Dave Ryan, the former McLaren sporting director who left the team in the wake of the Lewis Hamilton lying scandal at the start of 2009, is on the brink of a return to Formula 1 with Renault.

The New Zealander, who earned huge respect during his 35-year spell at McLaren, has travelled to the Brazilian Grand Prix with Renault to take a look at the operation and consider whether there is an opportunity for him to join the outfit properly.

Renault team principal Eric Boullier said that the weekend would be spent with both Ryan and the outfit getting to know each other.

“He is a Genii [Renault owners] consultant,” Boullier told Autosport.

“I think he has valuable experience from McLaren, which can be a help for us. He is here to meet the team, meet us and see how things go.”

When asked whether there was a possibility of Ryan joining the outfit full time, Boullier said: “Maybe, but I don’t know yet.”

The 13th edition of the Sports Merchandise Exhibition (SMEX), set to take place at Wembley Stadium on Monday 14th March, is shaping up to be biggest yet.

In keeping with tradition, SMEX 2011 will continue to provide the very best platform from which to find brandable products or services to increase the merchandising opportunities within any sporting club.

With over 120 manufacturers and distributors exhibiting at the event, combined with nearly 700 key decision makers and buyers from over 22 sports, SMEX 2011 is a unique opportunity to meet face-to-face and see the very latest innovative merchandise products and services available today.

The event has broken all previous records with 1,000 ticket requests to be at Wembley Stadium this March.

From the Premier League finest clubs down to the important grassroot teams, this year’s Sports Merchandise Exhibition is proving the place to be. If you are looking for:

• * Branded Merchandise
• * Corporate Gifts
• * Retail Products
• * Promotional Ideas
• * Give Away Gifts
• * Staff uniforms
• * Hospitality Products

Or are in charge of:

• * Increasing Revenue
• * Marketing
• * Increasing fan interaction
• * Security Systems
• * Retail Development
• * Buying the mascot costume

You should be at the show.

To request your free ticket please visit www.smexevent.com

If you have any questions regarding the show, please call SMEX on +44 (0)20 7798 8500

The Canadian Football League (CFL) and Bell Media’s TSN and RDS have announced a broad new multi-platform broadcast agreement that extends their long-term partnership through to 2018.

As part of the extension, TSN and RDS secure exclusive media rights to all CFL pre-season and regular season games, playoffs, and the Canadian icon that is the Grey Cup, as well as to the CFL Draft and CFL Combine. The CFL regular season broadcast schedule expands to 81 games next year in 2014 when the new Ottawa franchise joins the league. The CFL will also see additional games broadcast in French with more games being broadcast on RDS2.

In addition to broadcast and digital rights, the deal includes exclusive radio rights to the Grey Cup for TSN and TEAM Radio stations.

“This new agreement is a testament to the strength of today’s CFL, our tremendous partnership with TSN and RDS, and their important position in the marketplace as Canada’s sports leaders,” said Mark Cohon , the Commissioner of the CFL. “It’s a transformative deal, both for the growth of our league and its presentation. It’s an important component of our league’s bright future, along with great performances on the field, fan support in the stands, and new stadiums across the country.”

“The CFL is one of Canada’s leading sports properties and has been one of the main audience drivers on the TSN and RDS schedules. We are extremely proud and honoured to have been a key partner in helping to make the CFL such an important part of the Canadian landscape,” said Phil King , President of CTV Programming and Sports. “TSN and RDS are committed to delivering the biggest events in sports to our subscribers and telling the country’s most compelling sports stories. The CFL delivers superbly on both fronts. All of us are looking forward to adding even more games in 2014 with the Ottawa franchise joining the league.”

TSN has been broadcasting CFL games since 1986 and RDS has been a CFL broadcaster since 1989. In 2008, TSN and RDS became the exclusive broadcasters of the CFL and the Grey Cup. Since that time the networks have established new audience records for CFL broadcasts. Last year’s 100^th Grey Cup game on TSN was the most watched ever on English-language television, averaging 5.4 million viewers through the historic telecast.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League has continued to see record audience figures during the Group Stages of the 2012 edition.

Viewing figures across Australia, China, Japan, Korea and the Middle East have seen significant increases over the competition’s showing during 2011, with cumulative audiences rising by an impressive 46 percent.

Ratings across the four nations and the Middle East show almost 200 million viewers – with a combined reach of more than 671 million – tuned in to watch Asia’s leading clubs face off in the Group Stages of the annual continental club championship, which pits domestic league champions and cup winners against one another.

Such has been the popularity of Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande that games featuring the club from southern China occupy the top five most-watched matches in the competition in China so far this season.

Guangzhou’s progress to the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League has given the tournament a significant boost, with China contributing a combined viewership of almost 92 million for the Group Stages and a total of 105 million so far this season.

