Football′s ruling body FIFA said on Thursday it was too early to talk about possible sanctions after the dissolving of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) in the wake of deadly riots at a game in Port Said.

74 people were crushed, suffocated or stabbed to death after a game between local team al-Masri and Cairo’s al-Ahli in the worst soccer violence the world has seen in 15 years.

A FIFA spokesman said the federation was awaiting further information on the issue before making an official statement.

Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri told parliament at an emergency session that he had dissolved EFA and sacked the governor of the coastal city of Port Said.

Government intervention into football affairs is outlawed by FIFA rules and violations can be punished with suspension of the respective country from all international football matches.

FIFA said in a statement earlier Thursday that it had “asked the Egyptian authorities for a full report on the incidents in order to evaluate what happened.

“FIFA has offered its full support to the Egyptian Football Association and will provide the EFA with any assistance it needs with regard to this tragedy.”

Soccer fans from around the world can immediately begin listening to every Barclays Premier League game, thanks to a new content distribution deal between TuneIn and talkSPORT. 

TuneIn, the leading service for listening to music, sports and news streams from around the world, and talkSPORT, the world’s biggest sports radio station, will make these games available in English, Spanish and Mandarin.

The multi-year agreement provides TuneIn listeners with talkSPORT Live’s full commentary of all 380 Barclays Premier League games per season along with key FA Cup matches. The games will be available free of charge to anyone outside of the European Economic Area with an Internet connection through the TuneIn service. Beyond these live games from teams including Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, soccer fans can tune into sports commentary and interviews to keep them connected to their favorite clubs and players.

“Our vision at TuneIn is to bring all the world’s audio to everyone so they can instantly connect with the sports, music and news that inspire them,” said John Donham, CEO of TuneIn. “Now, for the first time, soccer fans from around the world can listen to all the action without missing a play. We believe everyone should be able to enjoy this premium programming for free, so every game, story and interview will be streamed at no cost across all of our products.”

Building on the existing partnership between talkSPORT and TuneIn, this agreement brings talkSPORT’s award-winning lineup of sports conversation and live soccer to TuneIn listeners while significantly broadening the TuneIn service’s already-vast selection of sports broadcasting to its more than 40 million monthly active listeners.

Scott Taunton, CEO, talkSPORT said: “The Barclays Premier League has a huge global following and we’ve seen huge audiences for our content from the USA to Malaysia, with the USA as our number one market for traffic. TuneIn are a natural partner for us and I’m delighted to be working with them.”

talkSPORT Live was launched by talkSPORT in August 2012 to give fans outside Europe access to live and on-demand commentary of every Barclays Premier League match. This new service forms part of a wider international strategy which saw talkSPORT agree to a deal with the Premier League for an exclusive package of international audio broadcasting rights.

TuneIn has experienced tremendous growth, more than tripling its mobile listener base and quadrupling its community’s time spent listening over the past twelve months. With recent funding from investors including General Catalyst Partners, Sequoia Capital and Google Ventures, TuneIn continues to expand its offering of millions of listening options by growing at the rate of 300 stations and programs each day. By offering live programming such as sports games, concerts, political debates and radio stations, TuneIn offers people a free way to connect with the world that is unmatched by any other service.

Zimbabwe’s soccer authorities have suspended 82 players from representing the country after it probed match fixing of unsanctioned national team games in Asia.

The number suspended has risen from an initial 67, click Jonathan Mashingaidze, chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Football Association, said in interview from Harare, the capital, today.

The probe includes friendly games played against Thailand and Syria in 2008 in a tour organized by former ZIFA CEO Henrietta Rushwaya, Mashingaidze said. Rushwaya left the organization in 2010.

“All those who were hotly involved in this scandal will only play for Zimbabwe again when they have been cleared by the ethics committee, which has begun its work to see an end to this scandal,’’ Mashingaidze said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.

