Former Southampton captain Francis Benali has denied claims from his former team-mate Claus Lundekvam about a spot-fixing culture during his time at the club.

Benali’s ex team-mate Claus Lundekvam caused a stir this week with comments made to a Norwegian publication, in which he claimed Southampton players regularly turned a profit betting on minor incidents, such as throw-ins and corners, during their own matches.

Writing in an autobiography released in 2009, retired Southampton favourite Matthew Le Tissier also made references to his involvement with bookmakers during his time at the club.

Benali spent the vast majority of his professional career at Southampton, making 311 league appearances from 1988 to 2005.

The fullback played alongside Lundekvam in defence from 1996 onwards, and has strongly denied there was any impropriety among the Saints’ squad on his watch.

“I can say categorically I have no knowledge of the betting allegations made by Claus,” Benali told the BBC.

“I’m aware of the revelations and I’m very surprised in many ways,” he said.

“I wasn’t aware of it going on in the past so I certainly don’t know of it going on now.

Lundekvam struggled with alcohol and drug abuse following his own retirement in 2008, and Benali suggested the sensational allegations may be a result of his former team-mate’s off-field issues.

“It is widely known that Claus has had quite a few personal problems in recent times and I wonder if that is why he has come out with this story,” he said.

“The way it has come across, it’s like all of us were at it and all in on the betting scam and everyone had knowledge of it. That wasn’t the case.

“Dressing rooms are very tight environments and if something was widespread, even if you weren’t part of it, you would hear it being discussed and talked about.

“That is why this all comes as such a surprise.”

Relegated from the English Premier League in 2005 following a 27-year stay in the top flight, Southampton sunk as low as League One after entering administration in 2009.

They earned successive promotions to the Championship in 2010/11 and the Premier League last season, and Benali is disappointed the club have received such bad publicity as they prepare for their first campaign back among the elite.

“The timing isn’t good from the football club’s point of view,” Benali said.

“No club wants a story like this associated with them, nor do the city or the players involved at the time.

“It’s a smear on your character and not nice, especially when it’s not true.”

English League One team Chesterfield FC have announced a new appointment in their backroom staff in the form of Chris Turner who will become the new chief executive. 

Turner the former Hartlepool United and Leyton Orient Manager has ended his 15-month respite from the day to day runnings of a football club.

The 53-year-old had been wanted by a few clubs after his resignation from Hartlepool as their director of sport in August 2010.

Turner takes over as the Spireites chief executive from Carol Wilby, buy who leaves the B2net stadium at the end of the month after speculation about her position.

The former Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland and Manchester United keeper’s expertise looks vital given Chesterfield’s position.

He arrives at the B2net Stadium with Chesterfield at the foot of the table, having won only three of their 21 games so far this season.

He still has growing optimism of the potential of the club, he added: “I’m excited about this football club going forward.”

When Turner joined Pools as boss in 1999 he saved the club from relegation and built the side which won promotion under Mike Newell in 2003.

But he insists he has no designs on managing the Spireites and all his efforts will be focused on helping current boss John Sheridan.

“I’ve moved on, I’m going in a different direction,” he told BBC Radio Sheffield. “If anyone thinks I’m going to be looking over the manager’s shoulder – I’m not.

“I know League One very well and having seen Chesterfield play a couple of times this season, I know they are well capable of staying in this division

FIFA has revealed that it will investigate former Southampton captain Claus Lundekvam’s claims that he took part in a sustained betting scam that also allegedly involved other Premier League stars.

A statement said: “FIFA is monitoring this issue and involved its chief investigator in England. Once all information is known it will be decided who is leading the investigations.”

In an interview in Norway, Lundekvam revealed that he was regularly involved in spotfixing during his nine years at Southampton.

“It’s not something I’m proud of,” Lundekvam said. “For a while we did this almost every week. We made a fair bit of money. We could make deals with the opposing captain about, for example, betting on the first throw, the first corner, who started with the ball, a yellow card or a penalty. Those were the sorts of thing we had influence over.”

Lundekvam claims, though, that results were never fixed, merely individual events within matches.

“The results were never on the agenda,” he said. “That is something I would never have done. We were professional competitors. Even though what we did, of course, was illegal, it was just a fun thing.”

IMG Worldwide, a leading sports, fashion and media company, have appointed Gary Double as Vice President of Corporate Communications in Europe.

