Soccerex is delighted to unveil the initial line-up of International football legends that will be gracing this year’s Football Festival on the spectacular Copacabana beach as part of the Soccerex Global Convention, ambulance 24-28, symptoms November, prostate Rio de Janeiro.

Returning to the stage is Brazilian 2002 FIFA World Cup^TM winner and former Barcelona and Chelsea defender Juliano Belletti, as well as France’s 1998 FIFA World Cup^TM winner and former Chelsea legend Marcel Desailly. Desailly will be joined in the European All Star team by former Lazio and Middlesbrough midfielder Gaizka Mendieta. Representing the Latin American All Stars will be former South American Player of the Year, Carlos Valderrama and Chilean great Marcelo Salas, who will be hoping to reverse last year’s result after a comprehensive Brazilian victory. Making his first appearance at the Football Festival and tasked with keeping the legends in line is Mark Clattenburg, a man with plenty of big match experience after officiating the 2012 Football League Cup Final.

The Soccerex Football Festival is a two day event which marks the launch of the Global Convention.  It‘s a celebration which combines colourful local entertainment with a host of football revelry provided by youth players, freestylers and football legends from around the world. The festival is enjoyed by both Soccerex attendees and locals alike before business begins with the 3-day conference and exhibition.

Watch this space for further player announcements as this is only the initial lineup – in recent years the football festival has attracted legendary players including Eric Cantona, Aldair, Leonardo, Bryan Robson, Ruud Gullit, George Weah, Ossie Ardiles, John Barnes and Lucas Radebe to name but a few!

A non-governmental soccer association will stage more professional futsal games over the next five years in an attempt to boost Chinese soccer development.

The programme will include a futsal cup competition between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao next year, according to Liu Xiaowu, director of the Guangdong Futsal Association.

After being approved by the provincial civil affairs department, the Guangdong Futsal Association was inaugurated on Saturday in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong province, after being approved by the provincial civil affairs department. The association is China’s first soccer organisation without governmental administration.

“We will also organize competitions between Guangdong and its neighboring provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan and Hainan and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region,” said Liu.

Liu said more games will be held in neighbouring regions.

“We will develop more members in the years ahead. As a non-governmental association, we believe the organization will play a big role in boosting local soccer development,” he said.

The association developed a regional professional league, called ‘Yuechao’, or the ‘Guangdong Super League’ in 2010. A number of foreign players from Brazil and Britain joined the eight teams in the league.

“Besides the super league, we will have second and third-tier competitions from next year,” Liu said.

Futsal, has developed rapidly in Guangdong, with two independent leagues being launched in recent years.

In addition to Yuechao, the Pearl Super League, which was launched by the government-owned soccer association in Guangdong in October 2009, is the first regional professional sport league in China.{jcomments on}

Nagasamy Ramachandran has been re-elected as the World Squash Federation (WSF) president for another four-year term at the 42nd WSF Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Ramachandran, herbal | from Chennai in India, recipe said Sunday he was honoured to have been given a further period of presidency.

“I have dedicated myself to leading the squash quest to achieve our dream of a place on the programme of the Olympic Games and will continue to do so, unhealthy ” said Ramachandran, who had succeeded squash legend Jahangir Khan in Oct 2008.

“Our sport has a great deal to offer and the chance for me to continue pressing our case is a task I will throw myself into fully.”

Belgian Hugo Hannes, the current president of the European Squash Federation, was elected the vice president for the first time, joining re-elected VPs Heather Deayton (Hong Kong) and Mohamed El Menshawy (Egypt). Jahangir Khan also accepted an invitation to continue as Emeritus President.

WSF vice-president Chris Stahl (Malta), who had not stood for re-election, was recognised by Ramachandran for his many years of dedicated service to squash generally and to the WSF specifically.

The AGM followed the two-day AGM Conference which featured a variety of presentations for representatives of 40 nations as well as a large number of observers.

The presentations included case studies of the growth in squash in Poland, marketing initiatives from other sports, a stakeholder survey from New Zealand, the Swiss National Development Plan marketing planning and an Olympic bid update given by Mike Lee of Vero Communications, the WSF bid consultants.

 

Soccerex have confirmed that Liverpool FC will be speaking alongside their main sponsor, find Standard Chartered at the Soccerex Seminar Lagos, pills 27-28 September, apoplectic 2012.

Bruce Bundrant, Head of Partnerships, Liverpool FC and Simon Mould, Head of Sponsorship, Group Corporate Affairs, Standard Chartered, will give their insight into how the sponsorship deal is structured and how each party works to maximise the relationship.

Standard Chartered became Liverpool FC’s main sponsor in 2010, signing a 4 year deal – the largest commercial partnership in Liverpool’s history. The international bank is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges as well as the Bombay and National Stock Exchanges in India and operates primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The sponsorship of Liverpool allows them to use the club’s international popularity to raise its brand awareness in these key markets.

