The Premier League has announced that Sportsnet and TSN have been awarded the live audio visual broadcast rights for all 380 Barclays Premier League matches per season for seasons 2013/14 to 2015/16 in Canada.

Premier League Chief Executive, asthma Richard Scudamore, ed said: “We are extremely pleased that Sportsnet and TSN have invested in our live rights in Canada. Both Sportsnet and TSN have been broadcasting Barclays Premier League football for the last three seasons.

“Moving forward we look forward to working with both organisations as they continue to deliver a premium offering that will showcase the Barclays Premier League to our Canadian fans.”

Sportsnet Vice-President of Finance & Sports Programming, Navaid Mansuri, said: “Sportsnet is proud to continue our strong partnership with the Premier League, furthering our commitment to providing Canadians with unparalleled access to world class soccer content.

“The BPL is one of the world’s most prominent soccer leagues and this new agreement has positioned Sportsnet to continue our already unprecedented schedule of soccer programming across multiple platforms in the years to come.”

TSN Vice President  of Programming, Shawn Redmond, added: “The Premier League is home to the world’s most popular teams and biggest stars in soccer. With a dedicated and growing fan base in Canada we are looking forward to giving fans even more Premier League coverage with more games on TSN than ever before.

“The Barclays Premier League package is perfect the complement to our slate of world class soccer programming.”

and helvetica, sans-serif;”>It has been officially confirmed that Portsmouth F.C have gone into administration for the second time in as many years.

 

A High Court hearing today decided the fate of the south-coast club after HM Revenue and Customs issued them with a winding-up petition on 3 January.

 

HMRC wanted the Championship club wound up over a tax bill of £1.6million that is yet to be paid.

 

With Portsmouth’s financial security extremely precarious following the latest news, they will also have to contend with a 10-point deduction from the Football League, which will leave them in 21st place in the table just above the drop zone.

A statement on the clubs official website read: “Portsmouth Football Club was today placed in administration at a hearing at the High Court in London” before going to say: “Trevor Birch, of accountants and business advisors PKF, has been appointed administrator to the club.”

 

In February 2010 Portsmouth became the first Premier League club to enter administration and were deducted nine points, condemning them to relegation and they now face another fight to avoid dropping out of the Championship. 

 

 

By Marc Sibbons

The Confederation of North, adiposity Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and Univision Deportes announced today the signing of a partnership agreement to broadcast its matches in the United States.

The contract was signed by Jeffrey Webb, president of CONCACAF, and Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Univision Deportes, on Univision Network’s leading sports entertainment program “Republica Deportiva” (Sports Republic). The agreement, the largest in CONCACAF’s history, gives Univision Deportes exclusive Spanish and Portuguese U.S. broadcast rights to the Gold Cup (Copa Oro), Champions League and several other major tournaments. The matches will air on Univision Deportes platforms, including Univision, TeleFutura, Galavision, Univision Deportes Network, online and on mobile.

“This substantial deal demonstrates the growing interest in the game among American fans and will ensure millions more can enjoy their favorite matches throughout the United States,” said Jeffrey Webb, president of CONCACAF. “Our fans in the U.S. have incredible passion and excitement for the sport, and we are pleased to give them more access to watch the games they love. After historic wins at the Olympics by Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.A., and record viewership of the 2011 Gold Cup on Univision, this agreement will allow us to showcase the highest quality of competitions and talent from all of our member nations.”

“We have brought the passion and excitement of the CONCACAF games to millions of homes for years and now fans will be able to follow every kick, head bump and goal as their favorite teams move through these exhilarating tournaments,” said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, president of Univision Deportes. “With this groundbreaking deal, Univision Deportes will deliver the richest soccer rights portfolio in Hispanic sports media.”

The deal gives Univision Deportes all U.S., non-radio broadcasting rights in Spanish and Portuguese for the following events: CONCACAF Gold Cup (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021), CONCACAF Champions League (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18. 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-2021, 2021-22), CONCACAF Men’s Under 17 & Under 20 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021), CONCACAF Women’s Under 17 & Under 20 (2014, 2016, 2018, 2020), and CONCACAF Futsal Championship (2016, 2012).

Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup has become the region’s most popular soccer event, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of viewers across the nation. Featuring the best players from the CONCACAF regions, the tournament has grown into a 12-nation championship, with Mexico and the United States holding the most Gold Cup titles. Last year, the final match of the Gold Cup featuring USA and Mexico broke records as the highest-rated primetime sports broadcast ever on Univision across all key demographics – more than 10.8 million viewers tuned in to all or part of the match and 93,420 fans attended, an increase of 31 percent over 2009.

Additionally, last year’s tournament was the highest-rated Gold Cup tournament broadcast in Univision’s history with approximately 20 million unduplicated viewers tuning in to some or all of the network’s 2011 coverage through the semifinal games. Spanish-language viewership of the tournament grew 36 percent between 2009 and 2011.

