Leeds United have announced that it has signed a three-year deal with BBC Radio Leeds for live match commentary.

BBC Leeds, who last provided full match commentaries during the 2007/08 season, will return to the gantry for the new season after agreeing a new deal to supply Leeds United match commentaries on FM around the region.

Leeds United Managing Director David Haigh said: “The BBC and Leeds United are a natural fit as two great institutions, both locally and nationally. It’s a good deal for our fans, many of whose association with the club was forged through listening to BBC commentaries.

“It is also key to our strategy of maximising the value of an association with the club while creating the widest possible exposure for the club and all its commercial partners and followers.”

“Having been a former member of the BBC Radio Cornwall Sport scene team this is an especially good day for me.”

Helen Thomas, Head of BBC Yorkshire, said: “This is excellent news for BBC Radio Leeds and we very much look forward to working with Leeds United over the next three years.”

The BBC will provide full commentary on all matches from the opening Championship game of the season against Brighton on Saturday August 3.

Shanghai Shenhua and Chinese Super League officials have said that the team will play its game on Saturday against Changchun Yatai as scheduled following a one-day pay-related training protest.

A complicated disagreement over the clubs ownership is also reportedly close to being resolved with Zhu Jun, the club’s major investor, to officially take control.

Zhu reportedly sent an ultimatum to the club’s five other part-owners, all from state-owned enterprises last week, demanding the large stake transfer that he had been promised, otherwise he would stop paying wages and bonuses.”

Shareholders of the five state-owned enterprises are believed to have agreed to complete the transfer by the end of 2012, which would take Zhu’s stake in the club from 28.5 percent to 75 percent.{jcomments on}

The Colombian Olympic Committee has announced the appointment of Juan Camilo Medina Quintero as manager of the Medellin bid for Youth Olympic Games 2018. 

After the meeting of the Organizing Committee for the bid Medellín 2018, the Mayor  of Medellin Anibal Gaviria shared his decision with the committee members of Quintero’s appointment.. 

The meeting of the organizing committee addressed areas of importance regarding the 2018 project.

They discussed issues of ticketing, dates of the Games and progress in the document to be delivered to the International Olympic Committee. 

Quintero had been serving as Private Secretary to the Mayor and was also Secretary for Productivity in the Government of Antioquia and CEO of Tecnova.

Channel 4 Racing has added more horseracing coverage after announcing Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s premier middle-distance all-aged Flat race, will return to terrestrial television in October after the british broadcaster secured a deal.

The Longchamp showpiece had previously been televised by Channel 4 from 1986 to 1994 and in 2001 while it had been shown on the BBC until their decision to stop televising racing which meant last year’s race was not available on mainstream TV.

Channel 4 did have the option of screening last year’s race also but after investing heavily in British racing they have now decided to strike a deal with France Galop to show the race on October 6.

A message on Channel 4’s twitter feed said: “The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe returns to terrestrial television! Will be shown LIVE ON CHANNEL 4 on Sunday 6th October.”

Portsmouth Supporters’ Trust (PST) are ecstatic following news the administrators named them the preferred bidder for the club

Administrators PKF announced the decision in a statement released on Thursday.

Trevor Birch, PKF partner and joint administrator of Portsmouth, said in a statement: “After extensive discussions over the past few weeks, we have today nominated Portsmouth Supporters Trust as the preferred bidder for Portsmouth football club.

“We will be working with the Trust, the Football League and the Professional Footballers’ Association to conclude the sale of the club as soon as possible.”

Iain McInnes, proposed Chairman of Portsmouth under the PST bid, said: “We are energised that our bid, by the fans and for the fans, has been preferred by the club’s administrators.

“Although there remains a huge amount of work to be done to ensure the right outcome for the club, we are confident we will succeed.

“We believe our bid is realistic and credible, which is a view shared by the administrator.

“We will be working closely with Trevor Birch and his team in the coming days and weeks to ensure our bid will meet all legal and financial requirements.”

CONCACAF, the governing body for football in North, Central America and the Caribbean, has appointed Colombian Enrique Sanz as its new general secretary.

He will replace acting secretary Ted Howard, who in turn replaced American official Chuck Blazer, who resigned from the position in January.

“Sanz will have a key role in the administration of CONCACAF,” said CONCACAF President Jeffery Webb, who made the appointment, which was unanimously approved by the federation’s Executive Committee. “I am certain that we have found a professional with competence and integrity to implement our road map to reform.

Sanz joins CONCACAF after nearly 15 years as vice president of Traffic Sports USA, where he helped lay the foundations for the second-tier North American Soccer League in the USA and Canada, among other accomplishments.

“With this appointment, and as part of CONCACAF’s new leadership, I understand that my mandate is to oversee the administration of the CONCACAF, so that we may achieve our mission, which is to develop football throughout the region,” Sanz said in a statement.

NFL Super Bowl Champion, unhealthy Justin Tuck, added to Global Sports Forum Barcelona line-up, 7-9 March 2012

New research released today by brand engagement agency, Havas Sport & Entertainment, for  the Global Sports Forum Barcelona (GSFB) – www.globalsportsforum.org – shows that the majority of sports fans across Europe believe league games played overseas ‘do a good job of promoting their sport’.

The findings are announced as two-time NFL Super Bowl winner, Justin Tuck, of the New York Giants is confirmed as the latest speaker to take part in the GSFB, 7-9 March, 2012.  This month, Tuck won his second Super Bowl, and just as impressively, the defensive end’s charitable initiatives have resulted in more than $1 million (USD) raised and 45,000 books donated to students in need.  Tuck played for the Giants in the NFL International Series at Wembley Stadium in 2007, giving him the authority to discuss with the GSFB’s 1,000 delegates how increased exposure, such as overseas competition, can expand an athlete’s philanthropic reach.

When European sports fans were asked about their perception of domestic club matches being played in foreign countries:

• 65% agree that it does ‘a good job of promoting the sport in question’
• 63% claim these matches ‘do a good job of attracting new fans to their team’.
• 59% feel that foreign fixtures do ‘nothing to take away from the local identity of the club’
• 61% believe fixtures played abroad have ‘little effect on alienating the club’s loyal fan base back home’

George Atallah, Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs of the NFL Players Association, said:

“Athletes across the world, such as Justin Tuck, already use the platform of sport to affect positive change. The findings released by Havas Sport & Entertainment show how humanitarian efforts of players will broaden with the globalisation of competition.”

The fans were surveyed across seven European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and UK) as part of the Global Sports Forum Barcelona’s study on the Globalisation of Sport.  Overall, it is Spanish fans who think that foreign fixtures are most useful for their team, with German sports fans having the most negative opinion of international club matches.

The findings of the study, along with many other issues affecting the sports industry – including Gambling in sport, football and finance and event bidding – will be discussed at the fourth edition of the GSFB, which will be attended by many of the sport industry’s leading rights holders, governing bodies, brands and athletes.

Lucien Boyer, President and CEO, Havas Sport & Entertainment and General Commissioner of the Global Sports Forum Barcelona, said:

“In recent times, we have seen a rise in the number of regular season fixtures being played abroad, with some of the biggest leagues in the world, including the NFL, NBA and English Rugby’s LV Cup all taking domestic fixtures into foreign territories. 

“The effect this has had on the loyal fans back home has been a topic of great debate and has prevented some leagues from expanding in this way, so it’s interesting to see what European sports fans think of this trend.  Our findings suggest that fans are not averse to seeing their teams play on foreign soil.  It may be that they believe that larger fan bases could generate revenue to spend on improving their teams.

“NFL players have been pioneers in playing domestic league fixtures overseas so it is apt that we have Super Bowl Champion, Justin Tuck, with us to discuss this trend and the importance of philanthropic works by athletes at the Global Sports Forum Barcelona.”

GolTV, health a bilingual soccer network, treatment has secured the exclusive broadcast rights to three pre-season summer matches and tournaments that will include top teams from England, order Germany, Italy and Spain. 

GolTV will air the Champions League winner Bayern Munich from Bundesliga vs. the top ranking team from La Liga, Barcelona FC in The Uli Hoeneß Cup; the Chelsea Asia Tour that will début Jose Mourinho, formerly with Real Madrid, in his new role as the Chelsea manager; and the Tim Trophy, which will feature Italy’s Serie A top teams: Juventus, AC Milan and first time Serie A team, Sassuolo.

The Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona FC match is a pre-season football tournament that will be played on Wednesday, July 24^th in Munich, Germany.

The Chelsea Football Club will tour Asia this summer with three exciting matches being played in Thailand, Malaysia and, for the first time, Indonesia. The tour will kickoff on Wednesday, July 17^th with the Chelsea vs. Thai All-Stars game. On Sunday, July 21^st, Chelsea will face the Malaysian All-Stars; and they will end their Asian tour on Thursday, July 25^th when they play the Indonesian All-Stars. The Tim Trophy is also a pre-season tournament played by the most successful EPL teams, Juventus and AC Milan, as well as newly promoted to Serie A, Sassuolo. The teams will play 3 round-robin 45-minute matches on Tuesday, July 23^rd.

GolTV’s primary focus is to provide the highest level of quality programming to its subscribers. “We are excited about adding these new properties to our summer line-up and offering our viewers such a unique and rare opportunity,” said Rodrigo Lombello, GolTV’s Chief Operating Officer. “We know our viewers will look forward to watching these amazing matches on GolTV.”

Dalian Shide Group is reportedly negotiating the sale of its Chinese Super League football club, with Red Bull and Dalian Haichang Group being mooted as potential buyers.

It has been rumoured since May that the club will be sold.

Red Bull is apparently the club’s preferred buyer, but the local government is adamant the club should remain in the city and is concerned that Red Bull would relocate the club.

Dalian Shide Group has struggled financially since the disappearance of its Chairman, Xu Ming, earlier this year in connection with the expelled Communist Party leader Bo Xilai scandal.{jcomments on}