Speaking on his involvement in the Soccerex Lagos Seminar, Simon Mould said: ”I am very excited to be a part of the inaugural Soccerex event in Lagos. West Africa is a key market for Standard Chartered and this event will be a great opportunity for us to further develop our business network there.”

Bruce Bundrant commented: “It’s always a pleasure to be speaking alongside Standard Chartered. We are very proud of the relationship and I look forward to sharing our story with the audience at the Soccerex Seminar Lagos.”

Simon and Bruce will be part of a Conference line up that will look at the development of football in West Africa, focusing on the key issues affect the football in the region and best practice in the different areas of football business such as sponsorship, player transfers, sports marketing and stadia design. Some of the other names confirmed to speak include David Dein, George Weah and Kwesi Nyantakyi, Head of the Ghanaian FA and Seyi Akinwunmi, Chairman of Lagos State Football Association.

For more information on the Soccerex Seminar Lagos please go to www.soccerex.com/lagos.

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the Association of Irish Racecourses have signed a new deal with At The Races, allergist along with partner SIS, capsule for the British television channel to retain the rights to Irish racing from January 2014 to December 2016.

Under the terms of the new agreement ATR will have exclusive, cross platform, non-LBO media rights worldwide to all Irish fixtures. SIS retains all domestic and international betting shop rights under the terms of its current contract with HRI.

As part of the new partnership, ATR has offered HRI/AIR the opportunity to take up a seat on its board.

Matthew Imi, chief executive of ATR, said: “We are delighted that our relationship with Horse Racing Ireland, the Association of Irish Racecourses and all 26 tracks will be continuing next year and beyond.

“Irish racing forms a significant part of our business and since 2004 an important partnership has formed to which we, our shareholders and UK racecourse partners attach considerable value.

“Individually, each of the Irish racecourses has its own characteristics and requirements from us as their media partner and we work very hard to ensure that our business objectives are firmly aligned with theirs.

“Collectively, the racecourses offer a consistent and high quality schedule of Flat and Jump racing across the year which our domestic and international audiences and commercial partners find increasingly attractive.

“HRI and AIR made it very clear that not only did they feel ATR had done a great job monetising their rights across our current distribution platforms but that they were also excited about the long-term potential of the business and we look forward to welcoming their representative on to the ATR board as we start to roll out our growth strategy.”

Paddy Walsh, chief executive of AIR, said: “I am very pleased that the AIR, on behalf of all our racecourses, has now agreed terms with ATR/SIS in relation to the sale of the non-LBO rights that we recently offered to the market.

“This new deal extends our long-standing arrangements with both At The Races and SIS and I look forward to all parties benefiting from the partnership approach that we have always adopted in the past.”

The Australian Taxation Office wants to wind up the club for non-payment of back taxes.

Gallop, who met senior Hunter Sports Group officials yesterday, will resume talks in Sydney today to work out a timeline to pay the A-League club’s $1m tax bill.

“The FFA has been given assurances by Hunter Sports Group, owner and operator of the Newcastle Jets, that the club’s operations will not be affected,” Gallop said.

Embattled Jets chief executive Robbie Middleby said he was hopeful the matter would be resolved quickly.

“I’ve been given assurances the issue involving the Australian tax office will be resolved in the near future,” Middleby said.

“Our main concern is for our players and staff, who are in Perth for a game, to keep their minds on the job. The club looks forward to continuing an outstanding 2012-13 season.” 

Although HSG owner Nathan Tinkler had allegedly failed to make payments to his NRL players at the Knights, Jets players said the same had not happened to them.

“We’ve just got to go out there and do our best, and things will either work out or won’t,” stand-in captain Ruben Zadkovich said.

“I don’t think the Newcastle Jets are in any danger at the moment. We’ve just got to focus on the football and let the off-field drama sort itself out.”

Ricardo Prado, ex-swimmer and Olympic medallist, took over the presidency of the Sport Advisory Committee of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Committee held a meeting this Tuesday, 25 September, at Rio 2016 headquarters in Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro.

The Committee plans to increase the participation of the members in the planning, operation, promotion and legacy process of Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. During the meeting, the division of the Committee into discussion groups by themes aiming at improving the contribution of its members in specific areas and themes of Rio 2016 was proposed. In a first moment, the groups will discuss themes relating to the Olympic and Paralympic Village, Sport, Ceremonies, Education and Culture.

The meeting was attended by 12 of the 17 members of the Committee, composed of athletes, coaches and/or experts of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

“It is a great honour to be ahead of this Committee, which will play a major role conveying the athletes’ real needs to the organisation of the Rio 2016 Games, said Ricardo Prado, whose mandate will be valid until 31 December 2016.

The Committee aims to provide guidance, jointly with Rio 2016 Sport Department, to the remaining 58 functional areas of the Committee as to the planning, delivery and operation of the services that will be offered to the athletes, team officials, referees and coaches who will take part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

According to Agberto Guimarães, a former Olympic athlete and current Sports Director of Rio 2016, the Sport Committee allows the members to apply the experience and knowledge acquired in the competitions to contribute to the staging of a major sport event. “Important experiences are exchanged relating to themes that directly impact the sport activity, such as training camps, competition schedules, logistics and transportation”, he highlighted.

