Diego Maradona attended a Beijing court hearing on Friday about his $3.2M image rights claim against two Chinese Internet companies.

Maradona has reportedly accused the companies of using his name and picture for an online gaming site without asking his permission.

Maradona’s agent in China, Tang Qinghui, said she could not comment on the case.

However, the 51-year-old is reportedly seeking 20M yuan ( us $3.2M) in compensation. Tang said is in China to “discuss with football officials how the game can be developed” in the country at  grassroots level. {jcomments on}

Doubts have emerged over Rio 2016 after resignations of it security director, Luiz Fernando Corrêa, and chief commercial officer, Flavio Pestana.

Corrêa has resigned amid accusations of corruption during his time as National Secretary for Public Security in 2007.

Corrêa, was appointed as the Rio Games security chief last May, but is facing legal action amid accusations of overcharging of up to 18 millon real ($10.5 million) for contracts for the purchase of computer equipment during the 2007 Pan-American Games which were signed without going to tender.

A statement from Rio 2016 claimed that Corrêa, 53, was resigning from his post because he did not want the legal dispute to interfere with preparations for the Games.

But he was “confident of a decision in his favour”, they said.

The statement added: “After presenting his defence case, prepared by the Federal Attorney General’s Office, and confident on a favourable ruling, Corrêa aims to seek compensation for image, moral and monetary damages from those directly and indirectly responsible.”

In addition to the security of the competition and non-competition venues, Corrêa was also handling the liaison for the Olympcis and Paralympics with all the Government security agencies.

Corrêa had headed the SENASP – the national public security department – between 2003 and 2007, when he oversaw security for the Pan and Parapan American Games Rio 2007 before being appointed Federal Police General Director, a post he left in January 2011.

The decision of Pestana to resign due to “personal problems” comes only a month after he had been appointed to replace Maggie Sanchez, who had sacked in October after, what was described, “incompatibility of philosophies”.

“Hiring a professional of the highest caliber such as Flavio Pestana…ensures the confidence and reliability we need to conduct such a record-breaking sponsorship programme and develop new revenue generating programmes for staging memorable Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016,” said Carlos Nuzman, the President of Rio 2016, at the time of his appointment.

Leonardo Gryner, the chief executive of Rio 2016, will act as the chief commercial officer in an interim capacity, supported by the commercial department structure, which includes the sponsorship sales director, Rodrigo Frazão; the partner Sservices director, Henrique Leal; and the head of licensing, retail and concessions Sylmara Multini.

by Ismail Uddin

Bei einem Treffen in der Zentrale des Deutschen Fußball-Bundes haben sich die Präsidenten von Fortuna Düsseldorf und Benfica Lissabon über die offenen Fragen nach dem abgebrochenen Testspiel beider Vereine am 11. August 2012 verständigt. Das Gespräch war auf Initiative und im Beisein des portugiesischen Verbandspräsidenten Fernando Gomes und des DFB-Präsidenten Wolfgang Niersbach im Sinne der freundschaftlichen Beziehungen zwischen beiden Verbänden und den Vereinen zustande gekommen.

In dem Gespräch brachte die Vereinsspitze von Benfica Lissabon ausdrücklich ihr Bedauern über den Spielabbruch zum Ausdruck. Einig waren sich beide Vereine, click dass das Verhalten eines Spielers die Beziehungen beider Klubs nicht belasten darf.

Benfica-Präsident Luis Filipe Vieira sagte: “Wir bedauern den Vorfall sehr und freuen uns, denture dass wir die Irritationen ausräumen und so schnell eine Lösung finden konnten. Uns war es sehr wichtig, discount dass die freundschaftlichen Beziehungen zu Fortuna Düsseldorf auch in Zukunft bestehen bleiben.”

Fortunas Vorstandsvorsitzender Peter Frymuth sagte: “Das Treffen hat uns geholfen, die offenen Fragen in einer freundschaftlichen Atmosphäre persönlich anzusprechen und auf eine unbürokratische Art zu regeln. Mit der gefundenen Lösung können wir als Verein sehr zufrieden sein.” 

