British & Irish Lions sponsor Rhino, ask the world’s leading supplier of scrummaging machines, medic contact and training equipment for rugby, allergist has announced the appointment of Andrew Moss as Non-Executive Chairman, with immediate effect. 

Mr Moss, who also takes a stake in the business, will play a key role helping Rhino as it enters an exciting new phase of its growth.

Mr Moss joins a group of shareholders at Rhino that already includes Martin Johnson, the former England and British Lions captain and England Manager, who is a former Executive Director of the firm and remains a significant shareholder having led a management buy-in of the business with current CEO Reg Clark in 2006.

“Rugby has always been a great passion of mine,” said Mr Moss. “So I was delighted when Reg, a friend of mine since our university days, asked me to get involved with Rhino. Rhino is already a great brand with huge growth potential. I’m looking forward to working with Rhino particularly in a year in which it is an Official Supplier and Sponsor to the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.” 

Mr Moss is the former chief executive and finance director at Aviva, the FTSE 100 insurance company that sponsors English Premiership rugby. Prior to leading Aviva, Mr Moss served as chief financial officer at Lloyds of London and HSBC’s investment banking and treasury division. He holds a degree in law from Oxford University, where alongside Clark he played rugby for the Blues XV.

Commenting on the appointment of Andrew Moss as Chairman, Rhino Rugby’s Chief executive, Reg Clark, said: “Andrew brings a wealth of experience to Rhino, we look forward to him giving us invaluable insight, which we believe will help the company kick on to the next level in 2013.”

Rhino, founded in the early 1980’s, has established itself as one of the foremost players in the rugby equipment market. The firm is currently Official Supplier of contact and training equipment to the British & Irish Lions, England Rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union, Bath, London Wasps, Cardiff Blues and St Helens Rugby League Club. 

In addition Rhino now supplies the match balls to the RaboDirect PRO12 in addition to being Official Ball Supplier to the British & Irish Lions in both South Africa in 2009 and for the coming tour to Australia. 

The company has in recent years further leveraged the brand into teamwear & training apparel, fashionwear & leisurewear and artificial turf, in addition to establishing licensed operations in Southern Illinois covering the USA and Canada and in Singapore covering Asia.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) is to create a working party to try and progress the revamping of the Scottish league structure.

The Scottish professional game board met recently after the 12 Scottish Premier League clubs agreed to a change in structure that would see two top divisions that split into three groups of eight clubs part way through the season.

The SFA, speaking on behalf of that board which includes members of the SPL and Scottish Football League, have revealed that talks have led to the creation of a working party that will aim to ensure developments are introduced efficiently.

“The Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League have agreed to set up a working party of nominated club representatives to expand on the extremely productive meeting held today by the Scottish FA’s professional game board regarding league reconstruction,” the statement read on Thursday.

“The PGB are greatly encouraged by the willingness on both sides to engage on the many areas of common ground and also in their commitment to implementing change.

“After the working party have reached consensus on a final set of proposals, they will be presented to all clubs across SPL and SFL for consideration.”

It is estimated that the working party will meet within the next month to begin their discussions.

Lancashire County Cricket Club have revealed former Ricoh Arena CEO Daniel Gidney as their new chief executive following the departure of Jim Cumbes.

Gidney while at Ricoh Arena, the holding company that operates Coventry City’s ground, attracted a series of major events, including the Olympic Games.

Lancashire chairman Michael Cairns said: “We are delighted to appoint Daniel whose experience and track record in overseeing a highly-regarded sporting venue will serve our business well as we embark on a new and exciting era.

“With the next stage of our development due to be completed next year and the much-anticipated return of the Ashes next summer, Daniel is joining Lancashire at a key moment in our history. On behalf of the board, I would like to welcome Daniel to Old Trafford.”

Cairns added: “Jim was a key member of the team throughout what has been a monumental period for the club which saw us ultimately overcome a number of potentially devastating hurdles to be in the position where we are today: having a world-class stadium, club and business that we can all be proud of.

“Everybody connected with Lancashire owes a tremendous amount of gratitude to Jim for his unfaltering service to cricket and the business of cricket over the years and we all wish him well in his retirement.”

Come and join fellow iSportconnect staff and members in the Soccerex Euro 2012 Fantasy League Game.