Bernardo Rezende, coach of the Brazilian men’s volleyball team and Olympic medallist as athlete and coach, is a member of the Committee, and praises the initiative. “All the athletes involved are willing to contribute. Our active participation may help establish excellent services for sport, increasing our awareness of the complexity represented by the organization of such a big event. We also end up learning about other areas’ needs”.

Daniel Dias, Paralympic medallist athlete with six gold medals in London 2012 in men’s S5 50m freestyle with a world record time, also praised the role of the Sport Committee. “I was not sure of what I would find, and after this meeting I am quite aware of the important role played by the Committee for the staging of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. My ultimate goal is to help the city of Rio de Janeiro to become a national accessibility reference”.

1	Thousands More London 2012 Olympic Tickets Available	Friday, 15 June 2012
2	USOC Launches Team USA YouTube Channel	Friday, 15 June 2012
3	China may withdraw athletes from Olympic training base in Leeds	Thursday, 14 June 2012
4	London 2012 Olympic Games Scheduled to go Under Budget	Wednesday, 13 June 2012
5	LOCOG Unveil Opening Ceremony Design	Tuesday, 12 June 2012
6	Heathrow Airport Staff Pocket Olympic Bonus	Tuesday, 12 June 2012
7	Motorists Warned Off Central London During Olympics	Tuesday, 12 June 2012
8	Train Cleaners to Receive Olympic Bonus	Monday, 11 June 2012
9	London Bus Drivers Issue Olympic Strike Threat	Monday, 11 June 2012
10	Taiwanese tech company’s Olympic sponsorship ends	Friday, 08 June 2012

A crucial court hearing into the sale of Portsmouth’s Fratton Park ground has been postponed amid a row over who should manage the club’s finances during its administration period.

The hearing, due to have taken place at the High Court in London this week, is vital to the Portsmouth Supporters’ Trust (PST) bid to take over the League One club.

Fratton Park is controlled by former Portsmouth owner Balram Chainrai’s Portpin company, the largest creditor in the administration process. Portpin is owed around £12 million by the club, which has debts of more than £60 million, and the company holds a fixed charge over Fratton as security.

That means administrators PKF have had to apply for a court hearing – scheduled to conclude later this week – to determine whether permission can be gained for the ground to be sold at the market rate. The trust has offered £2.75 million for it – an offer which has been turned down.

But on Thursday another party, P&A Partnership, claimed Portpin wanted it, not PKF, to manage the club’s finances until a buyer was found.

Brendan Guilfoyle, of P&A, said Portpin was unhappy with parts of they way in which PKF had been handling matters on the South Coast and could shut Pompey down if it did not secure a change of administrator.

“If I am appointed, I am confident that we can find a buyer to secure the long-term future of this historic and important club,” Guilfoyle said.

A statement from P&A said Portpin had made cash available to allow Portsmouth to continue trading – but only on the condition that Guilfoyle was appointed as administrator.

Guilfoyle, who said the club had “become a lot more saleable in the last six months”, said he believed PKF had asked for the court hearing to be postponed.

He said Portpin wanted him to ensure that, if the PST bid – described by the Football League as having “significant merit” – did not succeed, other potential buyers could be found.

“Portpin don’t feel the club has been fully marketed and they don’t want it liquidated if it can’t be sold to PST,” he added.

“They will fund the continuation of the club until the end of the season as long as the court involve me and I can be given an opportunity to find a new buyer.”

He said Portpin believed “the options presented, either a sale to PST or closure, need broadening” and added: “If the court decided the sale to the supporters should go through, I wouldn’t have any role.

“They [Portpin] feel the whole deal with PST is prejudicial to their interests, and they’re not happy with the administrators.”

John Petrie, pills | Chief Executive of England Golf, illness has announced he is to leave the organisation after five years in the role.

He was appointed Chief Executive of the English Golf Union in 2007 and has worked for the national governing body during one of the most significant times for the game of golf in England when the English Golf Union merged with the English Women’s Golf Association to form England Golf.

Petrie was appointed as Chief Executive of England Golf in January this year and has completed the implementation of the merger on time and within budget.

Petrie said: “To be appointed to this position was a great privilege and I have thoroughly enjoyed the many challenges that faced us. I have been supported throughout by excellent staff and so many outstanding volunteers across the country. The merger leading to England Golf was a hugely significant moment and now it has been implemented, arthritis England Golf needs to look to the future with a new Chief Executive.”

Nigel Evans, Chairman of the Board of England Golf said: “I thank John for his contribution during the past five years. The future of England Golf post merger will bring new challenges and we will start the recruitment process for a new Chief Executive shortly.”

Craig Wagstaff, England Golf Finance Director, will assume the role and duties of Chief Executive for an interim period until a replacement is found.