The cumulative TV audience in China for the 2012 AFC Champions League is already 47 million ahead of the 58 million total achieved for the whole competition in 2011.

The competition’s popularity among TV viewers is also reflected in Japan, where the AFC Champions League garnered 86.37 million viewers for the Group Stages, an increase of 43 percent over figures at the same stage in 2011.

The figure is just shy of the highest recorded figures for the tournament in Japan, when 86.87 million watched the Group Stages in 2009.

And the story is much the same in the Middle East where 19.46 million viewers watched the Group Stage of the competition, an increase of 6.56 million – or 51 percent – on those recorded in 2011.

Those figures are sure to increase when the latter stages of the competition kick off in late September, with three clubs from Saudi Arabia involved in the quarterfinals.

“I am happy that the AFC Champions League viewership continues to increase and this is because of the well-planned and intense efforts of the AFC to raise the quality of play on the pitch as well as the all-round tournament standards,” said AFC Acting President Zhang Jilong.

“The rise in television audience numbers also underlines our belief that we are headed in the right direction as far as the continent’s premier club competition is concerned. This is good news for all our sponsors too as their brands get maximum visibility and exposure in Asia.”

“It’s very encouraging to witness the continued growth in popularity of the AFC Champions League as the profile of club football at continental level increases,” said Nick Mould, President, East Asia, World Sport Group.

“Since its inception in 2002, the AFC Champions League has given clubs greater opportunities both on the field of play and commercially while the experience gained by players and officials alike has played a major role in improving the standard of football throughout Asia.

“With the emergence of teams such as Guangzhou Evergrande joining established clubs like Bunyodkor and Al Ittihad, who have enjoyed prolonged success at this level, we are confident the profile and quality of the competition will continue to grow further.”

Two-time winners Al Ittihad host Guangzhou Evergrande in Jeddah on September 19 before the return fixture is held in China on October 2. Fellow Saudi sides Al Ahli and Al Hilal take on Iran’s Sepahan and Ulsan Hyundai from Korea Republic respectively.

Adelaide United from Australia’s A-League, meanwhile, will face off against Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan in the remaining quarterfinal, with the semifinals due to be played on October 24 and 30 with the final to be played in November.

FIFA have appointed Swiss anti-corruption expert Mark Pieth to lead the Independent Governance Committee which will reform soccer’s world governing body following a series of scandals.

FIFA picked Pieth for its “solutions committee” that will oversee reforms president Sepp Blatter promised after winning re-election in June, following a bribery-tainted campaign by his only challenger.

The University of Basel professor will outline the scope of his expert panel’s work at a news conference next week, FIFA said.

In 2004, Pieth was chosen by the United Nations to serve on an independent inquiry team examining alleged corruption in the Iraqi oil-for-food program.

Blatter has pegged the “solutions” panel — which FIFA now calls the Independent Governance Committee — to have a key role analyzing areas for reform plus past allegations that require further probing.

Pieth has taken a role that Blatter initially suggested might be filled by former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

FIFA has said up to 18 members of Pieth’s team would be identified on Dec. 17 after an executive meeting in Tokyo.

Pieth’s team will receive reports from four FIFA task forces before recommending reforms.

He has previously helped the Swiss federal justice department draft laws to curb “money laundering, organized crime, drug abuse, corruption and the confiscation of assets,” according to his biography published by the Basel Institute on Governance.

For the past 21 years, Pieth has led an advisory group on bribery in international business for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has sent a letter to FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter congratulating world football’s governing body for the results achieved by its anti-doping programme, medicine which it considers to be in line with the World Anti-Doping Code.

In the letter, WADA mentions that, in accordance with its reporting responsibilities, it will submit an official report on Code compliance to its Executive Committee and Foundation Board in November 2011. WADA adds that, in the lead-up to this official report, it considers FIFA’s anti-doping programme to be in line with the World Anti-Doping Code.

“It is very encouraging to see that our efforts in the fight against doping are recognised by WADA. We remain fully committed to sustaining our anti-doping programme and will endeavour to ensure that it continues to be successful,” said President Blatter.

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell yesterday said that the Catalan football giants had made a record profit of around 40mn euros ($50mn). 

“This profit will be used to reduce the club’s debt, which will go down to around 340mn euros,” explained Rosell at his annual end-of-season evaluation. 

Rosell added that Barca have around 40mn to spend on signings this summer, “though it is not necessary to spend all of that money.”  

Citing the country’s difficult economic situation, he said the club will not increase season ticket prices for next season. 

Regarding Barcelona’s debt and potential stadium renovations, Rosell said: “There are… things that need to happen, but they can’t happen until we reduce our debt. We’re taking a step backwards in order to take three steps forward. We will not create the Espai Barca and the Camp Nou and Palau Blaugrana renovations will not happen at this time.