Soccerex, the global leader for the business of football, has launched a Fantasy League game for the 2012 UEFA European Championships. The game, powered by Fantasy League Ltd, is free to play and will allow people from across the industry to test their skills against friends and colleagues during the tournament (8^th June – 1^st July).

There is added incentive to play the Soccerex Euro 2012 Fantasy League game with Soccerex offering a range of prizes including signed football shirts, an ipad2 and, for the winner, a VIP trip for two to Rio de Janeiro for the Soccerex Global Convention 2012.

The game is live now at http://soccerex.fantasyleague.com. You have until 17.00 BST on 8^th June to submit your team, with unlimited team changes available until this date. For full details of game regulations and prizes please go to http://soccerex.fantasyleague.com.

Join the iSportconnect league using the following pin:

101085

Simply pick your team at the following link http://soccerex.fantasyleague.com and click on ‘Private Leagues’ in the menu under your name.

As a partner of Soccerex, we have been offered an additional prize for the winner of our league. Potential prizes range from Soccerex delegate passes to exhibition stands and VIP passes – the more people that join the league the bigger the prize on offer!

Look forward to competing against you fellow iSportconnecters 

FIFA has told under-pressure Indonesian soccer federation to resolve internal conflicts and related problems by Monday or face suspension

Soccer in the Asian country has been plagued by infighting between the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) and the breakaway Indonesian Soccer Rescue Committee (KPSI) for control of the sport

The two factions, who have their own leagues, signed a memorandum of understanding in June at the headquarters of the Asian Football Confederation where they agreed to run one league next season and hold a congress by December 10.

FIFA Secretary-General, Jerome Valcke wrote a letter to sports minister Andi Mallarangeng, saying Indonesia faced indefinite sanctions if the row is not resolved at Monday’s meeting.

“…in case of failure, the case would be brought before the FIFA Executive Committee on December 14, 2012, in order to determine the sanctions, which could go as far as an indefinite suspension,” Valcke reportedly wrote in the letter.

“Unfortunately yet again, it seems that the set objectives will not be reached and we, therefore, anticipate that the PSSI will be sanctioned.

“With the deadline approaching and in the current situation, we deem it important that the Indonesian authorities be made aware of the likely sanctions to be imposed on Indonesia.

“We are fully aware that Indonesia is passionate about soccer and that sanctions will have a major impact. We have tried tirelessly to solve the problems, but we are afraid that there will be no choice unless the objectives of FIFA and the AFC are met or that significant progress has been made.”

A suspension could cause problems with Indonesia’s participation in the qualifying tournament for the 2015 Asian Cup, which begins in February.

Indonesia’s early exit from the ongoing AFF Suzuki Cup has also renewed calls for a truce between the factions. Many of their players were blocked from playing because they had contracts with supposed ‘rebel’ KPSI Indonesian clubs.

On Monday, the death of Paraguayan striker Diego Mendieta from a viral infection heaped further pressure on the PSSI, with world players’ union FIFPro criticising the “structural mismanagement” of the Indonesian clubs.

Mendieta, who played for Indonesian club Persis Solo last year, wanted to return home but was unable to do so as the club owed him four months’ wages.

The PSSI refused to pay Mendieta’s family the money owed by the club as the team competed in a league it they did not recognise.{jcomments on}

Netshoes announced that former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will join its Board of Directors and serve as the company’s global ambassador, arthritis working to bolster its industry ties in the U.S. and around the world.

Twelve years after its founding in a parking lot in downtown São Paulo, ed Netshoes is already one of the world’s largest online sports and leisure retailers – even though its operations are currently limited to Latin America. Tagliabue joins the company as it prepares for expansion into new markets.

“Netshoes has shown a tremendous capacity for innovation in the online marketplace,” said Tagliabue. “I am extremely pleased to join Netshoes Board of Directors and I’m very impressed by Netshoes services in online retailing and look forward to helping Netshoes expand as a brand and continue its success as an industry leader.”

Paul Tagliabue is one of the most influential leaders in the business of sports. He served as NFL Commissioner for nearly two decades, overseeing an extended period of labor peace and revenue growth in professional football. Under Tagliabue’s leadership, the NFL grew from 28 to 32 teams, secured the largest television contracts in entertainment history, supported the construction of more than 20 team stadiums, and expanded the league’s global reach.

