FIFA Appoint China’s Jilong as Head of London 2012 Football Organizing Committee

FIFA have appointed China’s Zhang Jilong, current acting head of Asian football, to chair next week’s meeting of the London 2012 Olympic football tournament’s Organising Committee.

Jilong’s appointment comes three weeks after Confederation of African Football (CAF) head IssaHayatou, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, was embarrassingly and mistakenly announced as being given the role instead.

Hayatou is still being investigated by the IOC’s Ethics Commission over allegations that he took backhanders from FIFA’s former marketing partner, ISL.

FIFA blamed a technical error for saying Hayatou was to head its Olympic football body for London 2012.

Zhang took over as acting boss of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) from Mohamed Bin Hammam when he was banned for life over the recent bribery scandal.

His appointment still needs to be certified by FIFA’s Executive Committee on October 20 but that shouldn’t be a problem given that Zhang will sit on the Committee in place of Bin Hammam.

Comcast SportsNet to Air San Jose Earthquakes 2013 Matches

The San Jose Earthquakes have announced a new broadcast partnership with Comcast SportsNet for the second consecutive year.

Comcast SportsNet (CSN) will televise 29 Earthquakes games in 2013 in High Definition. With the five remaining games televised nationally, the Earthquakes will have all of their games on television in 2013 for the second straight year.

In addition to the schedule, the Earthquakes also announced their broadcast team for the 2013 season. Jim Kozimor will return to the play-by-play booth for his fourth season and be joined by color analyst and former Quakes defender Kelly Gray. Dan Dibley will return as the sideline reporter for all home matches and will handle play-by-play duties for away games. Dan is also a sports talk radio host for 95.7 The Game.

“We are thrilled to work with Comcast SportsNet and our national broadcast partners to ensure our fans are able to watch all of our 34 regular season matches in High Definition,” said Earthquakes President Dave Kaval. “Comcast SportsNet has been a tremendous partner over the years and we’re looking forward to having Jim Kozimor, and Kelly Gray back in the booth at Buck Shaw. The club is also excited to have Dan Dibley doing play-by-play for our road games in 2013.”

The Quakes’ telecast schedule begins on Comcast SportsNet California with their home opener against Real Salt Lake on Sunday, March 3 at 7 p.m. PT. Among the marquee games is the Earthquakes’ June 29 match against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium, presented by XFINITY. That match drew a capacity crowd of 50,391 for a thrilling 4-3 comeback win for San Jose in 2012.

San Jose will appear on Comcast SportsNet California 22 times with two games on CSN Bay Area and four on CSN Plus. Four of those matches will also be broadcast nationally on Spanish-language flagship Unimas. The Earthquakes will also play on ESPN or ESPN2 three times and NBC Sports Network twice.

Comcast SportsNet California Vice President and General Manager Larry Eldridge added, “The Earthquakes are one of the premier franchises in MLS with one of the most passionate and loyal fan bases in the league. We are pleased to present our most comprehensive Quakes telecast schedule to date along with season-long news and analysis on SportsNet Central, Chronicle Live and SportsNet Reports.”