Based in IMG’s International HQ in London, he will report to and work closely with IMG Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Jim Gallagher. Double will be responsible for PR and Corporate Communications across IMG’s businesses in the UK and EMEA, splitting his time between the various Media and Sports & Entertainment sectors of the business. He will also support the growing needs of the business in Asia.

Double has more than 20 years’ experience in sports PR and joins IMG after running his own sports communications consultancy and having also been Director of Media and Communications with then English Premier League club Portsmouth FC for over three years.

“We are delighted to welcome Gary to the IMG team,” said Gallagher. “He has vast experience and knowledge of the world of sport and media in the European market and has worked with some high-profile companies and personalities across a broad range of sports. He comes with an excellent reputation and a proven track record within the business and will be an invaluable addition as we continue to showcase IMG’s portfolio around the world.”

Double said: “I’m very excited about the challenge of working with IMG. IMG is a company that I have worked alongside for various clients and companies and I have always admired and been impressed by their professionalism and integrity. I’m looking forward to playing my part in helping to improve communications and increase awareness of IMG’s unrivalled portfolio of unique global assets.”

Double was in-house at the BBC and BSB before setting up on his own where his clients included ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Eurosport.

He has worked alongside several governing bodies and associations and on several major events including the Summer and Winter Olympics, the football (soccer) and rugby World Cups, the Ryder Cup, the Champions League, Test Match cricket, Wimbledon, Formula One motor racing, the NFL, NHL, MLB and the NBA.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA), world governing body for the sport of boxing, has renewed its partnership with Total Sports Asia (TSA), to distribute the international TV rights of its events in 2013.

The events list includes the European Championships (May 30 – June 9 2013, Minsk in Belarus), the AIBA World Boxing Championships (11-27 October, Almaty in Kazakhstan) as well as the AIBA World Junior Boxing Championships (17-26 August, Kiev in Ukraine). 

AIBA is looking to increase both exposure and revenues of its events around the world and chose to re-appoint TSA, its media partner since 2010, for the AIBA World Championships (worldwide) as well as its distributor for World Series of Boxing Season II in Asia. 

Boxers will now compete without headguard under a pro-style scoring system starting this year after several significant rule changes by the sport’s international governing body. 

TSA’s Chief Content Officer, Julian Jackson, said: “Our company has a long and successful history with the sport of boxing and we distributed the previous World Championships to a record number of countries, so we are delighted that AIBA has chosen us once more to be their media partner. AIBA are a great forward thinking organization and we are very proud to be associated with them .“

Two-time European Cup winners Nottingham Forest have new owners after Kuwaiti businessman Fawaz Al Hasawi agreed to buy the club.

Al Hasawi, a member of one of Kuwait’s richest families and who resigned as president of Kuwaiti club Qadsia earlier this year, had been linked with the Championship club.

He had made no secret that he was aiming to buy a second-tier English club, with Forest having only just retained their Championship status at the end of last season.

They had been on the market since the sudden death of owner Nigel Doughty in February.

Al Hassawi confirmed the acquisition late Tuesday.

“I can officially announce that the acquisition of nottingham forest is complete.”

“We have become the official owners. I thank my brothers Abdulaziz and Omar for their efforts,” he added without providing any financial details on the value of the deal.

The Hassawis have been negotiating the takeover for several weeks with the Estate of Doughty.

In a June 29 statement, the Hassawis said the “future on-field and off-field success of Nottingham Forest is at the heart of our plans.”

Rivals Sebastian Coe and Sergey Bubka, vice-presidents of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and vying for the top job at the athletics’ world governing body have become new chairmans of the IAAF Commissions, along with three others.

Coe, the London 2012 chairman, has replaced Gianni Merlo, Italy’s AIPS President, as chairman of the Press Commission, while Bubka, a member of the International Olympic Committee, takes over the role within the Development Commission previously held by the Senegalese IAAF President, Lamine Diack.

Namibia’s former world 200 metres champion Frank Fredericks replaces Cuba’s 1976 Olympic 400 and 800m champion Alberto Juantorena in the Athletes Commission.

Canadian Jack Agrios takes over from Lauri Tarasti of Finland in the Juridical Commission, while Britain’s former 10,000m world record holder David Bedford replaces Brazilian Robert Gesta De Melo as head of the Road Running Commission.

Seven other chairman remain in situ -Puerto Rioc’s Victor Lopez leads the Coaches Commission, senior vice-president Bob Hersh, from the United States, the Competition Commission, President Diack the Finance and Budget Commission, Spain’s Juan Manuel Alonso the Medical and Anti-Doping Commission, Algeria’s Jamel Simohamed the School and Youth Commission chairman, Qatar’s Dahlan Al Hamad leads the Sustainable Development Commission and Israel’s Alex Gilady the Television Commission.

