Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor says he feels “sick in my stomach” after Luis Suarez caused further controversy by refusing to shake the hand of Patrice Evra on Saturday.

Suarez’s actions led to a negative atmosphere throughout the Manchester United versus Liverpool Premier League clash, which saw altercations in the tunnel both at half-time and after the match.

Taylor also revealed his disappointment that Liverpool shunned his attempts to mediate in the row shortly after the original Evra-Suarez incident, saying the Merseyside club refused “any acceptance of culpability”.

Taylor told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I thought it might have been a time to draw a line under it and move on. Having heard before the game there was going to be handshakes, [and then] that it was so deliberately averted, I just felt quite sick in my stomach.

“What Suarez did was disrespectful, inappropriate and embarrassing. If anything, Patrice Evra was the victim and he was prepared to put his hand out. These players are expected to be role models but if we have a situation where nobody accepts the findings of hearings and just carries on regardless, all you get is anarchy.

“Now the Football Association have to step in because the whole situation has gone too far. Suarez had a chance to put everything to bed, in front of a worldwide audience. The fact that he chose not to is, quite frankly, depressing.

“I’m extremely concerned that its reached this level now. It’s going to have to be sorted by the FA, the Premier League, the PFA, the League Managers’ Association … because there’s great rivalry which is no bad thing between clubs and cities, but this has escalated beyond that.

“Racism is an issue within a civilised society that if it’s allowed to run riot divides people and separates them. Football is a sport that’s supposed to bring people together and overcome such barriers. We have had a great record of assimilating players from all over the world, from different cultures and creeds, for a long time now.

Asked if Liverpool had been responsive to the PFA’s approaches to help being the matter to a close, Taylor said: “I would have to say that in the very beginning, no they weren’t, so as a result this has developed into where it has.

“It’s my job to try to stop such issues escalating. At the very beginning I approached both clubs but it wasn’t possible to get that reconciliation or any acceptance of culpability or apology and from that time on it’s just escalated.

“The situation is running away with us and this isn’t healthy for football, particularly with the Government looking into the governance of football. I would have expected the Liverpool owners and directors to bring about a better atmosphere and draw a line under it.

“There is nothing to be gained by the matter festering, for the image of the game. If the handshake was offered by Patrice Evra I thought he (Suarez) would shake it but then he diverted it away. It was anything but helpful and caused this genuine reaction. It has undermined Kenny (Dalglish) as well.”

by Ismail Uddin

World athletics governing body IAAF, vcialis 40mg has entered into a six-year broadcasting rights deal with China Central Television (CCTV).

IAAF President Lamine Diack visited the firm’s headquarters on his last day of the visit to the country to sign the agreement with Controller of Sports Jiang Heping in CCTV Tower that is the recently completed 53 floor skyscraper that is now one of Beijing’s landmark buildings and will serve as base for 20,000 staff.

CCTV has been appointed by Dentsu Incorporated, the IAAF’s exclusive agency for marketing rights worldwide and for media rights outside Europe and Africa, for a six year period from 2014-2019.

The agreement covers three editions of the IAAF World Championships, which include the venues of the last two Olympic Games, Beijing 2015 and London 2017, as well as the 2019 World Championships.

CCTV will also have the right to broadcast the following events of the IAAF World Athletics Series in this period, including the IAAF World Indoor Championships, the IAAF Continental Cup, the IAAF World Junior Championships, the IAAF World Youth Championships, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the recently created IAAF World Relays.

“I am particularly pleased that this agreement will ensure that coverage of the IAAF’s most important events will not only be seen in China but by the broadest possible audience, thanks to CCTV’s status as the country’s most important free to air broadcaster.

“One of the key pillars of the IAAF’s commercial and sporting strategy is to fully develop the potential of our sport in Asia, and this deal is a major step in this direction,” Diack said during the signing ceremony.

Revenue at Europe’s 20 leading clubs has increased again despite the economic crisis shaking many countries across the continent, capsule business advisory firm Deloitte said in a report published on Thursday.

Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona maintain the top two slots in Deloitte’s Football Money League, capsule followed by Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Chelsea, the report said, based on revenue for the 2010-11 season.

“Continued growth of the top 20 clubs during 2010/11 emphasizes the strength of football’s top clubs, especially in these tough economic times,” said Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte.

“Whilst revenue growth has slowed from 8 per cent in 2009/10 to 3 per cent in 2010/11, their large and loyal supporter bases, ability to drive strong broadcast audiences and continuing attraction to corporate partners has made them relatively resilient to the economic downturn,” he added.

The top 20 generated 4.4 billion euros ($5.83 billion) in revenue, more than a quarter of the total for European football as a whole.

Spain has been one of the European economies hardest hit by the euro crisis but Real Madrid and Barcelona are global brands that can be marketed to international viewers and sponsors.

“In much the same way as the Premier League is for England, they are very successful exports for the Spanish economy,” Jones told Reuters.

