PUMA’s Administrative Board have unanimously elected Jean-François Palus as Chairman of the Administrative Board following Jochen Zeitz’s resignation on 15 October 2012.

Palus will takeover as Chairman of the Administrative Board, with effect from 1 December 2012.

Jean-François Palus became Group Managing Director of PPR SA in 2008, and joined the Supervisory Board of PUMA in 2007 and the PPR SA Board in 2009. He was Chief Financial Officer of PPR SA, the main shareholder of PUMA, for six years. A graduate of France’s HEC business school, Jean-François Palus began his career with Arthur Andersen as an auditor and financial adviser. He joined the PPR group in 1991.

“I have come to value PUMA highly over the last five years of successful cooperation and I would like to thank Jochen Zeitz for his invaluable contribution to PUMA’s outstanding development for more than 20 years”, said Jean-François Palus.

“PUMA is a fantastic brand and company with highly committed people. I am looking forward to working with management to tap into the huge potential alongside Franz Koch and his PUMA team to become the most desirable and sustainable sportlifestyle company in the world.”

English Premier League’s Fulham have breathed a huge sigh of relief after revealing they are now debt-free after chairman Mohamed Al Fayed’s decision to convert loans to the club into equity.

A second successive annual profit enabled the club to pay off all external debt, while Al Fayed converted outstanding loans to the business into equity.

The news comes on the same day Fulham revealed a profit of £1.2m for the year ended 30 June 2012 – results which follow on from a record profit for the previous 12 months.

The Club enjoyed another increase in attendance of 0.6 per cent which contributed to its overall occupancy figure of 98.4 per cent for the season. Both of these figures are a Club record for its time in the Premier League. The Club posted revenue figures of £79.3m, including £3.4m Europa League revenue.

Al Fayed said: “Fulham continues to make great strides and, following planning permission for the redevelopment of the Riverside Stand, we will continue to prosper and grow.

“For almost the last 15 years, I have ensured the club moves in the right direction and remains true to our proud history, strong heritage and past traditions.”

1	Crystal CG Makes Olympic History with World’s Largest Digital Display at Opening Ceremony	Saturday, 28 July 2012
2	London Olympics Opening Ceremony Tickets Yet to be Sold	Friday, 27 July 2012
3	P&G: Olympic Sponsorship Should Pay Dividends	Thursday, 26 July 2012
4	Tourists Coming for London 2012 Olympics to Transfer One Billion Dollars to Pounds	Thursday, 26 July 2012
5	LOCOG Apologise for Flag Mix-Up During North Korean Olympic Soccer Match	Thursday, 26 July 2012
6	BBC to Use Adobe’s Project “Primetime” to Deliver Video Streams for London 2012	Thursday, 26 July 2012
7	IOC & IPC Sign Olympic Games Deal	Thursday, 26 July 2012
8	GE Healthcare Launches New Virtual Video Exploring Olympic Village Polyclinic	Thursday, 26 July 2012
9	Havas Reveal Sponsors Benefitting From Olympic Fever	Thursday, 26 July 2012
10	ARD rüstet sich für die Übertragung der Olympischen Sommerspiele in London	Thursday, 26 July 2012
11	London Heathrow Olympic Strike Called Off	Wednesday, 25 July 2012
12	Olympic VIP Lanes Frustrates Commuters	Wednesday, 25 July 2012
13	David Beckham to be Included in Olympic Ceremony	Wednesday, 25 July 2012
14	POCOG Faces Criticism Over Controversial Decisions	Wednesday, 25 July 2012
15	Olympic Truce Wall Opened in London 2012 Olympic Village	Tuesday, 24 July 2012
16	1,200 Troops Drafted in for Olympics Security	Tuesday, 24 July 2012
17	Tokyo Olympic Bid Team Launches Official Campaign Tagline	Tuesday, 24 July 2012
18	Rogge: ‘Common sense will prevail’ about Ambush Marketing at London 2012	Sunday, 22 July 2012
19	Coca-Cola Beatbox Unveiled at London 2012 Olympic Park	Sunday, 22 July 2012
20	BOA Chairman Endorses Troops to Get Spare Olympic Tickets	Sunday, 22 July 2012

FOX Sports have announced a new multi-year broadcast partnership with Bellator MMA in Latin America

Through this agreement, FOX Sports Latin America has acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast Bellator MMA content in all Latin American countries, including Brazil, with a total distribution of more than 50 million households.