Former Sunderland Chairman Niall Quinn has decided to leave the Premier League club after six years to spend more time with his family and concentrate on business interests outside of football.

The former Republic of Ireland international, who as chairman put together the Drumaville consortium which backed Sunderland’s return to the Premier League, and then persuaded American tycoon Ellis Short to take over, today announced he is to end his involvement as director of international development.

Quinn stepped aside as Sunderland chairman last year to focus on increasing the club’s international profile but is now decided to quit the club with immediate effect.

“I’ve had the most amazing six years and it gives me a huge sense of pride to see where Sunderland is today,” Quinn said.

“Sunderland is in an incredibly fortunate position to have a hugely talented team of people leading the football club right now.

“There is a tremendous amount of energy about the place and the board and the executive management team are a dynamic and committed group, who hold the best interests of the club at the core of all they do.

“Everything is in place for Sunderland to really make a statement, which was always my aim.
Quinn cited bringing in manager Martin O’Neill earlier in the season as “an absolute highlight” and is confident that the Northern Irishman “will harness the immense passion that exists here and take us to new heights”.

The former Sunderland striker said he will still get that same “knot” in his stomach before every game but will always get a feeling of pure elation if results continue to go well on the pitch.

Chairman Ellis Short said: “Niall Quinn is and always will be a Sunderland legend. His vision brought me into the club and that vision still inspires what we do.

“His hard work laid down the foundations that we are now building on and the vision and drive he showed both in those early days and indeed in recent times as he focused on our international development, particularly in Africa, should never be underestimated.

“We fully understand his desire to take a back seat now and to concentrate on his own life and interests away from football and he deserves that opportunity.”

by Ismail Uddin

Leading sports equipment manufacturer and supplier Mark Harrod Ltd have dived back in as a partner for the 2012 brmb Grass Roots Football Show.

Mark Harrod Ltd , who manufacture a number of their products from their Stafford base in the UK, have been named as a partner to the biggest event of its kind in Europe and will once again supply the goals used throughout the show.

Suppliers of high quality sports equipment direct to schools, colleges, local authorities and sports clubs, Mark Harrod Ltd, had a stand out event as a partner in 2011 and have been quick to re sign for next year’s event at the NEC.

Joanna Burns, Director of the brmb Grass Roots Football Show, said; “We are delighted to have signed a partnership with Mark Harrod for the 2012 show. Safety of our visitors and quality of equipment for our coaches and players are two of the major priorities when putting together this kind of show.

“With over 30 year experience in the sports equipment industry they are the industry leaders and a perfect fit for the ever expanding brmb Grass Roots Football Show.”

Mark Harrod, Managing Director of Mark Harrod Ltd, said; “Last year’s show was by far our best and we are very excited about the 2012 brmb Grass Roots Football Show. We have seen a definite shift change since the introduction of the new organisers in 2011.  They delivered a superb event for all of the grass roots football family and that is reflected in our decision to partner the show again in 2012.

“We have no doubt that the Grass Roots Football Show will continue to grow and grow and we are very excited about having the opportunity to play a part in that.”

Following a highly successful staging in 2011, Britain’s premier football show will be held at the NEC from Friday May 25 – Sunday May 27 2012.

The Show will be the prelude to a busy summer of football in 2012 with the European Championships due to kick off in June.

Indian broadcaster, buy Ten Sports have secured a ground-breaking deal with Olympic Council of Asia to show the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, ampoule South Korea and four other Asian Olympic Competitions.

The deal was brokered by MP & Silva, health the international sports media company and media advisor of OCA.  The rights package includes:  2013 Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games, Incheon S. KOREA; 2013 Asian Youth Games, Nanjing CHINA; 2013 Asian Games Centennial Festival, Boracay PHILIPPINES; 2014 Asian Beach Games, Phuket THAILAND and 2014 Asian Games, Incheon S. Korea.