DOSB Generalsekretär Vesper erwägt Treffen mit Oppositionellen in der Ukraine

In der WDR-Sendung eins zu eins hat sich Michael Vesper, seek Generalsekretär des Deutschen
Olympischen Sportbundes, generic zum Umgang mit der Ukraine geäußert. Von einem Boykott des
Turniers durch Politiker hält er nichts:
“Man sollte gerade dann hingehen und verlangen mit Frau Timoschenko sprechen zu dürfen, generic
mit Oppositionellen sprechen zu dürfen, sich möglicherweise auch äußern – öffentlich, weil
das den Menschen in der Ukraine mehr hilft, als wenn man einfach wegbleibt.” Vesper
weiter: “Ob nun der ein oder andere Politiker kommt oder nicht kommt, wird das Regime
weniger beeindrucken, als wenn die Frau Bundeskanzlerin Frau Timoschenko zu sprechen
wünscht.”
Auf die Frage, ob er als Vertreter des DOSB sich auch mit Oppositionellen treffen wolle,
meinte Vesper: “Ich würde für meinen Teil ein solches Treffen gerne machen, wenn die
Opposition dazu bereit ist.” Sein Besuch sei noch nicht geplant, aber: “Wenn es um ein Spiel
in der Ukraine geht, würde ich das verbinden mit einem Treffen mit Oppositionellen”, so
Vesper.
Der Generaldirektor des Deutschen Olympischen Sportbundes riet aber davon ab, Sportlern
eine zu große politische Rolle zu übertragen: “Ich warne davor, die Sportler als verlängerten
Arm des Auswärtigen Amtes zu sehen, Sportler können nicht Probleme lösen, vor denen die
Politik kapituliert hat”.
Falls die deutsche Nationalmannschaft im Finale stehen sollte, hält der ehemalige
stellvertretende Ministerpräsident von Nordrhein-Westfalen den Besuch von Bundeskanzlerin
Merkel im Stadion für sinnvoll: “Ich meine, sie gehört dann da hin, um die Mannschaft
zu unterstützen. Die Entscheidung muss sie natürlich alleine treffen, aber ich würde die
Mannschaft auch anfeuern.”

In der WDR-Sendung eins zu eins hat sich Michael Vesper, Generalsekretär des DeutschenOlympischen Sportbundes, zum Umgang mit der Ukraine geäußert. Von einem Boykott desTurniers durch Politiker hält er nichts:

“Man sollte gerade dann hingehen und verlangen mit Frau Timoschenko sprechen zu dürfen,mit Oppositionellen sprechen zu dürfen, sich möglicherweise auch äußern – öffentlich, weildas den Menschen in der Ukraine mehr hilft, als wenn man einfach wegbleibt.” Vesperweiter: “Ob nun der ein oder andere Politiker kommt oder nicht kommt, wird das Regimeweniger beeindrucken, als wenn die Frau Bundeskanzlerin Frau Timoschenko zu sprechenwünscht.”

Auf die Frage, ob er als Vertreter des DOSB sich auch mit Oppositionellen treffen wolle,meinte Vesper: “Ich würde für meinen Teil ein solches Treffen gerne machen, wenn dieOpposition dazu bereit ist.” Sein Besuch sei noch nicht geplant, aber: “Wenn es um ein Spielin der Ukraine geht, würde ich das verbinden mit einem Treffen mit Oppositionellen”, soVesper.

Der Generaldirektor des Deutschen Olympischen Sportbundes riet aber davon ab, Sportlerneine zu große politische Rolle zu übertragen: “Ich warne davor, die Sportler als verlängertenArm des Auswärtigen Amtes zu sehen, Sportler können nicht Probleme lösen, vor denen diePolitik kapituliert hat”.

Falls die deutsche Nationalmannschaft im Finale stehen sollte, hält der ehemaligestellvertretende Ministerpräsident von Nordrhein-Westfalen den Besuch von BundeskanzlerinMerkel im Stadion für sinnvoll: “Ich meine, sie gehört dann da hin, um die Mannschaftzu unterstützen. Die Entscheidung muss sie natürlich alleine treffen, aber ich würde dieMannschaft auch anfeuern.”

London 2017 Bid Get Legendary Ethiopian Long Distance Runner as Ambassador

Haile Gebrselassie, the world renowned two time Olympic gold medallist and four times World Champion, has been revealed as an official bid ambassador and member of the Athlete Commission for London’s bid to host the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships. 

The Ethiopian long distance runner will use his experiences as an athlete in guiding London’s bid to host the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships. 



Haile Gebrselassie said: “I have competed and trained in London for many years and always had great support from the public and the athletics family in the UK. I am planning to compete in London in 2012 and by being part of the extended bid team hope to enable future Ethiopian athletes to have the same great experiences in the Olympic stadium in front of a London crowd in 2017.”

Ed Warner UKA chairman added: “Haile is one of the greatest ever athletes and has always spoken of how much he enjoys competing in London. To have him backing London 2017 is a huge boost for us, but what is more essential is the insight he can provide as part of the Athletes Commission. We have always said our London 2017 bid would be athlete centred and with the input of incredible athletes like Haile and under Denise Lewis’ leadership the Commission can ensure we deliver that commitment.”

With the decision today to cancel West Ham’s deal (read here) the controversy surrounding the stadium has released for the time being and given the IAAF a new perspective towards the bid with the impending decision not far away.

The London 2017 bid, which has been put together by UK Athletics, DCMS, the Mayor of London, London & Partners and UK Sport, will be looking to secure the votes of the 27 IAAF Council Members before the decision on who will host the Championships is made on 11th November.

Sky & BT Get Republic of Ireland Premier League Broadcast Rights

The Premier League has announced that Sky and BT have been awarded the media rights in the Republic of Ireland for seasons 2013/14 to 2015/16.

The seven packages, erectile totalling 154 matches were awarded with BSkyB securing 116 matches and BT obtaining 38 matches.

The deal is the same as both entities secured for the UK.

Richard Scudamore, erectile Premier League Chief Executive, story said: “We are extremely pleased that BSkyB and BT have invested in our live rights in the Republic of Ireland.

“We look forward to working with them and are confident they will broadcast the Barclays Premier League in a comprehensive and innovative manner that will showcase the competition to our many fans across Ireland.”

Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: “These rights mean that Sky Sports remains the home of the Barclays Premier League in Ireland.   With more live matches than ever before, our Irish viewers can enjoy an unrivalled choice of the biggest and best games across Saturday evenings, Sunday afternoons and Monday nights.

“Sky Sports Irish viewers can enjoy Premier League football in HD, 3D and online as well as across mobile and tablet devices.  Combined with our already unrivalled portfolio of sports, there has never been a better time to subscribe to Sky Sports in Ireland.”

Marc Watson, Chief Executive of TV for BT, added: “We are delighted that we’ll be able to offer viewers in the Republic of Ireland the same fantastic live games from the Barclays English Premier League that we’ll be offering in the UK. We’ve secured 38 live matches and 18 of them are the ‘first pick’ top quality matches.”

Global Ireland Football Tournament to Provide Positive Economic Impact

The Global Ireland Football Tournament (GIFT) American football event being organized by Global Football in Dublin and County Meath this summer is expected to have a positive €4.5 million ($5.6m) economic impact in Ireland.

 

GIFT 2012 will feature 12 high school and college teams from the United States and Canada playing a series of ‘Friday Night Lights’ double headers at 4pm and 7:30 pm on Friday, August 31 at Donnybrook Stadium and Parnell Park in Dublin and at Pairc Tailteann in Navan, County Meath. The competitive regular season games are being held on the eve of the September 1 Navy versus Notre Dame clash at the Aviva Stadium.

 

More than 2,300 visitors associated with the participating schools will arrive in Ireland specifically because of the GIFT 2012 spectacular, and would not be coming to Ireland if not for these games. Additional sports fans are expected to attend the games from across Ireland, Europe, the United States and even further afield. Tickets have been sold to overseas fans from Canada, England, Scotland, Germany, Austria and even Australia. Buyers from 13 different American States and 33 towns within Ireland have bought tickets.

 

“First and foremost we are showcasing high school American football at its very best and are providing the experience of a lifetime for the visiting players, coach, families and friends,” said Global Football President Patrick Steenberge. “But bringing this many people to Ireland specifically for this event also has a very positive impact in that the money they spend and the investment we make in staging the games benefits local businesses, people and the Irish economy.

 

“We believe this spending will have a positive impact on the Irish economy, and we hope in particular that local businesses benefit and that GIFT 2012 is able to leave a lasting impression for all the right reasons.”

 

The economic impact figure is calculated by measuring payments made by 2,300 travellers visiting for the GIFT event and their anticipated spend while in Ireland

Paris Saint-Germain Appoints Former Juventus CEO as General Manager of Paris

French Soccer Club, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced that former Juventus CEO Jean-Claude Blanc is to be appointed as the new general manager delegate of Paris.

Blanc’s appointment is set to be formalised at a general meeting of the Ligue 1 club’s shareholders on October 21. Qatar Sports Investments (QSi) president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, is also set to be confirmed as PSG’s new chairman.

QSi acquired a 70% stake in PSG for a reported Eur50 million ($67.8m) in June and spent over Eur80 million ($108.6m) on players in the summer transfer window. After finishing fourth in Ligue 1, France’s top divison last season, PSG has made a strong start to the new campaign and currently sits three points clear at the top of the table.

Blanc’s new role will see him oversee the club’s entire operations, with the exception of the sporting area. The 48-year-old resigned as Juventus CEO in May after helping the club develop its new 41,000-seat stadium, Italian football’s first privately owned venue.

Al-Khelaifi, said: “We are very happy to welcome Jean-Claude Blanc in our organisation. Jean-Claude’s knowledge of the sports industry will help us achieve our targets. I would also like to thank Benoit Rousseau for the very good work performed over the past three months as interim president of Paris Saint-Germain.”

Chelsea Lose Bid for Battersea Power Station Plot

Chelsea FC have failed in their bid to acquire the land around Battersea Power Station for a new stadium with an Malaysian Company instead winning the bid.

The Champions League winners announced last month that they had submitted an application to move to the 39-acre south-west London site, medical which has been the subject of a string of failed regeneration schemes since the 1980s.

They had proposed to develop a stadium encompassing the restoration of the Grade II listed 1930s power station with its four landmark chimneys.

However, administrators revealed that a £400 million joint bid by the Malaysian companies SP Setia and Sime Darby had been chosen instead.

A statement from Ernst & Young said: “Following an extensive global marketing campaign, the joint administrators are pleased to announce that they [have] entered into an exclusivity agreement with SP Setia and Sime Darby and are working towards a timely exchange and completion of the site and associated land.”

Chelsea are considering a move from their Stamford Bridge home because its 42,000 capacity means they cannot generate the sort of revenue enjoyed by the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, who have much bigger stadiums.

Football League Employ New Chief Commercial Officer

Richard Heaselgrave, order currently employed by the National Basketball Association (NBA), therapy has been appointed the position Chief Commercial Officer by the English Football League starting his new role in the new year, viagra

The 40-year is working for NBA’s European office based in London as Vice President of Business Development, having previously held senior positions at UEFA, the World Rally Championship and Anheuser Bush.

Greg Clarke, Football League chairman, said: “I am delighted to welcome Richard to The Football League. He is a highly regarded individual with a proven track record in sponsorship and business development. He brings with him a wealth of experience in football and other sports across the UK, Europe and worldwide. I look forward to working with him to further enhance The League’s commercial portfolio and revenues.”

Richard Heaselgrave added: “I am very excited to be joining The Football League at such an important time for domestic football.  It is a tremendous challenge that was too good to turn down. From the outside, it has been fascinating to follow the progress made by The Football League in recent years and I very much look forward to playing my part in its future from the inside’.? ?

‘I would like to thank the NBA where, over my two year tenure, we have enjoyed tremendous growth across Europe, the Middle East and Africa’.  ? 

Heaselgrave will join The Football League in the new year and will be based at the League’s London Office. He will also head The League’s executive team in conjunction with Chief Operating Officer, Andy Williamson under Chairman Greg Clarke.

BBC to Air 2013 Women’s FA Cup Final

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have announced they will air the Women’s FA Cup Final.

It will be shown live on BBC Two on Sunday, 26 May.

The final comes before the European Women’s Championship, which will be live across the BBC in July.

Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport, said: “We’re very pleased to renew our association with the Women’s FA Cup Final and offer live coverage of this key fixture to viewers.

“The Olympics provided a great showcase for the sport and demonstrated that there is a strong audience appetite to watch the top women’s teams in action.

“So we’re looking forward to bringing more women’s football to audiences on the BBC across TV, radio and online this year.”