Prior to leading the NFL, Tagliabue was a partner at the well-known Washington D.C. law firm, Covington & Burling. Before practicing law, he served as a policy analyst in the U.S. Department of Defense. He is currently the Chairman of the Georgetown University Board of Directors and earlier chaired The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Independent Advisory Committee.

As a Netshoes Board Member, Tagliabue will also help bolster the company’s industry ties with corporate partners and the sports business community. The company is already one of the largest retailers in Latin America of many global brands, including Nike, Adidas, and Puma.

“We believe Paul will be a valuable asset to our growth in Latin America as well as internationally, and we look forward to working with him for many years to come,” says Marcio Kumruian, CEO and founder of Netshoes.

“His track record at the NFL and in business make Paul an ideal partner as we seek to expand,” added Jose Rogerio Luiz, Vice President of Netshoes.

1	Graham Taylor Quits as Watford’s Non-Executive Chairman	Wednesday, 30 May 2012
2	Luis-Moreno Ocampo to Head-Up FIFA’s Ethic Committee	Wednesday, 30 May 2012
3	Manchester City Snag Tom Glick for Commercial Role	Tuesday, 29 May 2012
4	Carmelo Anthony Assigned VP Role at Powercoco	Tuesday, 29 May 2012
5	Ukraine National Olympic Committee Official Quits Over Alleged Ticket Scam	Tuesday, 29 May 2012
6	Therese Walsh Becomes Head of New Zealand for 2015 ICC World Cup	Monday, 28 May 2012
7	Paul Barber Named New CEO of Brighton & Hove Albion	Monday, 28 May 2012
8	Liverpool Appoint Billy Hogan as Chief Commercial Officer	Thursday, 24 May 2012
9	Jeffrey Webb Succeeds Warner as CONCACAF President	Wednesday, 23 May 2012
10	Francesco Ricci Bitti Elected President of ASOIF	Wednesday, 23 May 2012
11	FIFA Names First Female Executive	Tuesday, 22 May 2012
12	Liverpool to Appoint Sports Illustrated Writer as New Communications Director	Friday, 18 May 2012
13	ITF Appoints Kris Dent as Executive Director	Tuesday, 15 May 2012
14	Shaquille O’Neal’s Agent Joins Harlem Globetrotter’s Board of Directors	Tuesday, 15 May 2012
15	Rochdale Duo Step Down from Board of Directors	Monday, 14 May 2012
16	Glasgow 2014 Commercial Director to Quit Role	Monday, 14 May 2012
17	Liverpool’s Director of Communications Gets the Boot	Friday, 11 May 2012
18	ICC to Announce David Richardson as New CEO	Thursday, 10 May 2012
19	Nigel Chamier Takes Stockwell Seat as Chairman of the 2018 Gold Coast Bid	Wednesday, 09 May 2012
20	Blackburn Rovers Sack Deputy Chief Paul Hunt	Wednesday, 09 May 2012
21	Head of Gold Coast Bid Mark Stockwell Gets the Chop	Tuesday, 08 May 2012
22	Big East Commissioner Marinatto Resigns Post	Tuesday, 08 May 2012
23	Marc Bergevin Named New GM of NHL’s Montreal Canadiens	Friday, 04 May 2012
24	NCAA’s Big 12 Conference to Appoint Stanford’s Bob Bowlsby as Commissioner	Thursday, 03 May 2012
25	Ian Beattie Named Non-Executive Chairman of Scottish Athletics	Tuesday, 01 May 2012

According to media reports, the 015 Champions League final will take place in Berlin and the 2016 decider in Milan.

The website of Germany’s Bild paper and Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport said the Berlin’s Olympic stadium and the Guiseppe Meazza in Milan have been picked, although the ruling body UEFA won’t announce the host cities until March 2013.

German football federation president Wolfgang Niersbach did not want to confirm the news, but told bild.de that “We can have big and legitimate hope that the Champions League final will come to Berlin.”

Milan’s stadium, formerly named San Siro, has hosted the final of Europe’s elite event three times, in 1965, 1970 and 2001. Berlin’s Olympic stadium has never hosted the big game but was the site of the 2006 World Cup final and the 2009 world athletics championships.

The 2013 Champions League final is at Wembley in London and the 2014 final in Lisbon’s Estadio Da Luz.