Soccerex is delighted to announce that world-renowned football agent Pini Zahavi will be joining Omar Ongaro, ambulance FIFA Head of Player Status, Daniel Lorenz, FC Porto’s Director of Legal Affairs, Marcos Motta, Partner of Bichara e Motta Advogados and Daniel Cravo from Daniel Cravo Souza Advogados Associados to discuss player ownership and transfers at the Soccerex Global Convention in Rio de Janeiro, 24 -28, November.

With hundreds of millions of pounds exchanged through player transfers every year, the panel will look at the state of the international transfer market with a particular focus on player ownership and the financial opportunities and legal issues involved.

Mr Zahavi is one of the world’s leading football agents having worked on some of the biggest football deals in the world including Rio Ferdinand’s record-breaking move from Leeds United to Manchester United. He is most notably known for his central role in Roman Abramovich’s acquisition of Chelsea Football Club in 2003, where he was responsible for brokering the influx of new signings at the club.

Speaking about his involvement, Omar Ongaro said:

“I am really looking forward to my participation in this year’s Soccerex Global Convention. The transfer of players is an integral part of football and it’s important that the industry is fully aware of its regulation. Soccerex is an ideal platform to address the football industry and I will be pleased to offer a technical insight into the matter.”

Commenting on his participation, Daniel Lorenz said:

“I am very excited to be coming to the Soccerex Global Convention as I’ve heard great things about the event. I’m looking forward to speaking on the panel as well as catching up with old colleagues and friends from around the football world.”

The Soccerex Global Convention is a five-day business event consisting of a comprehensive seminar line-up, a number of networking opportunities, a two-day football festival and a packed exhibition which is already close to selling out.

Held in a purpose-built venue within the Forte de Copacabana, with panoramic views of both the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, the exhibition is a hub for business activity; as one of the main components of the convention it provides a platform for leading suppliers from around the world to showcase the latest industry products and services to delegates.

For further information about this event please call +44 (0)208742 7100 or visit www.soccerex.com/global.

Rugby World Cup 2015 has appointed TF1 as rights holding television broadcaster for the French market by tournament owners Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL).

Under the terms of the deal, ailment TF1 will manage the broadcast of live coverage of all 48 matches. The broadcasting giant will also deliver TV, digital and mobile highlights offering.

The deal, which represents a significant financial commitment for the rights, follows a highly-competitive tender process for the French rights, which are among the highest-rating in the Rugby World Cup broadcast portfolio.

The announcement extends TF1’s partnership with Rugby World Cup after the broadcaster delivered exceptional audience figures in 2007 and 2011 and continues the strong commercial momentum that will see the tournament’s Worldwide Partner portfolio locked down in record time.

The French market delivered 17.8 million viewers for the Rugby World Cup 2011 final, representing an 87 per cent audience share, while 20 million tuned in for the Rugby World Cup 2007 semi-final between France and England, when TF1 was host broadcaster of the record-grossing event.

Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Rugby World Cup and TF1 have enjoyed a long and highly-successful partnership. Through its passion and dedication for Rugby and exceptional production values, TF1 has played a leading role in the promotion of the sport and Rugby World Cup and we look forward to extending our strong partnership to deliver an exciting experience for sports fans in France.”

“We are extremely excited about our broadcast offering for England 2015, which is on track to deliver record numbers of broadcasters, live hours and digital and we will be shortly announcing a schedule of kick-off times that will maximise exposure and engagement.”

TF1 Group Chairman Nonce Paolini said: “The signature of the contract with Rugby World Cup Limited is excellent news for the Group. Following the strong success of previous Rugby World Cups on our channel, the TF1 Group will bring an exciting viewing platform for this magnificent spectacle to viewers across France.”

Rugby World Cup 2015, the eighth edition of Rugby’s showcase quadrennial showcase event, kicks-off on September 18 and will feature the world’s top 20 Rugby nations, playing 48 matches across iconic venues the length and breadth of England and Wales.

PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem announced today that longtime TOUR executive Jeff Monday has been promoted to the newly created position of President, PGA TOUR Canada.

Monday transitions into the role after overseeing the PGA TOUR’s season-long evaluation of the Canadian Professional Golf Tour in 2012, prior to the TOUR agreeing to assume operational control of the Tour. A veteran of 24 years with the TOUR, Monday most recently has served as the Web.com Tour’s Senior Vice President of Tournament Business Affairs, leading efforts to grow the impact of the tournaments in their respective communities as well as interfacing directly with Web.com Inc., on the implementation of the company’s umbrella sponsorship.

“Jeff brings a wealth of experience to his new role as President of PGA TOUR Canada,” Finchem said. “In leading our exploratory efforts to determine our future role with the Canadian Tour, he gained extensive knowledge and understanding of the Tour and its existing tournaments, and the potential to grow professional golf in Canada. It is a natural progression for Jeff to assume this leadership position with PGA TOUR Canada.”