“The challenge for Spain is that these two are so far ahead of the rest on and off the pitch.”

Valencia, in 19th spot, were the only other club to make the top 20. The gulf between the rich and poor is wider in Spain than other countries because clubs sell TV rights individually rather than collectively.

The top 20 — who make up the world’s highest earning clubs – are drawn from the big five European leagues. Six are from England, five from Italy, four from Germany, three from Spain and two from France.

The value of the Champions League was underlined as German club Schalke 04 jumped six places to make the top 10 for the first time on the back of reaching the last four of the premier European club competition.

Revenue at Real Madrid was 479.5 million euros, against 450.7 million for Barcelona and 367 million for Manchester United, beaten by Barcelona in last season’s Champions League final.

Deloitte warned that United were likely to fall more than a 100 million euros adrift of their Spanish rivals in the current year after an early exit from the Champions League.

Big spending English Premier League leaders Manchester City, bankrolled by cash from Abu Dhabi, were 12th on the list while Qatari-backed Paris Saint Germain, who top the French league, did not feature this time.

Many soccer clubs continue to make big losses as they spend heavily on players to try to ensure success on the field.

However, new rules introduced by European soccer’s governing body UEFA mean clubs must curb their losses or risk exclusion from major tournaments.

“Football clubs have been very successful over the past 20 years at generating more revenue but less good historically at cost control and that is what Financial Fair Play is there to do,” Jones said.

He said subdued activity in the January transfer window indicated that clubs were getting the message.

“There is as much focus on cost control as there has ever been,” he added.

Following is the “Money League” compiled by Deloitte in Euros. Last year’s position and revenue in brackets: 

1 (1) Real Madrid 479.5 (438.6)

2 (2) Barcelona 450.7 (398.1)

3 (3) Manchester United 367.0 (349.8)

4 (4) Bayern Munich 321.4 (323)

5 (5) Arsenal 251.1 (274.1)

6 (6) Chelsea 249.8 (255.9)

7 (7) AC Milan 235.1 (244)

8 (9) Inter Milan 211.4 (224.8)

9 (8) Liverpool 203.3 (225.3)

10 (16) Schalke 04 202.4 (139.8)

11 (12) Tottenham Hotspur 181.0 (146.3)

12 (11) Manchester City 169.6 (152.8)

13 (10) Juventus 153.9 (205)

14 (15) Olympique Marseille 150.4 (141.1)

15 (18) AS Roma 143.5 (122.7)

16 (n/a) Borussia Dortmund 138.5 (105.2)

17 (14) Olympique Lyon 132.8 (146.1)

18 (13) Hamburg SV 128.8 (146.2)

19 (n/a) Valencia 116.8 (99.3)

20 (n/a) Napoli 114.9 (91.6)

by Ismail Uddin

IMG College, ambulance a division of IMG Worldwide, medical has announced it has reached an agreement with the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) for a 5-year extension to its current multimedia rights partnership.

Under the terms of the partnership agreement, drugs IMG College, which has represented multimedia rights for the OVC since 2008, will manage and market all rights associated with advertising and sponsorship inventory including title sponsorship, temporary venue signage, game programs, at-event promotions, special events, and at-event hospitality for all OVC Championship events. IMG College will also continue to have exclusive rights for the title sponsorship for non-championship events and the OVC website.

“The OVC is delighted to continue its successful partnership with IMG, which is a leader in the field,” said Beth DeBauche, Commissioner, Ohio Valley Conference. “This extension allows the OVC and IMG, working together, to build upon the foundation that has been laid to further advance and promote our storied conference.”

“We are excited to sign an extension to our multimedia rights agreement with the Ohio Valley Conference,” said Mike Wolfert, Vice President – Regional Properties, IMG College. “The Conference has been a valued partner of IMG College for the past four years, and we look forward to continuing to extend the reach of OVC sports to the 173 million college sports fans around the nation.”

Scottish Premier League side Hearts are facing a new winding up order for the third time in four months.

A petition has been lodged at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on behalf of HM Revenue and Customs stating that Hearts have eight days to pay or face liquidation.

On Tuesday, salve the club said they are “working to resolve this situation” and were “confident” the winding up order will not go ahead.

In both November and December last year similar petitions were dropped by the courts after the club paid their tax bill.

In August, treat Hearts settled another outstanding £200,000 tax bill with HMRC after being threatened with an administration order.

On Tuesday a club spokesperson said: “The club is aware of the notice placed in a newspaper today relating to an earlier petition presented to the Court of Session. The club is working to resolve this situation.

“The club is confident that the relevant matter involving HMRC will be resolved in the very near future and no action as specified in the Public Notice will take place.”

The first team were paid late in October, November and December. It is understood the payments were late as the club had to pay money to HMRC.

Stripped England captain John Terry, who will face a trial over allegations that he racially abused QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, has been snubbed by football sponsor Umbro. 

The Chelsea captain was used by Umbro to promote the England national team’s away kit last August. The company confirmed that Terry no longer appears in their current promotions and younger stars would boost the sportswear firm’s image. 

