Australina Football League (AFL) club Melbourne are in dire straits after Don McLardy quit as their president.

Vice president Peter Spargo will become President on an interim basis.

The Demons, who have a 1-10 record in 2013 and have refused to guarantee coach Mark Neeld’s future for the rest of the season, made a submission to the AFL Commission on Friday seeking extra funding and assistance.

“At a meeting of the board this afternoon, I formally advised my fellow board members that I was standing down as president of the club and resigning as a director effective immediately,” McLardy said in a letter to members on the club’s website.

“There are two main reasons for this difficult decision. From a personal perspective, the imminent partial sale of my business, the success of which depends on the next 12 months performance, means I cannot continue to dedicate the time and effort required to what is an extremely challenging role.

“However, just as important is the recognition that our club as a whole is not performing as we expected, and as explained in my president’s speech on Monday change is required and members deserve to see a clear path forward for our club with new leadership, direction and energy as soon as possible.”

McLardy has been involved in a public slanging match with former Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett. The ex-Victorian premier has flagged his interest in replacing McLardy.

Melbourne’s poor form is having a negative effect on the entire league, the club’s chief executive Peter Jackson said on Friday.

‘It’s a package of things we’ve asked for. It does involve developing our list,’ Jackson said after a meeting with the AFL Commission.

“But it also involves restructuring the club. “We got a good feeling from in there. It was positive.

“They understand the impact we’re having on the whole competition at the moment.”

Spargo Takes Over, Changes Afoot

After secuting the role Interim President Peter Spargo said: “On behalf of the Board of the Melbourne Football Club, I would like to sincerely thank Don McLardy for his profound contribution to the Club over the past five years.  Don stepped up during a very difficult time for our Club during Jim’s illness. Don has always focused on the Club first in all aspects of our life. As President, Don and his family have fully committed themselves to the Club and Don was the key orchestrator of the Foundation Heroes program, a program which today has over 460 members.”

In addition, Board member Stuart Grimshaw has today tendered his resignation effective immediately.  Grimshaw joined the board in 2008 and has been a key member of the Finance and Audit Committee.

“I’d like to pay tribute to Stuart Grimshaw who today stood down as a Board member.  He made it clear earlier this year he would have to step aside given other commitment as CEO of Bank of Queensland and President of Hockey Australia. Although Stuart is leaving, his passion for 

Demons will always continue and we thank him for his outstanding service.”

“As we stated last week, the Board has appointed Board member John Trotter, a former managing partner of Deloitte, to evaluate current board processes and structures, the composition and skill of the board and assess the overall performance.”

“We see this as a critical process in the rejuvenation of the Melbourne Football Club Board. As part of this rejuvenation, the Board will search for the very best people to take our club forward.”

“John Trotter will present key findings and recommendations to the board at the July meeting.”

The IAAF council, at a meeting held Sunday afternoon on the sidelines of the final day of the 13th edition of the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, announced that London and Doha were in the race to host the 2017 event.

The announcement follows the submission of letters of intent, the deadline for which was 1 September with regard to bids to organise the 2014 World Half Marathon, Continental Cup, World Indoor Championships and World Junior Championships, and the 2017 World Championships.

This comes after reports that Barcelona had dropped out leaving London and Doha to have a head to head battle. But this was yet to be confirmed until today.

It is understood that Real Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), athletics’ governing body in Spain, dropped their bid because of lack of financial guarantees from the Government and the city.

London have been touted as favourites to eventually host the Championships but they will need to resolve the issues surroundings the future of the Olympic Stadium.

The wrap around the London 2012 Olympic Stadium will now be sponsored by Dow Chemical worth a whopping $11 million.

Dow will create a sustainable, fabric wrap that will encircle the Stratford based Stadium during the Olympic and Paralympic games.

The wrap will be 25 metres high and 2.5 metres wide and will consist of 336 individual panels. The intention of the wrap is to provide a colurful backdrop for the Olympic Park enticing crowds.

The installation is due to be completed by spring 2012.

“The Stadium will look spectacular at Games time and having the wrap is the icing on the cake,” said Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012.

“I’m delighted that Dow as one of the newer worldwide partners of the Olympic Movement will be providing it and importantly doing it in a sustainable way.

“It reflects our vision and is a real statement of intent from Dow about their commitment to the Games.”

The Government and Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) had originally scraped plans for the wrap design last October after they were told to find $32 million of savings in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

The decision  was criticised by a number of high-profile individuals including one of the senior architects behind the stadium, Rod Sheard, who said the limited cost benefits would be outweighed by the diminishing of the Stadium’s image and wind protection.

There was still interest in the wrap with several companies coming forward even though there will be no branding on the wrap.

The wrap, which will include resins made by Dow’s Performance Plastics Division and will require fewer raw materials to manufacture, will be recycled after the Games. 

It will be up to 35% lighter and have a lower carbon footprint when compared to conventional materials, London 2012 claim.

Other sustainable elements of the wrap include UV-curable inks replacing conventional inks to reduce emissions during the printing process and eliminate volatile organic compounds (VOC). 

Football Federation Australia (FFA) says it has launched legal action against the Fairfax newspaper group over claims it made that the FFA’s bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was marred by corruption.

The FFA confirmed it had begun defamation proceedings against the newspaper in Sydney’s Supreme Court over a number of recent articles relating to the bid.

An FFA spokesperson said: “The articles contain serious defamatory allegations regarding the conduct of the Bid, including FFA’s accounting practices and its compliance with FIFA regulations and its Government Funding Agreement.

“FFA completely rejects these serious allegations and is seeking damages.”

The Australian Government had cleared the FFA of any wrongdoing after the Fairfax had claimed it had spent “secret millions” on lobbyist fees and gifts to FIFA executives and their wives.

English League One club, Bristol City have announced they have appointed Ernie Arathoon as a non-executive director.

The 48-year-old has accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors with immediate effect. 

Previously a vice president and associate director, Arathoon now takes on a full Board position to support the existing Board, comprising of chairman Keith Dawe, managing director Jon Lansdown and executive director Doug Harman. 

Arathoon is a lifelong supporter from Lockleaze and he says: “I’m delighted to accept this invitation to join the Board of Directors for the club I love. It’s an important time for everyone associated with Bristol City FC, with its clear vision for the future, and I’m pleased to be a part of it.” 

Chairman Keith Dawe commented: “Ernie’s passion for Bristol City is undoubted and he’s also given plenty of financial support in the past. I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Ernie on to the Board of Directors.”

Azerbaijan’s National Olympic Committee has suggested it has submitted a surprise bid to host the 2020 Olympics in its capital, Baku after it initially denied they would.

Today (September 1) marks the deadline to submit a bid to the International Olympic Committee. Madrid, Rome, Tokyo, Istanbul and Doha, Qatar, are all expected to have submitted a bid. The IOC will announce the list on Friday.

Committee spokeswoman Konul Nurulleyeva says Thursday the experience gained in the city’s failed bid for the 2016 Games would help it to mount an improved challenge.

Nurulleyeva suggested Baku’s application was filed two weeks ago, only days after Azerbaijan’s sporting authorities denied they would bid for the games.

The spokeswoman continued to say that there is already a Stadium being built specifically for the Olympics on the outskirts of Baku and will be completed during next year.

 

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has praised preparations for the London 2012 Games and revealed he had been “reassured” that recent upheaval at London’s Metropolitan Police would not jeopardise security for the Games.

Rogge will join London Mayor Boris Johnson, and London 2012 organising committee (LOCOG) chairman Lord Coe at an event in Trafalgar Square in London to mark the one-year countdown to the Games this week.

Rogge said: “Preparations are excellent. They are on time, on budget. Quality-wise we have not the slightest concern. There is no doubt about that. London is very well organised, the team is very strong. We are very optimistic.”

Rogge also said he had been assured by Robertson that the resignations of the Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and assistant commissioner John Yates would not disrupt efforts to keep the Games safe. The IOC chief added that security had been a priority since the terrorist attack at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.

He said: “Since Munich, security has been the No.1 priority for every organising committee. This is something that is dealt with in conjunction with the government and public authorities…The Metropolitan police do not depend on one single person. Leadership is very important but I’m sure that given the amount of time in front of us that the leadership issue will be solved rapidly.”

Rogge claimed he was also confident that London could fulfil its legacy aspirations. “There is a great urban legacy in the remediation of east London and Stratford. There are going to be great cultural and leisure activities, there is better transport, new housing. I think this is a great legacy. The other legacy is in terms of the appetite and desire for sport. That will be done after the Games.”