The executive director of the Russian Olympic Committee Nikolai Tolstykh has been elected the President of the Russian Football Union.

The post was vacant after former head Sergey Fursenko resigned following Russia’s poor performance at Euro 2012.

In a second-round runoff Tolstykh gained 148 votes, 24 more than his main rival and Russian Premier League head Sergey Pryadkin, who was backed by the Premier League’s 16 clubs.

“I would like to thank everyone for the trust shown in me to head the Russian Football Union – and it is a union – of people who love football and are faithful to it,” Tolstykh said in his acceptance speech.

“It’s a huge responsibility, and I’ll do everything that depends on me … to help Russian football develop successfully.”

The former Dynamo Moscow midfielder and former head of Russia’s top football division, Tolstykh has 25-years of experience in the game. He is known as a supporter of greater governmental involvement in football.

Before the vote, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, an ardent advocate of a shakeup in the Russian football, publically supported Tolstykh, calling him the best possible candidate for the post.

Several top club officials, who would likely have supported Tolstykh’s opponent, stepped down from the executive committee of the Russian Football Union last week.

By Ismail Uddin

Portsmouth Supporters Trust (PST) Chairman, adiposity Ashley Brown has revealed they will look to re-energise the English League One team following its recent decline.

The PST have agreed a provisional deal for the financially stricken club which will be finalised once Portpin, who own Fratton Park agree to sell the stadium and administrators PKF are going to court to secure the rights.

Brown is optimistic that once the takeover is agreed they the long-term stability of the club will take precedence over short-term goals.

“Consolidation of the club and avoiding relegation would be a good start but stability is the key that’s where all football clubs are going to think about longer term. We got to be realistic, you can’t spend money the club hasn’t got and find ourselves back in front of the courts being wound-up and liquidated. We have to base it on sound business ground,” he told iSportconnect.

Brown also suggested that league progression may take several years and the Premier League would be difficult in the short-term.

He said: “There are going to be some quick wins and things we can do fairly quickly behind the scenes. But we have to be realistic; climbing back up the divisions may take a number of years. I thinks it’s realistic to think we can bring the club back into the Championship in the relative short term but everyone knows that climb between the Championship and Premiership is hugely difficult.

“You are competing now with a lot of clubs who have benefitted from parachute payments and therefore can equalise wage bills, so that final step (to the Premier League) will undoubtedly be a tough one.”

Brown also went on to criticise the previous management which left the club in it’s current predicament.

“We have had for a number of years where the club has suffered from serious mis-management even going back to the premiership years. Pompey had seven years of Premiership money coming through the doors and we have been left with no tangible benefits from that time.

“We still got a relatively basic ground and missed the opportunity to buy our own training ground. Of course we won the FA Cup which is tremendous and brought a great deal of excitement but so much money slipped through the fingers of previous administrations. Not only do we end up having nothing to show for it but we ended up owing millions and millions of pounds too many people,” he added.

Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) has welcomed the appointment of Debbie Jevans by the England Rugby 2015 (ER 2015) Board as Chief Executive of the organising body responsible for the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2015.

Jevans succeeds Paul Vaughan, who has stepped down having guided the early stages of hosting preparation for Rugby’s showcase event since ER 2015’s establishment in December 2010.

As Director of Sport for the London 2012 Organising Committee, Jevans has been an instrumental figure in the delivery of the hugely successful Olympic and Paralympic Games that have captivated a nation and captured hearts and minds around the world.

RWCL Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Rugby World Cup Limited welcomes Debbie Jevans’ appointment as Chief Executive of ER 2015.”

“The successful delivery of one of the world’s largest sporting events is founded on a clear vision, partnership, teamwork and strong leadership. As a driving force behind the exceptional London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Debbie certainly possesses all the necessary attributes to drive the delivery of what promises to be a special tournament.”

“We are looking forward to continuing to work in partnership with ER 2015 Chairman Andy Cosslett, Debbie and the ER 2015 and RFU teams to drive forward key operational objectives. These include venue selection, the match schedule and ticketing programme development which will all set a strong base for an outstanding Rugby World Cup in 2015 of which England and the global Rugby family will be proud.”

“On behalf of RWCL and the IRB I would like to thank Paul Vaughan for his strong contribution to developing the early foundations for the delivery of Rugby World Cup 2015 in England and I wish him all the very best,” added Lapasset.

ER 2015 chairman Andy Cosslett said: “Debbie is hugely respected across sport.

“Rugby will benefit from her experience in leading large teams to deliver major sporting events to a global audience.”

“As a passionate sports fan the next decade is a great one for the UK and we have an amazing opportunity to bring rugby and the values of sport to more fans across the country than ever before,” she said.

Vaughan, who left his post by mutual consent, was business operations director at the Rugby Football Union for 10 years before he was appointed to ER 2015 in December 2010.

“We are grateful for all the hard work he and his team have put in to enable us to be ready for the next phase,” said Cosslett.

With a little over three years to go until England hosts a Rugby World Cup for the second time, a number of key milestones have been achieved in 2012, including setting the tournament dates and detailed venue assessments undertaken. The year will culminate in the Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool Allocation Draw in London on December 3.

Qtel sign as Pearl Partner

Sportech 2012 are pleased to announce that Qtel have confirmed their partnership for the conference, cialis as Pearl Partner.  Qtel will be represented on the conference programme. Details to be announced shortly.  Qtel join BT, impotent Supply Chain Navigators, abortion Network Qatar, The Look Company and Creative Technology as partners.