Monday has an extensive background in all facets of PGA TOUR marketing, sponsorship and tournament operations. This includes prior leadership roles as Senior Vice President and Chief of Operations for the Champions Tour; Senior Vice President of Tournament Development; Vice President of Tournament Business Affairs for the Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour; and Vice President, Retail Marketing.

“I am very excited to have this opportunity to help direct the strategic direction and growth of PGA TOUR Canada,” Monday said. “It became very evident during my visits with tournaments, sponsors, volunteers and players, the potential this Tour has and just how passionate the country is about golf. We have a lot of work to do, but all of the elements for success are there. We already have a strong foundation of existing tournaments and there is definitely the interest and resources to establish solid new tournaments. I look forward to getting started immediately on firming up the schedule for 2013 and establishing this new pathway to the Web.com Tour for PGA TOUR Canada’s top players.”

Monday anticipates the summer schedule, which begins the week of June 3-9, will be firmed up by late January.

As previously announced, PGA TOUR Canada will debut with a minimum of eight tournaments in 2013 offering a minimum purse of $150,000, with the goal of eventually growing to 12 or 13 events. All tournaments will be held in Canada during the summer months. The next PGA TOUR Canada Qualifying Tournament will be held in April in the U.S. An announcement of the location and dates is forthcoming.

Soccerex is delighted to announce that President of the Zambian Football Association and African football legend Kalusha Bwalya will be speaking at the Soccerex African Forum, 23-24 October, Durban.

Bwalya is Zambia’s most capped player and is regarded as one of the greatest Zambian players ever. He earned over 100 international caps and spent 6 years at PSV Eindhoven where he won the Eredivisie twice.  In a long list of honours, he was named African Footballer of the Year in 1988, became the first player to be nominated FIFA World Player of the Year whilst not playing for a European club and named Zambia’s sports man of the century.

He has a long and poignant connection with African football. When playing in Europe for PSV Eindhoven, he famously wasn’t on board the plane which fatally crashed and caused the death of 18 of the Zambian national team, on their way to a qualification match for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Years later in what was an emotional match, ‘The Copper Bullets’ were able to pay the ultimate tribute to their fallen heroes by winning the 2012 African Cup of Nations in Gabon, only a few hundred meters inland from where the plane had crashed. In what was a special moment for Zambian football, Bwalya joined the players to lift the trophy and unveiled a banner in memory of the players who had lost their lives.

Commenting on his involvement, Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said:

“We are honoured that Kalusha will be speaking at the Soccerex African Forum. He is a true icon of African football and from his experience as a player and now president of the Zambian FA he will be able to provide an expert analysis on the current state of African football.”

The first Soccerex African Forum will feature a detailed conference featuring some of the biggest names in football, with a packed exhibition and a programme of networking events which will build on the business legacy of Soccerex’s three year stay in South Africa (2007-2009) for the Global Convention and help develop the legacy of 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM across Africa.

For further information about this event please call +44 (0)20 987 5522 or visit http://www.soccerex.com/events/africa/

Sportwear giant, vialis 40mg PUMA SE announced today that Franz Koch will step down from his position as CEO of PUMA and member of the Group Executive Committee of PPR SA, medstore the main shareholder of PUMA SE, and at the end of March 2013.

In a statement on their website, PUMA said: “Jochen Zeitz’ resignation as Administrative Board Chairman as of December 1, 2012 marks the end of a chapter in the history of PUMA. The company is therefore entering a new phase in its development and is changing its top management structure to take on those challenges.”

Franz Koch will remain CEO of PUMA until the end of March, and work in close collaboration with the new Chairman of the Administrative Board, Jean-François Palus, also PPR Group Managing Director, in order to secure PUMA’s on-going operational transformation and generate profitable growth.

Jean-François Palus, Chairman of the Administrative Board of PUMA SE, stated: “Together with Jochen Zeitz, Franz Koch has been the driver of strategic key initiatives and has strongly contributed to PUMA’s development over the past few years. I would like to warmly thank Franz for his efforts, commitment and dedication to PUMA, as well as his contribution to evolving the organization and management team.

“Going forward with the future CEO, who we aim to hire by spring 2013, we will pursue the reorganization of the company, focus on product innovation and marketing, and will continue to devote the necessary resources to the development of the brand. We are now going to write a new chapter for PUMA and thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of the teams I’ve been meeting around the world, I am fully confident in our ability to realize the huge potential of this iconic brand.”

The former head of Red Bull Racing’s social digital David Granger is looking to help businesses get their own social media up to speed with the launch of a new agency Bell+Watson. 

Granger joined Red Bull’s Formula One marketing operations in 2005, prescription their first season in F1. After launching The Red Bulletin’s website in 2007, therapy he moved on to the Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso teams as digital manager and, pills as well as running the award-winning redbullracing.com, launched all their social media channels, growing the fanbase in line with Red Bull Racing’s progression up the grid to double world-champion status. 

In 2011-12 Red Bull Racing had the highest number of Likes on Facebook in the F1 Paddock while its Twitter followers increased by more than 180%*. Granger is credited in playing a central role in this success and also the awards the team’s website was awarded which include an International Summit Gold award, two W3 Gold awards and a Communicator award. 