Beginning in October of 2013, FOX Sports will air Bellator content, including Bellator 360, a large collection of previous Bellator live events and other original content. Starting in 2015, fans of mixed martial arts will have access to more than 25 live Bellator events per year as well as in-territory live events on FOX Sports and the online authenticated platform FOXSportsPlay.com.

“FOX Sports Latin America has been looking for the premier mixed martial arts organization to partner with, and Bellator is the perfect fit. We are thrilled to make Bellator the widest distributed MMA promotion in Latin America and Brazil, reaching more than 50 million homes from day one” said Carlos Martinez, President of FOX International Channels Latin America. “We are also very excited to be able to work as partners with Bellator to produce large scale Bellator events throughout Latin America and to produce reality shows in key territories. This partnership is a long term relationship that has virtually unlimited potential.” added Martinez

“We’ve now taken a monumental next step forward in the evolution of the global brand that is Bellator,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “To have partnered with FOX Sports, Latin America’s largest and most powerful sports network is the perfect fit for Bellator in this incredibly vital region. This is just the beginning of what Bellator and FOX Sports International will build into the largest worldwide alliance in combat sports history. The possibilities that surround this alliance are nearly endless, including live events in key Latin American markets and the distribution of unique Bellator content exclusively for FOX Sports.”

Penn National Gaming, diagnosis Inc. has appointed Mark Loewe Vice President of Ohio Racing Operations, subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Loewe, a 30-year veteran of the horse racing industry with a five year tenure at Penn National Gaming, most recently served as Vice President of Racing at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, PA, a position he assumed in November 2010.

As Vice President of Ohio Racing Operations, Mr. Loewe will oversee the operations of the Company’s two existing Ohio racetracks – Beulah Park in Grove City and Raceway Park in Toledo – and work closely with the team overseeing Penn National’s development of two new gaming and racing facilities in Dayton and Austintown. He will be assisted by Jim McKinney, who will continue as General Manager of Beulah Park.

“Mark has done a tremendous job for us since joining Penn National five years ago,” said Christopher McErlean, Vice President of Racing for Penn National Gaming. “Ohio is an exciting long-term opportunity for our company and we are looking forward to the next few years as we transition from our current tracks to a new era in Ohio racing, highlighted by new facilities and expanded revenues through the introduction of gaming. I believe Mark is up to the challenges and opportunities we face in the Buckeye state as we build these new racing facilities and transition from our existing operations.”

In addition to his work at Penn National Race Course, Mr. Loewe served as General Manager at Sanford Orlando Kennel Club in Longwood, Florida from February 2008 to November 2010. Prior to joining Penn National Gaming, he served as Director of Pari-Mutuel Operations at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa from 2005 to 2008 and in a number of management positions at Pompano Park in Pompano Beach, Florida for over 15 years. In addition, Loewe was a licensed Standardbred trainer for over 10 years.

Mr. Loewe commented: “I am looking forward to this exciting new challenge. I fully appreciate Penn National’s confidence in my abilities as we build two new racetracks from the ground up while managing two existing operations.”

Mr. McErlean added: “Bill McLaughlin, current General Manager at Raceway Park, will be departing the Company on November 1 to pursue other opportunities. I want to thank Bill for his leadership at Raceway Park, taking what was supposed to be a short-term project and turning it into a five year effort during which he made a number of positive changes for both our guests and the horsemen. We wish Bill well in his new endeavors.”

English Premier League’s Arsenal FC has appointed Simon Lilley as its new Retail Director.

Lilley joins from his previous role as Head of Licensing and Retail at LOCOG, where he was responsible for running the highly successful licensing programme for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Prior to joining LOCOG, Lilley spent ten years with adidas, working across their sports apparel and footwear businesses, before joining UEFA as their Senior Manager for Licensing and Retail, helping to negotiate the appointment of adidas as a worldwide sponsor and licensee for EURO 2008 alongside the development of its global product range.

Lilley’s appointment follows the departure of Retail Director Nick Peel, who left in August after spending two years with the Club. During this time, Arsenal relaunched its online and mobile retail arms and opened a new flagship store at Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

Speaking about the appointment, Arsenal Football Club Chief Commercial Officer, Tom Fox, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Simon has decided to join Arsenal. His track record in delivering outstanding commercial revenues for global sports brands and developing multi-channel retail businesses is second to none.”

“Our retail division has made enormous strides recently and we hope that Simon will help us to continue shaping and evolving our retail strategy as we look to identify further opportunities to grow our retail operations both online and internationally.”

Lilley will start his new role with Arsenal on 19 November 2012.