Hearings will start next week and will last until March with all those on the tour including journalists, administrators and managers will be interviewed, he said. Zimbabwe lost 6-0 to Syria and 3-0 to Thailand, according to ZimOnline, an Internet news site.

“It was felt that some of the players were just playing for money from losing matches and did not care if Zimbabwe wins,” he said.

Those suspended will not be eligible to play for Zimbabwe in an African Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burundi scheduled for Feb. 29, Mashingaidze said.

Among those suspended are Ovidy Karuru, a player for U.S. Boulogne, a team in France’s second division, and South African based players including Thomas Sweswe and Willard Katsande of Johanensburg’s Kaizer Chiefs.

Zimbabwe has plummeted down FIFA’s ranking of national teams, falling out of the top 100 in a Jan. 18 assessment after dropping 28 places to 98th in December.

Eurosport has secured the exclusive pan-European TV and internet rights for football’s Chinese Super League.

The deal includes the last three matchdays of the current 2012 season and will continue throughout the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Eurosport also has the sub-licensing rights of the competition in its 59 territories. 

The Chinese Super League has been expanded from 12 teams to 16 teams in 2012 and includes famous players who have transferred from leading European clubs, including Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka who left Chelsea for Shanghai Shenhua and former Barcelona star Seydou Keita, currently playing for Dalian Aerbin. 

Eurosport 2 will kick off the deal with LIVE coverage of Drogba and Anelka’s side Shanghai Shenhua vs Changchun Yatai on Saturday 20 October at 13:45 CET. 

The following games will also be broadcast LIVE on Eurosport 2 before the end of the season on 3 November:

– Dalian Aerbin vs Shanghai Shenhua, 27 October at 09:30 CET

– Shanghai Shenhua vs Qingdao, 3 November at 10:00 CET. 

Live coverage of matches will also be available on internet and mobile via the Eurosport Player online streaming service. 

The Chinese Football Super League enhances the Eurosport 2 Asian football offer which already includes the J. League, Japan’s premier league, and the AFC Champions League. Eurosport is also the European broadcaster partner for the NextGen Series which showcases the rising stars at Europe’s leading clubs.

 

Tottenham Hotspur have jumped a hurdle in their pursuit of building a new stadium after reaching a funding agreement with London Mayor Boris Johnson and Haringey Council.

 

Spurs scrapped their plan to challenge West Ham to become the tenants of the Olympic Stadium in Stratford and have instead committed themselves to their original plan for a new stadium known as the Northumberland Development Project (NDP).

Under the NDP plan, Spurs aim to build a 56,000 seater stadium adjacent to their current home, which has a capacity of 36,000.

Tottenham had experienced problems in getting funding from the Mayor’s office and the local council to regenerate the area around the proposed new stadium, but that obstacle has been overcome with the announcement of a £27million support project.

Haringey council will invest £9 million towards new and improved public spaces around the stadium and Johnson has committed £18 million to the regeneration of north Tottenham.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said in a statement: ‘As a major employer and business in the area we are delighted with this commitment from the Mayor and Haringey Council. We have long said we could only invest in the area if we could see our commitment supported by others and that there was a real need to maximise the regeneration benefits and lift the wider area.

‘We therefore see this as a commitment from the public sector to the Tottenham area and one which strengthens our ability to deliver a new stadium scheme with the potential to kickstart the long-term regeneration of north Tottenham.’

As part of the club and the council’s commitment to work together, both parties have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding which sets out the intentions of each to support delivery of the NDP.

Haringey Council leader Claire Kober said: ‘We have said all along that we are eager to support Spurs in their efforts to stay in Tottenham. They’re a great club, with a great history in a great area which really wants them to stay.

‘We are investing in the regeneration of Tottenham and supporting Spurs’ Northumberland Development Project because we know that together we can bring new employment opportunities to Tottenham, significantly improve the area and attract investment for a successful and sustainable future.’

Around £3.5million of the mayor’s £18million support package will be spent on upgrading parts of nearby Tottenham Hale station. The club gained planning permission for the NDP in October 2010.

Tottenham MP David Lammy, who has campaigned for the club to go ahead with the NDP, welcomed the move.

‘This is excellent news for Tottenham and for the football club,’ he said on his website. ‘After all the twists and turns, this is a special moment for the community and fans that have fought so hard to keep the club in the place where it was born over 100 years ago,” he said.

‘The club will now be able to go from strength to strength in a stadium fit for a club that will no doubt be consistently challenging for silverware at home and in Europe for decades to come.’

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How far should the public sector assist stadia moves? Have your say here

TF1 has agreed with the Rugby World Cup Limited (WRC) and IMG, dosage pills the agency to broadcast the 2015 Rugby World Cup, no rx in England.

The deal is only for the 2015 edition currently. A free channel which bought the rights to the World Cup rugby is good news for the French public. But it is also a good deal for TF1, prescription because rugby is generating a significant audience in France. 

Last year, the final of the World Cup between France and New Zealand had a record audience of 15.4 million viewers (82.3% market share) and peaked at 18 million at the end of meeting. All with a kickoff at 10 am in the morning. Four years earlier, in 2007, there were 18.3 million faithful for the semi-final defeat by France against England and 20 million in the last ten minutes.

Portsmouth’s bank accounts have been frozen as part of a winding-up order from British authorities over the Championship side’s failure to pay a £1.6 million tax bill, the club said Monday.

The move has left the club from England’s south coast, who won the FA Cup four years ago, unable to pay players and staff.

However, a statement on the club’s official website said they hoped this latest setback would be reversed by the weekend.

“Further to our recent update that a winding-up petition has been issued and publicised to Portsmouth Football Club, the club’s bank accounts have been frozen, which is the normal process in these circumstances,” the statement said.

“The club is now seeking a validation order from the court in order to have its bank accounts unfrozen so that staff wages and suppliers can be paid.

“This is expected to take a few days and once obtained this will allow our bank accounts to be reactivated.

“Based on our current information we expect this process to be completed by the end of the week and would like to thank all our staff, fans and suppliers for their ongoing support.”

News of the accounts freeze came while a London court continued to hear evidence in the tax evasion trial of former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric and ex-manager Harry Redknapp, now in charge of Premier League highflyers Tottenham Hotspur.

Both men deny charges of cheating the public revenue.

Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov resigned as chairman of Portsmouth in November after the club’s parent company was placed into administration just a week after he was granted bail following the collapse of a bank he owned.

However, the company responsible for operating the actual team — Portsmouth Football Club Limited — is still trading and is not in administration, though it is now seeking fresh funds.

Portsmouth were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2009/10 season — when they again reached the FA Cup final — after being deducted points for entering administration.

At the time the club had debts of £130 million and were on the verge of liquidation when Hong Kong-based businessman Balram Chainrai took over in October.

The British Basketball League (BBL) have announced that Sky Sports will be showing 25 weeks of action from the British Basketball League (BBL) including live coverage of the Cup Final, Playoff Final, and Trophy Final.

Coverage begins in late October when the current BBL Championship holders, Newcastle Eagles, face the Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders in a repeat of last season’s Play-off Final. Weekly coverage will include a two hour show with an increased number of live games later in the season.

Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, said: “This deal proves our commitment to offering a wide variety of live sports for our customers. Sky Sports caters for a broad range of diverse content and our recent rights renewals give us the strongest line up of live sport for our viewers to watch at home or on the move.”

BBL chairman, Paul Blake, commented: “Last season’s coverage was extremely well received throughout the sport and we are delighted to extend our relationship with Sky Sports into a third season. The coverage last term provided an excellent platform for BBL to showcase our exciting product and we anticipate this season it will be to an even higher standard.”

Coverage will again be provided in conjunction with the BBL’s broadcast partner, Televideo. Paul Scivill, the managing director of Televideo, said: “We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with the BBL. We are extremely excited about this season’s coverage and the addition of more live games to the schedule.”

The BBL Agreement continues a series of rights renewals for Sky Sports, with no less than 16 deals over the last 18 months, including Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League football, Formula 1, TM Test Cricket and European Tour golf.

The highly touted US Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPS) has cancelled the 2012 season amid a legal dispute with an ousted owner.

The league’s Board of Governors voted Monday to suspend the season with hopes of resuming in 2013, the WPS announced.

In October, it terminated its South Florida franchise after clashing with owner Dan Borislow all season. A Florida judge ruled earlier this month that the league failed to follow its own dispute procedures when it terminated the franchise, and another court hearing is set for Wednesday.

WPS CEO Jennifer O’Sullivan said owners chose to cancel the season over possibly working with Borislow in the league again.

“We have diverted so many resources into litigation,” she said. “This is something that needs to be resolved before we can move forward with play.”

Borislow purchased the former Washington Freedom before last season and moved the club to South Florida, renaming it for a telephone call device he invented. The magicJack franchise was repeatedly disciplined during the season for not meeting league standards. In August, after Borislow filed suit against the WPS, the league released a statement accusing him of violations ranging from “unprofessional and disparaging treatment of his players to failure to pay his bills.”

The league has played three seasons. It needed a waiver from the U.S. Soccer Federation to be sanctioned as a first-division league in 2012 with only five teams, below the required eight. In the deal with the governing body in December, WPS agreed to increase the number of teams to a minimum of six for 2013 and at least eight for 2014.

A longtime thoroughbred owner, Borislow was an outspoken figure in horse racing but sold most of his stable because of a dispute with the IRS.

O’Sullivan was not yet CEO when he was approved as an owner, but she acknowledged the vetting process might have been hurried.

“I do think the league at the time was in a situation where they were in a bit of a rush,” she said.

With the Olympics this summer, the league’s absence could give national team players more time to train together even if it means fewer games for them to play. The attention paid to the Olympics would have been valuable marketing for the WPS during the 2012 season.

The league’s predecessor, the Women’s United Soccer Association, folded after three years.

Will women’s football ever be commercially viable? After a successful World Cup, what went wrong? What chance does the rest of the world have? Discuss here.

NBC Sports Group has signed a four-year deal with Formula One for the exclusive U.S. media rights to the world’s most popular global motorsports series, replacing Speed TV. 

The deal that begins next season will air four races on NBC. The remaining 16 races, and all practices and qualifying sessions will be on cable NBC Sports Network in what’s expected to total more than 100 hours of annual programming.

All 20 races will be live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra, the NBC Sports Group’s live-stream platform that is available online at NBCSports.com as well as on mobile and tablet apps.

“We are thrilled to add the top international open-wheel racing series to our already-strong motorsports portfolio,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. “Formula 1 is a perfect fit for the NBC Sports Group as it provides content across three platforms — broadcast, cable and digital — for nine months a year with more than 100 hours of premier programming annually.”

The 2013 F1 Grand Prix schedule includes 20 races in 19 countries from March through November, including the Austin, Texas, race on Sunday, Nov. 17 on NBC. The 2013 season begins on Sunday, March 17 in Australia on NBC Sports Network and concludes on Sunday, Nov. 24 in Brazil on NBC. NBC’s first race will be the Grand Prix of Canada, which will be broadcast on Sunday, June 9. The famed Grand Prix of Monaco is scheduled for Sunday, May 26, on NBC Sports Network. 

“NBC and its various media assets have a huge profile throughout the United States, and I am obviously delighted to have concluded this agreement. I feel that they will promote Formula One to a level not seen before in the United States,” said Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One Group CEO. “I very much look forward to working with NBC. Together, we will endeavor to broaden the scope of Formula One coverage available to U.S. viewers incorporating additional digital content in particular that has not been available before.”

Cable network Speed had been the U.S. rights holder to F1 for the last 17 years, but told The Associated Press on Friday it had been outbid by another network.