Commenting on his move, David said: “It’s been a privilege to work with such a progressive brand and within such a successful team. We were quick off the mark in the Paddock in social media terms, and learnt quickly what works and what doesn’t. But – for me – the time feels right to take what I’ve learnt within a
global sport and challenge myself further.” He is joined on the Bell+Watson board by several senior agency figures: Phil Wright – former CEO of Big Communications and Fuse digital, and Chapter founders Mike Rose, Ian Boulter and Martin Heffernan. 

David said: “Having been a client for many years, you get to see the very good, the slightly bad and the occasionally ugly when it comes to agencies. Bell+Watson has a new take on how the agency model can work. Just as social media is changing the game in marketing, so we want to help businesses change their game using social media – with engaging content at its core. It’s going to be an exciting ride.” 

Bell+Watson will work across the whole Social Media spectrum and across all business sectors. While there is an obvious expertise and experience in sports brands, the Agency is keen not to be pigeon-holed. “There’s clearly an affinity with sporting franchises and we hope to continue working in this field, but we’re already working with businesses in very different sectors,” said Granger. “What’s important to us is that we can make a difference to the brands and businesses we work with. And for it to be fun. For both parties.” 

Bell+ Watson has already won some accounts in its first week of trading and will be announcing these shortly.

Watkins, denture who is a Director of Lancashire County Cricket Club, unhealthy brings invaluable sporting knowledge to the role having served 28 years on the board of Manchester United and represented a number of other high profile sporting bodies at home and abroad.

The Joint Senior partner of law firm Brabners Chaffe Street also works as their Head of Sport and is a director of the British Association for Sport & Law.

This will be Watkins first experience of Olympic and Paralympic Sport and on his role he said: “I am delighted to have been asked to become Chairman of British Swimming. It is an honour and a privilege. I look forward to working alongside people who are an inspiration in such an outstanding sports.”

Watkins also holds a number of charitable roles including Chairman of the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Charity and Breakthrough Breast Cancer North West Appeal.  He is currently Interim Chairman of the Rugby Football League having recently carried out a Governance Review.  He is also Chairman of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.

British Swimming Chief Executive David Sparkes said: “I am delighted Maurice has agreed to accept the role of Chairman of British Swimming. He brings a wealth of experience in sport to the Board and his leadership will, I am sure, enable the Board to be more focused as we take on the lessons from London and prepare for Rio to achieve medal success across the sport.

“We face some challenges and I am sure Maurice will drive forward our plans and I look forward to working with him over the next four years.”

Soccerex is delighted to announce that Irvin Khoza, diagnosis chairman of the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL), will be attending the Soccerex African Forum in Durban, 23-24 October.

As well as chairman of the PSL, Mr. Khoza is the Vice-President of the South African Football Association and chairman of Orlando Pirates Football Club. He was part of the team who secured the right to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM in South Africa, for which he later became the chairman of the South African Local Organising Committee. As the chairman of the PSL, Mr. Khoza will be able to give an expert view on league governance in South Africa and what needs to be done to develop the national leagues.

Commenting on his announcement, Irvin Khoza said:

“I’m looking forward to attending the Soccerex African Forum. We are at an important stage in South African football and the Forum is a great opportunity for us to determine the next step in developing our national league and as a whole within the African football community.”

Speaking on Mr. Khoza’s involvement, Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie said:

“It is fantastic that Mr. Khoza will be attending the Soccerex African Forum; he has a long and established connection with football in Africa, having helped bring the 2010 FIFA World Cup^TM to the continent, as well as a great relationship with Soccerex, where his club the Orlando Pirates has always been a regular attendee. His position as chairman of the PSL means he will be able to offer an expert opinion on the development of football in Africa.”

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), are set showcase sport in-flight after agreeing to add the Sport 24 to their TV lineup along with a few other channels.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said passengers will be able to access live BBC World News, BBC Arabic, euronews and Sport 24 programming from tomorrow.

CNBC, Japanese service NHK World Premium and CNN services will follow throughout November, with Sky News Arabia to come in the coming months.

The final three races of the Formula 1 season will also be broadcast live on-board Etihad Airways services, beginning with Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the futuristic Yas Marina Circuit.

“We are delighted to broadcast this weekend’s Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on many of our aircraft, ensuring that passengers who are flying on race day won’t miss any of the action,” Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer Peter Baumgartner said.

The Formula 1 action will be followed by other live sports coverage, including the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Grand Slam tennis, Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup and US Masters golf.

The service will be available on 21 widebody aircraft by November 7 and will increase to 37 widebody aircraft by the end of 2014.

“In-flight entertainment is a key part of the guest travel experience and the introduction of the eight live channels … will be a fantastic addition to Etihad Airways’ flights,” Mr Baumgartner said.

One of the largest airlines in the Middle East, Etihad Airways flies to 95 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas, using a fleet of 82 Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

– See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/etihad-airways-adds-live-sport-channels-to-inflight-entertainment/story-e6frg6n6-1226750250926#sthash.hdt7xQv5.dpuf