Ten Sports is a premier sports channel reaching over 55 million homes across the Indian subcontinent. The deal with TEN Sports will include access to all programmed transmission hours to all the OCA events listed above.

This is the second time that TEN Sports will broadcast the Asian Games, the world’s second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games, after the successful broadcast of the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.  

Andrea Radrizzani, Group CEO, MP &Silva, said: “In our capacity as media advisors of OCA we are working to guarantee not only the highest level of production guidelines for the sporting events but also guarantee the success of the Olympic Asian sports movement and improve its reach to other regions of the world. We believe this deal with TEN Sports improve the penetration of the Asian Games and the other competitions in the South Asian region.”

Husain Al-Musallam, OCA General Director, said: “We are extremely happy with the results of this broadcasting deal. Through this partnership with MP & Silva and TEN Sports, we will be able to give more visibility not only to the Asian Games but all the Asian Olympic competitions in the Indian sub-continent.”

Mr. Atul Pande , CEO Ten Sports added: “We  are extremely delighted to partner with the Olympic Council of Asia for telecast of Asian Games 2014. This agreement is a testament to our commitment of reaching out to a wide audience base across South Asia with the most interesting and compelling programming not limited to cricket.  We are committed to promote the spirit of the Asian Games and are delighted that our viewers can now be part of the excitement as they watch, share and celebrate the 2014 Asian Games and additional OCA tournaments on our platforms.”

The Premier League has announced a clamp down on websites hosting illegal streams of matches.

Top-flight officials recently confirmed that 30,000 offending sites were put to an end during the last season, stamping out around 75 streams per match played.

Barclays Premier League officials enlisted the help of a company called NetResult, which scans the web for illegitimate streaming activity and blocks sites at the source, BBC News reports.

“If you want top quality football, it costs money,” said a Premier League spokesperson. “It’s not just about star performers getting paid well, it’s about investment in facilities and youth development.”

NetResult’s Tim Cooper says that the firm aims to shut down around 80% of illegal streams, as eliminating them entirely has proved problematic.

“It is a case of ‘whack-a-mole’. One disappears and another one comes back online,” he said. “I’m sure people who’ve tried to view Premier League content have found that it’s not the best experience.

“Streams can lag, they can be shut down, you have to find another one.”

Critics of the Premier League’s crackdown have pointed out that the governing body fails to provide a cost-effective means of watching all of their team’s matches without subscribing to a service such as Sky.

The Premier League agreed a £760 million a year deal with Sky, and another with BT for the 2013-2014 season earlier this year.

Tim Lacy has been named Executive Producer, ailment Digital Production of IMG Media, allergist part of IMG Worldwide, impotent a global sports, fashion and media company.

Lacy will be in charge of the overall production process involving the co-ordination of content, the packaging of production specifically for digital output and final delivery for the client.

Graham Fry, Managing Director of IMG Media’s Sports Production Worldwide, said: “Digital production is becoming an increasingly important part of our business and we aim to establish ourselves as major players in this space.

“This requires a dedicated production focus and Tim, with his experience of running the digital output on Golfing World, is the ideal person to take on this new role. He will also remain Executive Producer for Golfing World.”

IMG’s Media Sales Group, headed up by Ben Nicholas, the Head of UK Sales, are also co-ordinating a number of major production opportunities for digital.

Lacy has over 15 years experience with IMG including producing European Tour Weekly and The Open and Ryder Cup official films before becoming Series Producer of Golfing World in 2010.

He said: “IMG is well-placed to create the content for a wide range of sports and federations. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop the digital department within IMG.”

by Ismail Uddin

viagra buy helvetica, denture sans-serif;”>Community rugby clubs are to receive complimentary tickets to Rugby Expo 2011 as a result of an exciting new partnership between The Rugby Football Union (RFU), ailment Premiership Rugby Limited (PRL) and Rugby Ventures, the owners of Rugby Expo.

The agreement will see community rugby clubs receive free tickets to attend the second day of the event when the programme focuses on supporting the requirements of the grass roots game.