The sportswear firm has sponsored Terry since he was a teenager at Chelsea. “John is not involved in current Umbro campaigns, and I can“t comment on future campaigns and discuss which players are involved,” a company official said. 

Umbro has said Terry’s deal, which is worth an estimated four million pounds, would remain in place pending his trial in July following England`s Euro 2012 campaign. 

“John remains an Umbro-sponsored player while the case is pending. It is true that we are seeking new players to promote our brand but we are constantly looking for footballing talent,” the company added. 

Terry`s current boot contract is believed to expire this summer and Umbro would not comment on whether the deal would be renewed. Chelsea sponsors Samsung also appeared to distance themselves from Terry yesterday. The electronics giant issued a statement stressing the firm“s deal was with the club, not any of the players.

Sony Pictures Television Networks, herbal Asia and Hong Kong-based Legend have sealed an agreement to broadcast Legend Fighting Championship (LFC), ailment the Asia-Pacific Championship of Mixed Martial Arts, on AXN in 21 territories across the region. 

“We are very excited to be partnering with Legend to showcase some of the best and most established Asian MMA fighters. Many of these fighters are already household names in Japan, Korea and China, where LFC has a huge following. We have no doubt that our broadcast of these thrilling fights on AXN will further enhance the popularity of LFC, especially amongst our viewers across South East Asia,” said Ricky Ow, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Networks, Asia, Sony Pictures Television. 

“This partnership with AXN begins an exciting new chapter in the Legend story. Since Legend was established, we have dedicated ourselves to growing the sport of MMA here in the Asia-Pacific and giving fighters from this region the opportunity to compete in a world-class organization. AXN is Asia’s premiere platform for entertainment, and we are excited to bring the best in Asia-Pacific MMA to their audience, particularly since so many of Legend’s elite fighters hail from AXN’s key broadcast markets.” said Chris Pollak, Managing Director, Legend. 

Die Bundesliga boomt weiter. In der Hinrunde der aktuellen Saison kamen pro Spiel durchschnittlich 44.345 Zuschauer in die Stadien der Bundesliga-Clubs. Das ist der höchste Zuschauerschnitt in der Geschichte der Bundesliga.

Insgesamt 6, generic 78 Millionen Zuschauer besuchten die 153 Spiele der Vorrunde – eine Steigerung um sieben Prozent gegenüber der Hinrunde der vergangenen Saison. Die Eintrittspreise sind sogar leicht gesunken. Durchschnittlich kostete ein Ticket für einen Stadionbesuch 22, viagra sale 43.

„Die Zahlen sind ein Beleg für die Attraktivität des Wettbewerbs Bundesliga, cure der die Fans mit hochklassigem Sport und Spannung wie in kaum einer anderen Liga begeistert. Zudem geht die Strategie der Clubs mit moderaten Ticketpreisen, großem Komfort und hohen Sicherheitsstandards offensichtlich auf”, sagt Christian Seifert, Vorsitzender der DFL-Geschäftsführung.

In der 2. Bundesliga ist das Interesse ebenfalls stark gestiegen: 17.125 Zuschauer besuchten durchschnittlich die Spiele. Das sind 27 Prozent mehr als in der Hinrunde der vergangenen Saison (13.474). Insgesamt besuchten in der Vorrunde 9,40 Millionen Zuschauer die 306 Partien der Bundesliga und 2. Bundesliga. Dies entspricht einer Steigerung von über einer Million Zuschauern.

Kansas State is the latest Big Conference member to ink a broadcasting deal with Fox Sports.

Through an agreement with rights-holder Learfield Sports, Fox Sports will televise Kansas State broadcasts regionally and nationally. All told, Fox Sports will air nearly 60 cablecasts, including up to 28 live K-State sporting events this season on regional sports networks, Fox Sports Kansas City and Fox Sports Midwest, and across the country via its Fox College Sports services.

K-State joins other Big 12 member universities Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU and Oklahoma, which has by far the most expansive relationship encompassing more than 1,000 hours, in signing programming pacts with Fox Sports in recent weeks.
Fans in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and other parts of the nation will be able to see a roster of K-State events that figure to include eight K-State men’s basketball games, and up to 20 women’s basketball, baseball and volleyball games, plus coaches shows and previews. A more definitive schedule is expected to be announced in the weeks ahead.

The pact, financial terms of which were not disclosed, also allows K-State Athletics to stream events on K-StateHD.TV that are not selected for distribution by Fox Sports or any Fox-designated platform. A joint venture with the university that launched in 2011, K-StateHD.TV is ranked first in viewership among all CBS College Network schools.

“We’re excited to extend our relationship with K-State into a second decade,” said Fox Sports Kansas City and Fox Sports Midwest senior vice president and general manager Jack Donovan in a statement. “We enjoy working with K-State and its student-athletes and are pleased to showcase more K-State coverage as part of our new multiyear agreement.”