The Champions League, which runs from July through April every year, is the international club championship for teams from the CONCACAF region. The winner of the Champions League qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup. The Champions League title has been won by 27 different clubs, 11 of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Cruz Azul and América, who have won the competition five times each. The Liga MX is, by far, the most successful league, amassing 27 wins in the tournament. Univision was first to air the Champions League tournament when it launched in 2008.

Sheffield Wednesday chairman Milan Mandaric has moved to distance himself from rumours linking him with a potential takeover of struggling SPL side Glasgow Rangers.

 

Mandaric was replying to unconfirmed reports that he met with the Scottish club’s administrators, Duff and Phelps, about a possible takeover.

 

“I can categorically deny there is any substance to these stories and I am disappointed that such articles are printed without foundation,” he said.

“I have never had any dialogue [with] anyone relating to Rangers.”

And he added: “Glasgow Rangers is a huge football club with a great heritage and history, but I already have that here at Sheffield Wednesday.

 

“For clarity, I have not instructed any of my associates to register an interest in the administration process at Glasgow Rangers and I have no interest, now or in the future, of becoming involved in the club.”

 

The search for potential investors continues as the club look to pull out of administration and secure the financial security needed to keep afloat.

 

Sir David Murray sold Rangers to Craig Whyte in May last year for £1 with the new owner clearing the £18m debt owed to Lloyds Bank. Since then, Rangers’ dispute with HMRC over the use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs) during Murray’s reign has meant there is a potential tax liability of £49m hanging over the club.

 

But it was a £9m unpaid tax bill for VAT and PAYE, accrued since Whyte’s takeover, that tipped the club into administration on Tuesday and brought a 10-point penalty from the SPL that effectively ends Rangers’ title defence.

 

By Marc Sibbons

MP & Silva has inked a deal with SBS Australia to distribute the media rights for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil in all territories in Oceania, excluding New Zealand.

The package includes all 64 live matches and ceremonies of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil as well as daily 45-minute highlights. This includes the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti and FIFA Futsal World Cup in Thailand. The term is from 2012 to 2014. 

Ken Shipp, the head of sports at SBS, said: “MP & Silva are well placed to distribute the TV rights for the 2014 FIFA World Cup as leaders in football distribution in Asia. We are excited with the prospect of reaching out to more football fans in the Oceania region.”

Andrea Radrizzani, MP & Silva’s group CEO, added: “MP & Silva has done a great job in leading the distribution of football content in the Asia-Pacific region. Being appointed by SBS is a worthy recognition of our leadership in the market and we are very excited to use our network of broadcasters to improve audiences of international football in Oceania.”

look helvetica, capsule sans-serif;”>China’s top football referee Lu Jun was sentenced to five and a half years in jail after he was found guilty of taking bribes in order to fix matches.

 

A full investigation has been in place for some time now with corruption proving to be an on-going problem in the Chinese game.

 

This has led to the arrest of 9 people, including Lu Jun, being arrested this week, and several others waiting to hear their fate.

 

Lu Jun’s greatest career highlight was officiating at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea/Japan where he was in charge of two group stage matches.

 

The Asian Football Confederations also named him referee of the year on two occasions.

 

He was found sentenced to prison after admitting taking bribes worth more than $128,000 (£82,000) to fix the results of seven league football games, some in 2003.

 

These bribes relate to four Chinese top-level clubs, one of which is Shanghai Shenua, who have recently signed French star Nicolas Anelka.

 

The court, in the north-eastern city of Dandong, heard how the Shanghai club had spent nearly $1m bribing officials and referees, including Lu Jun.

 

In China, corrupt referees are known as ‘black whistles.’  This latest scandal is sure to tarnish it’s already damaged reputation but it is hoped the convictions this week lead to kick starting the campaign to clean up Chinese football.

 

By Marc Sibbons

Time Warner Cable SportsNet announced today that it has entered into a long-term agreement with the West Coast Conference (WCC) and will air a minimum of 15 live WCC men’s basketball games this season, sale as well as other sporting events throughout Southern California.

The network’s WCC schedule will feature Southern California schools Loyola Marymount, viagra buy Pepperdine and the University of San Diego, as well as BYU, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s.

Nine of Time Warner Cable SportsNet’s WCC telecasts will air as “WCC Game of the Week” matchups on Saturdays this winter. Those games will be paired with a weekly half-hour program dedicated to WCC Athletics.

“West Coast Conference schools like Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine and the University of San Diego are an integral part of the Southern California sports landscape and we’re happy to give them a local TV home in Time Warner Cable SportsNet,” said Mark Shuken, Senior Vice President and General Manager, TWC Sports Regional Networks. “Our networks promise to give sports fans more access to their teams than they’ve had before, and our partnership with the WCC allows us to do that through more live games as well as more team programming.”

