Times into alleged corruption in the bidding process.

Two executive committee members, Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of Tahiti, face a Fifa ethics committee hearing this week into the newspaper’s claims that they were willing to offer their support in return for money for football projects.

Both men have denied any wrongdoing and will fight the allegations during the three-day hearing.

England 2018 also fear they could be damaged by an upcoming BBC Panorama investigation into Fifa, due to be screened on 29 November – only three days before the vote.

Thompson and Dein wrote: “In recent weeks, the role of the British media and its relationship with both Fifa as an organisation and the individual members of the Fifa Executive Committee has come under the spotlight and there has been significant speculation as to the effect that this might have on our bid.”

“It has been a difficult time for Fifa and as a member of the football family we naturally feel solidarity with you and your colleagues.”

“We hope England’s bid will not be judged negatively due to the activities of individual media organisations, regardless of one’s view of their conduct. We hope you appreciate that we have no control over the British media.”

If Fifa’s ethics committee gives weight to the Sunday Times claims by getting tough with the two members currently suspended and there is a good response to the letter and the inspection report, then England may feel they can still get back into the race.