The free ticket offer, which will be distributed through official RFU and PRL channels, will allow each club to bring two delegates free of charge, ensuring they benefit from a series of plenary sessions, master class workshops and interactive product demonstrations designed to meet their specific needs.

The second day of Rugby Expo will allow both the RFU and Premiership Rugby take to the main stage alongside a number of key stakeholders from the community game to discuss how the sport will develop over the next four years and the factors driving change.

With closer co-operation between the development teams of the RFU and the professional clubs, the opportunity to showcase their work at the event was welcomed by both organisations.

On confirming the partnership Steve Grainger, Rugby Development Director for the RFU said:  “Having met the team from Rugby Expo we were more than happy to work with them to share our plans for the future of the sport at the event. Rugby Expo provides an excellent platform to meet many rugby clubs from across the country, to promote the collaboration with Premiership Rugby and to share how we are working together to develop the grass roots of the sport.”

Mark McCafferty, CEO of Premiership Rugby Limited said:  “As a sport, we have a unique opportunity leading up to Rugby World Cup 2015 and beyond to realise a major step change in the appeal of the game in England. Clubs at all levels need to be at the heart of this effort. The Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs have developed some very strong community programmes and we look forward to working further with the RFU and all member clubs to realise the potential of the next few years. Rugby Expo 2011 can signal the beginning of that collective journey.”

Speakers already confirmed for day two of the event includes Steve Griffiths, the IRB’s Head of Technical Services, Mark Evans, former CEO of Harlequins, Keith Butten, Chairman of Luton RFC, Nigel Fletcher, Chairman of the European Synthetic Turf Organisation and Simon Winman, the RFU’s Head of Facilities.

IMG Media, apoplectic a division of IMG Worldwide, has acquired a four-year contract for the centralised media rights of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Major Events, the BWF World Superseries and BWF Grand Prix Gold. 

The deal, which comes into effect with the start of the 2014 Superseries cycle next year, will see BWF’s media-rights earnings jump four fold as badminton’s world-governing body capitalises on the sport’s increasing global popularity and profile.

The BWF events are currently televised in more than 160 countries, with more than 5,000 hours of coverage yearly. Additionally, after just 18 months, BWF’s online channel boasts 22 million views with fans already watching 70 million minutes of badminton. The new agreement will look to improve on these solid figures.

“I have said before that my goal has been to strengthen BWF’s financial position and this agreement with IMG further ensures that. BWF is guaranteed higher revenues from this deal than ever before for media rights,” said BWF President Dr. Kang Young Joong.

“This exciting partnership with IMG will allow BWF to explore interesting, new opportunities regarding how we can improve and expand the BWF brand and visibility through various media streams and products.

“Of course, BWF is keen to extend its live and delayed coverage of tournaments into new markets. Additionally, we will be considering how we can continue to exploit broadband technologies and use data to interact with and engage fans more. We are also looking at an enhanced magazine show, profiling badminton stars and events more prominently. There are many options for utilising media platforms and BWF will be seeking to maximise these.”

The consolidation of BWF’s media rights means IMG Media will have exclusive rights to showcase all of the best badminton action worldwide, having secured the rights for the BWF Major Events (World Championships, Thomas & Uber Cups and the Sudirman Cup), the 12-stop BWF World Superseries tour which culminates in the year-end Superseries Finals and the Grand Prix Gold tour which for the first time sees its media rights centralised by the BWF. This is also the very first time the BWF is working exclusively with one global partner across all of its media rights.

“Badminton is growing as a commercial commodity and is among Asia’s leading and most popular spectator sports. IMG is pleased to partner with the BWF to further raise badminton’s profile, not only in the Asian marketplace – which is a booming sports hub – but also into other markets where fans are turning on to the fastest racquet sport,” said Michel Masquelier, President of IMG Media.

“This is an exciting time for badminton and IMG looks forward to this collaboration with BWF and badminton which has proven a best-practices model for sport business in Asia while continuing its global expansion.”