“We are proud to partner with Time Warner Cable Sports to showcase West Coast Conference basketball to our Southern California fans in an unprecedented capacity,” said WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich. “In addition, the WCC Game of the Week and pre-game show will help highlight our men’s basketball programs and further strengthen our position as one of the best basketball conferences in the nation.”

Administrators met the staff and players of Rangers Football Club on Thursday and claimed there will be no immediate cuts to staff or the playing squad at Rangers.

The first redundancies as a result of the administration process at the Glasgow club are not expected to take place until next week after a review of staffing levels.

Paul Clark and David Whitehouse from insolvency experts Duff and Phelps, who were appointed to take charge of the club’s finances on Tuesday, met manager Ally McCoist at Ibrox on Thursday morning, before talking to the players at the training ground Murray Park.

On Thursday afternoon, the administrators are scheduled to hold a press conference where they will talk about the progress they have made so far since being brought in to Rangers.

A spokesman for Duff and Phelps said: “The administrators will talk through the actual process with the manager and the playing staff..

“There will be no immediate cuts to the staff or playing staff, as a review of all employees will take place in due course.”

Mr Clark and Mr Whitehouse took over the running of the club after a dramatic attempt by HM Revenue and Customs to get a court-appointed insolvency expert in at Ibrox. The late legal move by the tax authority came as Rangers had not paid £9m in PAYE and VAT since Craig Whyte took over the club last May.

Currently the club is also awaiting the result of a crucial tax case against HMRC, which Mr Whyte has claimed could leave them with a bill of up to £75m.

On Wednesday, the administrators returned to Ibrox where they began looking into the club’s current financial position, with a view to making significant savings to pay off creditors.

Craig Whyte flew to London overnight on Tuesday, his representatives have claimed he will return to Rangers soon, while it is not yet known whether he will attend Saturday’s game between Rangers and Ibrox.

The administrators are likely to cut costs wherever possible and that could see some players told that they are leaving the club in order to reduce the wage bill. A statement from Duff and Phelps on Wednesday evening stressed that they were confident that Rangers would continue as a football club “in broad terms”.

Meanwhile, Rangers official kit seller JJB joined their other sponsors by coming out in support of the troubled club.

Keith Jones, chief executive of JJB Sports, said: “JJB is extremely proud of its longstanding relationship with Rangers FC and we will continue to work with the club through this process.

“We were saddened to hear of the news that the Rangers FC had entered administration, however the club has our full support and we are in constant dialogue with them during this difficult time. We are committed to working with the club, the fans and the administrators to achieve a successful outcome to secure the club’s future”

In 2006 JJB Sports paid the club £18m to become the official kit seller, replacing Rangers stores across the country.

Ali Russell, chief operating officer at Rangers, said: “I would like to thank JJB Sports for demonstrating its support and commitment to Rangers during this difficult time for the club. We are working with the administrators to resolve the current situation and appreciate the professionalism in the way our partners are handling current events.”

The Premier League today announced that International Media Content Ltd. (IMC), health parent company of SportsMax Limited, has been awarded the live audio visual broadcast rights for all 380 Barclays Premier League matches from the 2013/14 to 2015/16 seasons in the Caribbean. 

Richard Scudamore, the Chief Executive of the Premier League, said: “We are extremely pleased that IMC has invested in our live broadcast rights in the Caribbean.”

President & CEO SportsMax Limited, Oliver McIntosh, said: “It is great news for fans of the Barclays Premier League in the Caribbean that IMC has been awarded the rights for the BPL through to the 2015/2016 season.

“For ten years now, SportsMax has provided coverage of the BPL, and this season we have increased the number of matches we show each weekend. Our coverage has attracted many new fans of the BPL across the Caribbean as SportsMax has enhanced coverage with its 
SportsMax Zone programme and media partnerships promoting the BPL. We look forward to three more excellent years.”

Newly-appointed Egyptian Football Association (EFA) president Anwar Saleh has announced the domestic league will resume behind closed doors immediately after investigations into the Port Said stadium disaster have concluded.

The Egyptian Premier League came to a shuddering halt earlier this month when 74 people lost their lives after violence erupted during a match between rivals Al-Ahly and Al-Masry.

Saleh, who has been handed interim power of the EFA following Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri’s decision to dissolve the previous administration, says safety and control must be of utmost importance as the country attempts to rebuild after the tragedy.

“The league will be resumed behind closed doors, but it all depends on the investigations results. Security is the priority of all Egyptians and if it was achieved the fans will return to the stands gradually,” Saleh told Ahram Sports weekly magazine.

“Resuming the competition is essential for several parties so I think that the clubs will not oppose playing the matches without their supporters. Egypt’s national teams will play all their matches as scheduled.”

by Ismail Uddin