Use the networking tool to connect with conference speakers and senior level attendees including:

• Perry Smith, Sports Business Adviser to President, Qatar Olympic Committee
• Paul Vaughan, CEO, England Rugby 2015
• Tim Boden, Technical Director, BT London 2012 Programme’  BT Global Services
• Sanjeev Katwa, Head of IT, Manchester City FC
• Khaled Helaly, Director, Strategy and Business Planning, Human Resources Directorate, Qatar Foundation
• Ralph Dietz, Head of IT, German Football Association, former Head of IT for FIFA 2006 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011
• Chris Myers, General Manager, Doha Golf Club
• Slobodan Delic, Director – Venue Technology Management and Results Services, Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games
• Mark Lichtenhein, CIO, The European Tour
• Ali Nasser Telfat, Secretary General, Qatar Sailing & Rowing Federation
• Ian Riddoch, Consultant, IMG
• Omar El Khalil, Corporate Development Manager, Aspire Logistics
• Ali Al Khayat, Executive Director, Basketball Federation
• Khalid Al-Hashmi, Executive Director of QCERT, ictQATAR

Conference Details & Timings
Workshop Day:                                                     7 May 2012
Conference Days:                                                8-9 May 2012
Networking Evening Reception                      8 May 2012
Venue:                                                                    Renaissance City Centre Hotel, Doha, Qatar
www.sportechconference.com

English Championship club, Burnley have revealed a profit of £3.6m for the year ending 30 June 2012 ahead of their AGM.

The Clarets operated at a loss of £4m the previous year and the upturn in their finances can largely be explained by the £7m sale of star striker Jay Rodriguez to Southampton.

Joint chairmen Mike Garlick and John Banaszkiewicz said in a statement to shareholders: “This player trading remains a cornerstone of how the club balances it books.

“Despite recording an operating loss for the year, the transfer fee we received for Jay Rodriguez meant we were able to convert this loss for the year into a profit and provide the basis for supporting ourselves in 2012/13.

“Looking forward, the reduction in our income in 2012/13 and 2013/14, now that the initial Premier League parachute payment period has ended, and the introduction of the Football League Financial Fair Play Rules mean that we need to continue to plan carefully for the future and act accordingly, to ensure that we operate within the Rule and the income we generate.

“Your Board are true Clarets’ fans and we are committed to supporting the team and the manager to give us the nest chance of achieving the success we all feel the club deserves.”

The Turf Moor club will continue to try and cut their wage bill after turnover fell by £4m to £23m due to a further reduction in parachute payments from the Premier League and lower attendances.

Jerry Colangelo will remain chairman of USA Basketball through the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Since Colangelo joined USA Basketball in 2005—one year after the men’s team brought home the bronze medal at the Athens Olympics—the men have posted a 62-1 record, ampoule with gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2010 world championship and 2012 London Olympics.

“I’ve decided I’m going to continue,” Colangelo told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m committed to our organization during this transition period. I want to make sure, as good as things are, that once the baton is handed over to someone it’s in even better shape. That’s the plan for these next four years”

Colangelo said his decision was not influenced by a decision from FIBA, international basketball’s government body, not to ask the International Olympic Committee to make the men’s competition an under-23 event.

“It didn’t have anything to do with my willingness to continue,’ he said. ‘I’ve been encouraged to continue, and if somebody didn’t want me there, it would take about three seconds for me to walk.”

There is a formal procedure, based on USA Basketball’s constitution, that must be followed, though. Colangelo must be nominated for a spot on the board of directors for the 2013-16 quadrennial, on which Colangelo said he has been assured a spot.

USA Basketball’s new board of directors is expected to be named by early 2013, and it will elect a chairman. Given Colangelo’s desire to return and the success of the senior and junior programs, it’s unlikely someone else will be named chairman.

Exclusive to iSportconnect Readership. Please quote isportconnect for your £999 delegate registration price. (35% off the advertised brochure price)

iSportconnect are pleased to announce themselves as Lead Social Media Partner to this year’s Global Sports Law & Business Forum.  Attracting Sports Business Professionals from around the world, denture there is no better platform to network, adiposity interact and hear from leaders within the sporting legal and business community.  As lead Social Media Partner, we are extending our members a limited number of discounted delegate places from the advertised conference price when quoting iSportconnect.

Business leaders and legal experts from the world of sport will provide you with fresh insights, advice and guidance on:

* Maximising commercial opportunities when hosting a major sports event: London 2012 Olympics case study.

* What the Q.C. Leisure case means for broadcasters, agencies and rights holders.

* What sports organisations must do to tackle corruption issues that can tarnish their brand.

* How best to capitalise on the opportunities arising from the growth of sports business in emerging markets.

* Protecting your brand from ambush marketing – lessons learnt from major sporting events that you can implement.

* Balancing increased commercial pressures while maintaining sporting integrity when developing corporate governance structures.

Join leading sports executives and lawyers from around the world for two packed days of interactive debates, expert advice and excellent networking opportunities including:

Lord Triesman – Former Chairman of The Football Association

Barry Hearn – Sports Promoter, Chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation and Former Chairman of the World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association

Lalit Modi – Founder and Architect of the Indian Premier League

Sir Ronnie Flanagan, GBE, QPM – Chairman Anti-Corruption & Security Unit, International Cricket Council (ICC)

Brian Moore – Sports Journalist, Commentator, Lawyer and Former England & British Lions Rugby International

Muhammad Zaka Ashraf – Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board

 

Exclusive to iSportconnect Readership. Please quote isportconnect for your £999 delegate registration price. (35% off the advertised brochure price)

To register or request a full colour brochure, please contact Toby Hartley at t.hartley@c5-online.com

iSportconnect discount is applicable for new delegate registrations only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts.