UEFA have announced that they are going to withhold 23 clubs’ share of European prize money due to their failure to pay debts to other clubs or tax bills.

Sporting Lisbon, Fenerbahce, Malaga and Europa League champions Atletico Madrid are among the clubs not to have provided UEFA with the required information, but there are no British sides on the list.

The sanctions follow the first elements of UEFA’s financial fair play rules coming into force regarding unpaid debts, with the prize money temporarily withheld pending further investigation.

The action was taken by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) investigatory chamber, chaired by former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene.

UEFA said in a statement: “The clubs participating in UEFA club competitions had to provide information regarding the status of any overdue payables as at 30 June 2012.

“The CFCB investigatory chamber has identified that important overdue payables towards other clubs, and/or towards employees or social/tax authorities existed in 23 cases.”

Daniel Geey, Sports law expert at Field Fisher Waterhouse, explained to iSportconnect the nuances of UEFA’s new stance.

“The withholding of prize monies by UEFA is for breaching the overdue payables provisions of the UEFA licensing regime (i.e. outstanding debts to other clubs, employees and social/tax authorities).

“Interestingly, there does not appear (in the press release) to be any expulsion from competition sanctions. This may occur however if clubs do not pay their outstanding debt by 30 September.”

“The FFP ‘break-even’ part of the regulations kicks in for the 13-14 season. It is important to stress is that these sanctions are not about breaching the break-even criteria.”

“Nonetheless, big clubs have been sanctioned like Atlético de Madrid, Málaga,Sporting, Rubin Kazan, Partizan and Fenerbahçe. Many may suggest that this is a show of strength by UEFA i.e. that it means business by imposing such sanctions.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) are set to appoint former South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman David Richardson as their new chief executive.

The world governing body is ready to appoint from within after Richardson was recommended to the board ahead of three other candidates, who reportedly included England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive David Collier.

Richardson, the ICC general manager of cricket for the past decade, will take up his new role in place of departing chief executive Haroon Lorgat at the end of June, as long as the nominations committee’s recommendation is agreed at his employers’ annual conference.

“It is a great honour to be nominated to be chief executive of the ICC,” sadi Richardson. “I am delighted with this opportunity and thank the ICC board for their approval.

“It is an honour to be following a fellow South African, Haroon Lorgat, in this role. I have learnt a lot under his leadership and thank him for his support in the last four years.”

CC vice president Alan Isaac, who was tasked by the ICC board with identifying Lorgat’s successor, added: “David Richardson was an outstanding candidate who not only had important knowledge of the ICC administration, its staff and its operations but also has unquestioned cricketing knowledge – having represented his country so admirably.

“His appointment will provide continuity and a smooth transition after Haroon Lorgat steps down after ICC annual conference in Kuala Lumpur at the end of June.

“I am sure all my colleagues on the nominations committee will agree that this was a very difficult assignment, because we were presented with not only three other experienced and talented candidates but also an extremely impressive longer list of contenders for this important role.

“I am grateful to the final four for travelling to Mumbai, and I am sure they will understand and respect our decision.

“I am looking forward to working closely with David over the next two years and I am sure that he will carry the support of all the full members and the ICC staff.”

Scotland’s games during this month’s quadrangular tournament in South Africa will be broadcast live by Sky Sports, viagra 100mg the sports channel has revealed.

Scotland’s opening game  against Samoa in Durban on Saturday (8 June)  will be telecast on Sky Sports 2 from 1.10pm UK time and will follow on from coverage of the Queensland Reds v British & Irish Lions.

The next Test – against South Africa in Nelspruit on Saturday 15 June – will be shown on Sky Sports 3 with a 4pm start UK time for the programme.

The final match, cialis pills on Saturday 22 June at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria will also be shown live on the Sky Sports network.

A Scottish Rugby spokesman said: “It’s always important for us that Scotland supporters at home and around the world have the opportunity to watch the national team.”

Gus Williamson, head of Rugby at BskyB, said: “Scotland rugby union fans are in for a treat in June. Not only can they follow the fortunes of Richie Gray, Sean Maitland and Stuart Hogg down under with the Lions, they can also watch all three of Scotland’s Tests in South Africa, as Scott Johnson’s side get an early look at two of the sides [SA and Samoa] that they have drawn in the 2015 World Cup. “

German soccer giants, symptoms Bayern Munich will receive more than €3 million ($3.9m) from UEFA for releasing their players for Euro 2012.

A total of 575 clubs will receive payments, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City and Juventus all due to receive more than €2 million ($2.57m).

The compensation, which totalls €100 million ($128.6m), has been allocated in accordance with the renewed Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the European Club Association and UEFA in March.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the CEO at Bayern and the ECA chairman, said: “The European Club Association is pleased that its contribution to the success of UEFA Euro 2012 has been recognised and justly rewarded by UEFA. This shows the excellent relationship that exists within the football family in Europe, as we work hand in hand to shape the future of our game.”

The payments mark a significant increase on Euro 2008, when only 180 clubs received funds. It is intended that €150 million ($193m) will be distributed at Euro 2016.

UEFA president Michel Platini added: “I am delighted that we are able to provide clubs with financial benefits from UEFA Euro 2012 to reward their contribution to the competition.

“We witnessed a truly fantastic UEFA European Football Championship final round this summer, and I am pleased that the clubs can now also be associated with the event.”

The top five clubs to benefit are:

Bayern Munich (€3,095,393/$3,980,272)
Real Madrid (€2,996,585/$3,853,482)
Barcelona (€2,210,202/$2,842,226)
Manchester City (€2,069,465/$2,661,397)
Juventus (€2,023,012/$260,165)

Former Chicago Blackhawk scout Marc Bergevin is moving back to his hometown after he agreed to become Montreal Canadiens’ new General Mnanger.

The 46-year-old who grew up watching the Montreal Canadiens parade the Stanley Cup down Ste-Catherine Street almost annually is now responsible for reshaping the struggling team in a city that will watch and pick apart his every move.

The new Canadiens general manager brings to the job 20 years of experience as a steady, stay-at-home defenceman for eight NHL clubs and more than seven years of scouting and management with the Chicago Blackhawks.

But his first job as an NHL GM comes with many challenges as he takes over a club that finished last in the NHL Eastern Conference this season.

“I took this job first of all because I know I’m ready,” Bergevin said after he was introduced as executive vice-president and GM by team owner/president Geoff Molson on Wednesday.

“If I wasn’t ready for this challenge I wouldn’t be here today.”

He said that despite the team’s dismal finish in 2011-12, it will not need a complete rebuild but will require some changes to make it a winner.

The Canadiens were hit hard by injuries, but they have a solid top line of David Desharnais, Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty and the makings of a second line with Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta, as well as a young but decent defence and a talented goalie in Carey Price.

“I believe the pieces are really good,” Bergevin said. “Obviously finishing 15th in the conference, it’s a lot of work that needs to be done but you have a good base.”

While he offered only a few specific details of what will change, it was clear the easygoing Bergevin is a near opposite of Pierre Gauthier, the guarded, uncommunicative GM he has replaced.

“We were looking for a candidate with very strong leadership capability, great communication skills at all levels and someone with a clear determination and commitment to winning,” said Molson.

Gauthier was fired on March 29, near the end of a 31-35-16 season that saw the Canadiens finish miss the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

While he admitted he was a little nervous at a packed news conference that was being aired live in English and French on several television and radio stations, Bergevin kept his cool and even slipped a few jokes into his answers to reporters’ questions.

“I’m emotional because it’s the Montreal Canadiens,” he said. “I grew up here watching the Canadiens.

“I’m proud of it and I’m going to enjoy it.”

The world’s most influential sports leaders, investors and sponsors will gather at a new International Herald Tribune (IHT) conference in Singapore in 2012 to discuss the business of sport and the opportunities created by the globalisation of sports business models.

Developed with guidance from the IHT’s writers and global sports business leaders,The IHT Sports Business Summit will be held at the luxury Capella Singapore hotel on February 28^th and 29^th 2012.

The conference will feature IHT sports writers Christopher Clarey, Rob Hughes and Brad Spurgeon in conversation with high-profile speakers, including:

-Randy Bernard, CEO, IndyCar

-Bruce Buck, Chairman, Chelsea F.C.

-Anders Sundt Jensen, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Cars

-Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman, Asian Tour

-Ronald Noble, Secretary General, INTERPOL

-Richard Worth, Chairman, America’s Cup

-Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer, Mercedes GP Petronas Formula One Team

-Brad Drewett, CEO, International Group, ATP Tour

-Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO, WTA

-Joel Finlay, Global Lead – Major Sport Events; Global Infrastructure Projects Group, KPMG

-Giles Morgan, Group Head of Sponsorship, HSBC

Stephen Dunbar-Johnson, Publisher of the IHT said: “The value of the global sports market is rocketing, so the time is right to launch this new conference which will look at the financing of sport, as well as the socio-economic, technological, political and business issues which impact on the globalization of sport.

“We are particularly excited to hold this inaugural event in Singapore, as Asia is one of the fastest growing areas for sports, both in terms of new fans and opportunities for businesses and investors.”

Supersport have secured the broadcast rights to the Premier League in Kosovo for the next three seasons following a deal with IMG Media.

The deal with Digitalb, allergy the current broadcaster in the region, is for the 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons. They will broadcast the coverage across their Supersport channels and have agreed a deal for the rights to all 380 games either live or delayed.

Victor Blundell , Senior Vice President of IMG Media, said: “We are delighted  to have renewed live and exclusive coverage of the Barclays Premier League on the Supersport channels in Kosovo. Their viewers are huge fans of English football and can continue to follow their favourite teams and players for the next three years.”

Alban Jaho, CEO of Digitalb/Supersport, said: “Digitalb is delighted to be showing three more seasons of the Barclay’s Premier League. We greatly value the product and have worked for many years to promote it and will ensure we will continue to maximize the exposure and popularity in the coming seasons.”

Wembley Stadium will not receive a name change, sources have clarified on Monday.

Rumours were circulating that the Football Association was locked into negotiations with up to five potential sponsors looking for naming-rights to the prestigious stadium which plays host to this season’s Champions League final.

However, sources insist there is no chance of a naming rights deal, such as the one Arsenal have with airline Emirates or Stoke have with the Britannia Co-operative Bank.

Even if they wanted to, Wembley officials would come up against a problem Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has encountered at Newcastle.

Although now officially titled the Sports Direct Arena, most fans still refer to the ground as St James’ Park.

Wembley was rebuilt at an eye-bulging cost of £798million and re-opened in 2007.

The stadium has hosted a number of high-profile events, including NFL, rugby union, rugby league and a series of pop concerts.

Former Wembley CEO, Michael Cunnah relieved many fans by saying: “The fans need not worry as the FA will never change the name of Wembley Stadium. What they may do is sell the rights to a sponsor that then becomes Wembley stadium presented by …

“Wembley is an attractive sponsorship package as many companies would wish to be associated with the most famous stadium in the world.”

The iSportconnect chairman added: “It will be interesting to see which companies would be considered for appropriate sponsors. I will expect them to be either British or English companies.”

College sports Big 12 Conference will appoint Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby as their next commissioner, according to CBSSport.com.

A press conference has been tentatively scheduled for Friday.

Bowlsby, 60, has been at Stanford since 2006 and previously was athletic director at Iowa from 1991-2006 and Northern Iowa from 1984-91.

Bowlsby will replace acting commissioner Chuck Neinas, who took over when former commissioner Dan Beebe was fired in 2011. ESPN.com first reported Bowlsby was offered the job.

One of Bowlsby’s first duties is decide if the league should expand. With the addition of West Virginia and TCU, they have 10 members for the 2012-13 season. But there are several within the conference who want the league to expand to 11 or 12 for stability reasons and others who want the league to remain at 10 schools.

Industry sources told CBSSports.com if the Big 12 does expand Louisville would be its first target as a full member and the Cardinals would leave the Big East. The Big 12 also has hopes to try and sway Notre Dame to join the league, either as an all-sports member or just for as an Olympic sports member.

Bowlsby is one of the most respected athletic directors in the country. While at Stanford, the Cardinal won their unprecedented 17th consecutive Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, awarded to the nation’s top all-around athletic program based on NCAA tournament success in each sport.

In December of 2006, Bowlsby hired former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh as Stanford’s football coach, which resurrected the program. When Harbaugh left for the San Francisco 49ers, Bowlsby promoted offensive coordinator David Shaw, who guided the Cardinal to a second consecutive BCS bowl berth last season.

Bowlsby also was a key component in working with Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott in securing the league’s groundbreaking multimedia rights agreement that extends through 2024.

He also has been appointed to the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors, elected chair of the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee and represented the NCAA as one of two voting members on the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors. Bowlsby also served as a member of the NCAA/U.S. Olympic Committee Task Force.

Bowlsby graduated from Minnesota State-Moorhead in 1975 and has a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1978.

Rajesh Agrawal, Founder & Chief Executive of RationalFX, one of the world’s fastest growing and most competitively priced independent foreign exchange companies, and Xendpay.com, a leading online international payments service, was honoured with the Asian Leadership as Young Entrepreneur at the esteemed Asian Who’s Who Awards 2011, which took place on Monday 21^st November atThe Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane London.

Now in its 24^th year, the high profile event pays homage to the most influential Asians the world over, who have made a phenomenal contribution to their respective fields and continue to set a shining example to their peers among the global Asian fraternity and beyond.

Rajesh was presented the award in the presence of a host of MP’s, dignitaries, industry leaders, celebrities and VIP’s in attendance. Award winners were selected by an independent panel of eminent advisors, including previous award winners such as Founder and Chairman of Cobra Beer Lord Karan Bilimoria; Baroness Shreela Flather; and Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP.

Rajesh Agrawal was recognised for his gifted sense of entrepreneurship and for creating a multi-million pound commercial foreign exchange and international payments company which is fast becoming its marketplace leader. Born in Indore, India, Rajesh, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance & Marketing and an MBA in IT & Marketing, was 22 years of age when he left his small town home in India to live on only 5,000 rupees (approximately £63) a month in Chandigarh, Northern India, working for a small web-designing company. Rajesh moved to London in 2001 after being headhunted by a foreign exchange broking firm and after harnessing over 10 years of experience in IT, currency risk management and commercial foreign exchange, he teamed up with colleague, Paresh Davdra, to create RationalFX. What started as a two-man enterprise based in Brighton is now a multi-million pound turnover business based in the City of London, with offices in Birmingham, France and Italy, and the firm is now one of the UK’s fastest growing companies.

As a brand extension to RationalFX, who are also iSportconnect’s official sponsor, Rajesh launched Xendpay, a leading provider of international payments and worldwide money remittance online. Engaged in a number of high profile endeavours and community based engagements, RationalFXis also the principal sponsor for Birmingham City Football Club for Season 2011-2012, again testament to the company’s exponential growth and a further signifier of Rajesh’s commitment to supporting regional projects and grass roots organisations.

Rajesh’s business prowess, combined with a strong sense of philanthropy, has contributed to widespread celebrations of his achievements by some of the most globally respected bodies and organisations in his field. He has been a nominee and recipient of several industry awards and accolades.

In 2008, he was nominated in the Business and Commerce Excellence category at the coveted Lloyds TSB Jewel Awards. That same year, he was also elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturing and Commerce on a personal invitation by the trustee board. Rajesh is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragements of Arts, manufacturers and Commerce (FRSA) and a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). Rajesh is also an adept speaker and writer on foreign exchange markets, work philosophy and entrepreneurship, as well as an unsung philanthropist committed to a number of community-centric and charity based projects.

In speaking about the Award, Rajesh said, “I am delighted and honoured to be recognised with this award for my achievements, by the community that has been the making of me. It is the Asian community that I have always been a part of that has instilled in me a value system and set of principles that dictate the way in which I conduct myself in my life and career. By following the great examples I have always had around me, whether family or the wider community, I have managed to overcome challenges and achieve my goals, with their support and encouragement behind me always. These awards are testament to the great achievements of Asian communities, not only in Asia but wherever they have settled across the globe, as they continue to inspire younger generations and make their mark in their countries of residence.”

The prestigious Asian Who’s Who Awards were presented to coincide with the launch of the annual publication of the Asian Who’s Who International, featuring the world’s most inspiring and respected Asian personalities across a host of fields and professions. With the first edition published in 1975, the now annual directory features the biggest and brightest Asian talents and charts the ascent of the community as it continues to provide shining role models to new generations of Asians who are proving themselves to be assets to their country of residence.

Read Rajesh Agrawal’s profile on iSportconnect now.