The Marketing and Promotion Commission, currently headed by Helmut Digel of Germany, will have a chairman only later after next IAAF Council meeting in Spring.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson today launched a ‘one stop shop’ initiative that aims to transform hundreds of sports groups, ensuring they are thriving for years after the 2012 Games.

London is home to many excellent local sports schemes, but some face closure due to a number of issues from financial hardship to problems with securing venues and increasing capacity.  Sport for Social Change Network (SSCN) is a global initiative that the Mayor has introduced to London to boost the Olympic and Paralympics legacy by working in partnership with hundreds of locals sports groups to equip them with everything they need to run successfully for years after the 2012 Games.

Everyone from pensioners to teenagers and expectant mums will benefit from SSCN London. Over the last few weeks it has started supporting groups providing exercise classes to isolated older people on council estates, targeting gangs with sports and employment programmes and helping football teams for kids with special needs.

The Mayor visited the headquarters of the new Sutton SSCN at the Life Centre today, accompanied by Olympic hopeful and British Women’s 100 metres record holder, Montell Douglas and Olympic swimming medallist Steve Parry. The SSCN is delivered in partnership with the Mayor of London, Nike, Active Communities Network, and the Community Action Zone.

The Mayor Boris Johnson said: “This amazing initiative will provide Londoners with the long legacy they truly deserve. There are thousands of excellent sports groups in the capital that struggle with a myriad of problems and sadly many of them will face closure if they don’t get help.  SSCN will provide the essential support needed to boost these schemes, keeping them in business and securing a long and fruitful future.

“I want everyone interested in supporting sport to sign up to the SSCN and help strengthen our sporting future. Let’s keep the memory of the greatest event on earth alive in the capital for as long as possible with a plethora of brilliant sports activity.”

Brian Dickens of SSCN London said: “I’ve been involved in sport in London for over 30 years and I know better than most the huge benefits that sport can bring to someone’s life. I am also in daily contact with all those people and groups out there doing amazing work to create sporting opportunities for Londoners. SSCN London gives us an opportunity to help – to bring these people and organisations together; to share knowledge and expertise; to generate more funding and to ensure that his funding is used as efficiently and as effectively as possible. ”

Marc van Pappelendam, VP & GM of Nike’s UK/Ireland territory said: “Nike believes in the power of sport to inspire change and make a difference in young people’s lives. Investing in community programs that create social change is a powerful way to help build life skills, develop social cohesion, and assist youth to fully participate in the social and economic opportunities in their communities. In collaboration with other organizations, we’ve created ‘Sport for Social Change Networks’ in global communities that make a real impact locally as well as building wider networks to advocate for access to sport.”

After a successful pilot in Lambeth the SSCN scheme is now running across six boroughs: Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Lambeth, Southwark and Sutton and also works on cross borough partnerships. The aim is to have one in every borough within the next few years.

The Sutton SSCN has already secured the future of two local football groups facing closure because of financial and venue problems. One team were given financial assistance to enable them to employ staff to co-ordinate players with learning disabilities. Another group gained access to a large venue and were helped to recruit teenage players from local estates.

Cllr Sean Brennan, Leader of Sutton Council said: “The Sutton Life Centre is world class facility which has a pioneering approach in guiding young people and is a very fitting location for the launch of Sport for Social Change Network. We welcome the opportunity to further transform sports activities in the borough and are very pleased to see that the initiative has already played a significant part in involving local people in constructive sports activities and helping with community integration.”

In Hackney the SSCN is working with the PACT programmes that were having problems expanding their work targeting gang culture. Together they are boosting young people’s employability and education over the next two years with sports development courses (e.g. Vocational Qualifications in sport tackling youth crime). The programme aims to help over 800 vulnerable young people in the next two years and also empower volunteers who run sport groups with local youngsters.

In Southwark the SSCN is helping the Sport Action Zone (SAZ) with their initiatives for older people not getting enough physical exercise. Together they have organised ‘chair-based exercise’ classes for the over 60’s on the Aylesbury Estate in Walworth which have been a tremendous success.

The Sport for Social Change Network is a global initiative also in operation in Brazil, South Africa and East Africa. In London it aims to coordinate efforts in community sport to accelerate the growth, quality and sustainability of the sport for social change movement. The scheme is funded in partnership with Nike as part of the Mayor’s £15.5 million sports legacy scheme.