“We can’t proceed with these projects at this moment, however, we will do them at a later date and the decision will be put to the club members by means of a club referendum. The decision to build a new stadium or renovate the Camp Nou is one we have to live with for the rest of our lives and it needs to be made by the club members.”

Rosell added that the club’s board of directors would “maintain the club’s assets”.

IMG Worldwide, a leading global sports, fashion and media company, announced that the shareholders of IMG have elected Michael Dolan Chairman of IMG and Chief Executive Officer, following the passing of IMG’s former Chairman and Chief Executive Ted Forstmann.

Mr. Dolan joined IMG in early 2010 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In April 2011, Mr. Forstmann appointed Mike Dolan to President and Chief Operating Officer to lead day-to-day management of the company, and serve as Mr. Forstmann’s hand-picked successor to run the company following his death.

Julian Robertson, founder of the investment firm Tiger Management who was appointed this morning Chairman of Forstmann Little &Co, said: “Mike’s broad global experience and record of success makes him a clear choice to lead IMG forward. Mike has the vision, experience, passion and leadership skills to ensure IMG’s continued growth and success.” Mr. Robertson has also been elected to the Board of Directors of IMG.

Following his election to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Dolan said, “Over the past two years we have developed a strategic plan for the company that is powerful and has already begun to produce significant sustainable results. We are committed to growing the business to maximize the value for our shareholders.” In addition, the Board of Directors of IMG said that it concurs that the maximum value of the company can best be achieved as a standalone company.

Since joining IMG, Mr. Dolan has been instrumental in the development and execution of the company’s global strategy. Mr. Dolan currently leads the company’s expansion into high growth markets including China, India and Brazil, as well as expansion into new business areas. In 2010, he led an overhaul of the company’s financial structure and organization as well as several key strategic acquisitions enabling the creation of new revenue platforms for the company.

“IMG has lost an outstanding leader and friend in Ted Forstmann,” said Mike Dolan. “I am proud and honored to take on this role and to continue building IMG for future growth and success. IMG is an extraordinary company with scale, scope and assets that are unrivaled within the industry. With IMG’s strong leadership team, strong businesses, and new and exciting revenue opportunities, I am confident that we can continue to grow this company long into the future.”

Prior to joining IMG, Mr. Dolan served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Viacom, where he led the spin-off of Viacom from CBS and the launch of the new independent public company. Mr. Dolan was previously Chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam, the diversified marketing services company with over 10,000 employees. He began his career at Young & Rubicam in 1995 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and he led the 1996 recapitalization of the company and subsequent IPO in 1998.

His prior experience also includes serving as Chairman and CEO of Snack Ventures Europe, a JV between General Mills and Pepsi Foods International. Mr. Dolan was also a partner in the strategy practice of Booz Allen & Hamilton, a management consultancy.

Mr. Dolan serves as member of the Board of Directors of Mattel, Inc. and Bacardi, Ltd.

Mr. Dolan has an MBA from Columbia University and also holds a PhD in English Literature from Cornell University.

USA Ultimate, medicine the national governing body for the sport of ultimate frisbee in the United States, and ESPN announced today a multi-year agreement to carry the sport’s major properties – the College Championships and inaugural Triple Crown Tour, including the U.S. Open and the National Championships.

As part of the deal, ESPN will produce and distribute live coverage of the College Championships, U.S. Open and National Championships on ESPN3 and tape-delayed programs of the College Championships on ESPNU. ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network accessible online atWatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the award-winning WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members. The network is available in more than 83 million households nationwide to fans who receive their internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider.

“This is an exciting development for USA Ultimate,” explained USA Ultimate Chief Executive Officer Tom Crawford. “The networks of ESPN represent the premier sports platform in the world, and aligning ourselves with the most powerful brand in sports puts ultimate in an extraordinary place. We are thrilled to collaborate with ESPN for the foreseeable future.”

“The strategy we’ve discussed with ESPN will serve both the traditional television viewer as well as our young and tech-savvy membership base with multiple convenient and accessible viewing options,” continued Crawford. “This approach allows us to achieve our goal of creating large-scale visibility for the sport, while satisfying the growing demand for live and on-demand content from both ultimate fans and sports fans in general. Together, ESPN and USA Ultimate have some interesting and dynamic production ideas, so we’re eager to showcase our athletic and entertaining sport.”

The deal gives sports fans – including USA Ultimate’s 45,000 members and millions of ultimate players in the U.S. – unprecedented access to ultimate content.

“Carrying the College Championships and inaugural Triple Crown Tour live on ESPN3 is a true testament to our goal of serving fans,” said Todd Myers, ESPN director, programming & acquisitions. “Delivering these events across platforms to more than 83 million households nationwide is great exposure for a sport that showcases the highest level of competition in ultimate sports.”