Cycling Australia Vice President Stephen Hodge has resigned with immediate effect after admitting doping during his racing career.

The news comes at the end of a week in which the governing body sacked men’s elite road coordinator Matt White after he confessed to doping while riding at US Postal.

A hardworking domestique, Hodge rode and finished the Tour de France six times during a career spanning a decade or so from the mid-1980s, riding for teams including KAS-Mavic, ONCE and Festina alongside the likes of Sean Kelly, Laurent Jalabert and Richard Virenque.

He joined the board of Cycling Australia in 1999, and a detailed ‘Where Are They Now?’ feature on the website Cycling Tips last year described him as “probably the best cycling advocate Australia has.”

In a statement Cycling Australia President Klaus Mueller said: “In light of the current circumstances Stephen has made it clear he doesn’t want a mistake he made two decades ago to affect the work of Cycling Australia to take the sport forward.

“I would like to personally thank Stephen for his immense contribution to the sport in a volunteer capacity,” he continued.

“When his professional cycling career ended he became a tireless worker for the sport and for almost 15 years has freely given up his time as an advocate for the rights of athletes and to promote and develop the sport in Australia.”

“At all times while Stephen was on the Board with me he acted with high principle and great integrity and has been a staunch opponent of doping.

“I commend him for his decision to speak out,” Mueller concluded.

This follows the recent revelations of doping from Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

South African broadcaster SuperSport have announced they have secured the rights to broadcast the Ghana Premier League and the MTN FA Cup for the next three years.

The three-year deal which was confirmed by the Ghana FA and begins immediately. It is the first time an international broadcaster has bought the rights of the Ghana League.

“Today, clinic the new broadcast arrangements will give the GFA an unprecedented opportunity to implement its strategic plans for Ghanaian football.

“The deal gives the Ghana football the opportunity to market itself on a bigger platform to attract more fans as well as corporate bodies, buy Ghana FA vice president, Fred Crentsil told the official website of his outfit.

“There’s never been any doubt that the game has a bright future in this nation, but today the football family can take comfort from the huge vote of confidence from our broadcast partners.”

SuperSport’s head of Africa, Andre Venter said: “The game in Ghana is strong and vibrant and we look forward to showcasing it on our channels.”

Soccerex have announced the first big names that will be speaking at the Soccerex African Forum in Durban, cialis 23-24 October 2012. Ex-South African and Leeds captain Lucas Radebe will be joined by former Liverpool and England legend John Barnes and ex-Everton and England legend Peter Reid at the event.

Liverpool legend Barnes made over 300 appearances and established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the club. He earned 79 England caps and represented his country at the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cup^TM. Barnes now works as a pundit for ESPN and South African sports broadcaster SuperSport.

Peter Reid enjoyed a long and successful career in English football playing for a host of top clubs including Everton where he enjoyed his most successful spell making over 150 appearances. He represented England on 13 occasions and played in the 1986 FIFA World Cup and 1988 UEFA European Championships.

Radebe started his career at Kaizer Chiefs where he made 113 appearances for the South African powerhouse, he then moved to Leeds United where he became captain and a club legend, playing 200 games for the Yorkshire club. Radebe had a distinguished international career gaining 70 caps for his country and captaining them at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After retiring from professional football Radebe has stayed in close contact with the game through coaching, punditry and various charity and ambassador roles.

With his Leeds connection, Radebe’s attendance in Durban is symbolic of the special relationship between the cities, which became twinned in 1998. The link is also highlighted by another special Soccerex connection, as CEO Duncan Revie’s father Don Revie, famously managed Leeds United from 1962-1974.

Commenting on the announcement, Lucas Radebe said: “I am delighted to be speaking at the Soccerex African Forum. The event is crucial for the development of football in Africa something that I am very passionate about. The event will also be a great chance to catch up with former professionals’ and as John and Peter are heavily involved in African football  broadcasting through their work with SuperSport, they will be a great addition to the event.”

These greats of South African and English football will be just some of the names participating in the inaugural Soccerex African Forum, an event which will be focusing on a mixture of continental and global football issues; bringing together the leading decision makers in African football business with their counterparts from around the world for two days of unrivalled learning, networking and commercial opportunities.

For further information about this event please call +44 (0)20 8742 7100 or visit http://www.soccerex.com/events/africa/

Production company Sunset+Vine has secured BBC’s contract to produce the coverage of England’s home matches for the Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

The first of five matches takes place on Saturday 21 September, when England take on Belarus at Dean Court stadium in Bournemouth. The production contract was awarded to Sunset+Vine’s Welsh office.

The win follows a successful partnership for the UEFA Women’s EURO 2013, where Sunset+Vine’s specialist Oxford-based unit Sunset+Vine|APP produced 16 live games and three highlight shows for BBC Three, BBC Two and BBC Two HD. The core of the new Women’s World Cup Qualifiers’ team will be drawn from the original partnership.

Andrew Preece, from Sunset+Vine, commented on the deal: “We have enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the BBC over the past couple of years with our work on the London 2012 sailing events and then the UEFA Women’s EURO 2013. To now be in a position to confirm a further contract for England Women’s World Cup qualifiers is testament to our team’s professional approach and the quality of its production. We are excited to be in a position to be able to provide continuity and support to the women’s game that is crucial for its development over the coming critical months.

“We look forward very much to the first of our five productions around England’s home World Cup qualifiers and look forward to delivering the world-class and innovative coverage that millions of BBC viewers across the UK have grown used to expecting.”

Live coverage of the England games will be shown on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Three, with additional multi-platform coverage across TV, radio and online.

Major League Soccer and USL PRO announced today a groundbreaking, arthritis multi-year partnership that will enhance the development of professional soccer players in North America, drugs strengthen the competition in both leagues, allergy and establish a solid foundation for future collaboration. 

For 2013, the partnership will include interleague play between USL PRO and MLS Reserve League teams, and the establishment of several exclusive team affiliations.  These initial programs will immediately improve professional player development in the United States and Canada. Additional technical and commercial initiatives between the two leagues will be announced as they are finalized in the coming months.

 “This partnership represents the first step in a long-term alliance between MLS and USL PRO to connect domestic professional soccer through a system that benefits player development, competition and the overall business of our sport ,” MLS Executive Vice President of Player Relations & Competition Todd Durbin said.  “Over the past several years, USL PRO has made great strides in restructuring their league in a manner that serves to complement the objectives of MLS.  This is a win-win for all involved, and it demonstrates our strong commitment to growing North American professional soccer at all levels.”

Each club affiliation will be customized to meet the needs of the respective teams, but all will include at least four players on long-term loan from the MLS parent club to its USL PRO affiliate.  Those MLS teams with formal USL PRO affiliates will not participate in the 2013 MLS Reserve League.  Neither MLS nor USL PRO clubs are required to enter into an affiliation, and specific affiliations will be announced in the coming days. 

Each of the 13 USL PRO teams will compete in two interleague games against MLS Reserve teams.  With the exception of Antigua, which will play both of its games at MLS Reserve teams, USL PRO teams have been paired with a single MLS team to play a home and home series.  All interleague games will count in both the official USL PRO and MLS Reserve League standings.  Details of the fixtures will be announced in conjunction with the forthcoming release of the official 2013 USL PRO schedule. 

“USL PRO has for the past several years been the most sophisticated and competitive professional soccer league under MLS,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “This new partnership with MLS will elevate and strengthen the level of competition for domestic professional soccer while simultaneously creating a more sustainable financial model for team owners. As a result, we expect this partnership will forge a seamless system for the development of players and coaches, and promote the expansion of professional soccer into new North American markets.”