adiposity sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;”>Rangers owner Craig Whyte has said he will sue the BBC for its “unfounded and defamatory” allegations of criminal behaviour in his past business dealings.

Whyte was accused, anabolics in a BBC documentary, of having control of Re-tex Plastic Technology during a seven year ban from being a director of any company, which is a criminal offence that can lead to a maximum jail sentence of two years.

Rangers banned the BBC earlier this week, claiming the broadcaster was carrying out a “hatchet job” on Whyte and had been biased in their portrayal of the club.

A spokesman for Whyte said : “Craig Whyte strenuously refutes these unfounded and defamatory allegations and has instructed his lawyers, Carter Ruck, to commence immediate legal proceedings against the BBC. Any repetition of these false accusations will also be met with legal action,”

Whyte’s lawyers told the BBC he had a minor investment in Re-tex but never held a directorial role.

Goal.com, the world’s largest football website has today confirmed that it will be streaming two of the Republic of Ireland’s crucial FIFA World Cup 2014 Qualifier matches and one friendly international match exclusively online on a pay-per-view basis.

These matches will not be available anywhere else in the UK, Northern Ireland and Australia. Thanks to Goal.com, fans of The Boys in Green based in these territories will not be missing Giovanni Trapattoni’s men in action.

International football agency Kentaro brokered the rights for the fixtures with sports media group PERFORM who own and operate Goal.com.

Goal.com is the largest football website in the world, providing football news in editorial and video form to over 30 million fans around the world and in the UK reaches over 3 million football fans (Google Analytics, August 2012).

Oliver Slipper, Joint-CEO of PERFORM commented: “This is an exciting development for us and we are glad to be able to bring these important qualifying matches to fans of the Republic of Ireland in the UK and Northern Ireland. For some time now, the internet has proved a worthy alternative to traditional broadcast and fans are far more accustomed to consuming live content through the PCs.”

In October 2009, PERFORM and Kentaro joined forces to exclusively stream the Ukraine vs England FIFA World Cup 2010 qualifier in the UK. This proved to be a hugely-popular, landmark event.

English Football League clubs are planning to abolish the tribunal system that sets fees when clubs cannot agree a transfer for home-grown players.

This came after the Premier League threatened to withhold funding for youth development if the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) was not voted through.

According to media reports, the Football League reluctantly advised its members to vote in favour of the system during Thursday’s meeting at the Bescot Stadium in Walsall.

If clubs had opted against the proposals, the annual funding they receive from the Premier League for youth development – over £5m-per-season – would have been withheld.

The clubs voted 46 for and 22 against, plus three no-shows and one abstention.

The Premier League decided in favour of adopting EPPP at a meeting in June.

The new proposals will guarantee clubs more funding for youth football over a guaranteed four-year period, but it could mean clubs receive lower fees for players under the age of 17.

A Football League statement said: “Following lengthy consideration, Football League clubs have voted to accept the Premier League’s proposals on the Elite Player Performance Plan. The League will now continue discussions with the Premier League on the implementation of the EPPP across professional football.”

Several clubs in the Football League are concerned the current tribunal system will be replaced by a set of fixed prices.

The new tariffs will see a selling club paid £3,000 ($4,738) for every year of a player’s development between the ages of nine and 11, and between £12,500 ($19,745) and £40,000 ($63,185) for 12 to 16 year olds depending on the club’s academy status.

The new proposals will result in an increased youth development payment for all 92 Premier League and Football League clubs over four years according to the Premier League.

ESPN have won the rights to show live coverage of the BDO Winmau World Masters for a second consecutive year.

The tournament will take place between October 10 and 14 in Hull City Hall, with ESPN broadcasting exclusively live coverage of key sessions from October 12 to 14.

The Winmau World Masters is the oldest established major in World Darts, having been played since 1974, and is one of the most prestigious titles in the game.

Jeroen Oerlemans, vice-president, TV Channels, ESPN EMEA, said: “We’re very pleased to bring viewers the Winmau World Masters again in 2012. Our first year broadcasting the competition was a great success and we’re looking forward to being part of the wonderful atmosphere and excitement.”

The Winmau World Masters 2012 will join an extensive portfolio of top class sport on ESPN. The tournament will sit alongside live televised coverage of the Barclays Premier League, FA Cup, Aviva Premiership Rugby, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, UEFA Europa League, European league football, international football, plus the best in North American sports, motorsports and much more.

The University of Portsmouth and PKF Accountants & business have published a report warning that English football clubs haven’t got the resources to counter fraud with one of the authors estimating fraud counts for at least £100million ($160m) each year across the professional leagues.

Ticket sales, merchandising, payroll and agents’ fees were identified as problem areas for clubs by the Fraud in Football survey, which was based on a survey of football club finance directors.

Jim Gee, PKF’s director of counter fraud services and one of the authors of the report, insisted: ‘The results should give rise to serious concern since it is surely right to expect all clubs, regardless of their league, to protect themselves against a problem that on average costs businesses almost 6% of annual expenditure. The cost of fraud in football could account for well over £100 million per annum across all of the professional leagues.

‘Our findings also chime with the Department for Culture, Media and Sports’ recent assessment that football’s ‘corporate governance structures look like they belong to another era’.  We discovered that fewer than a quarter of clubs had their own internal audit function to keep track of revenues and costs – something that would be seen as wholly unacceptable in almost any other industry in the UK.

‘Reducing the cost of fraud in football is an important issue as it affects the financial health and stability of not just the clubs themselves but, in many cases, the communities that live around them. Regardless of their league, if football clubs want to provide the best deal for their fans then they need to review the current practice and ensure that they are properly protected against fraud.

The BBC has replaced ESPN to broadcast the National Football League’s iconic Monday Night Football for the 2012 season.

Monday Night Football, for sale which launched in the 1970s and helped build the popularity of the NFL in the United States, health will be aired live by the BBC on the Red Button and will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website.

The deal means that MNF is now available to fans in the UK on a free-to-air basis. The season kicks off with a double-header next Monday (September 10), with the Cincinnati Bengals travelling to the Baltimore Ravens (kick-off at 12 midnight UK time), followed by the San Diego Chargers facing the Oakland Raiders (kick-off 3.15 a.m.)

David Murray, Head of Rights, BBC Sport, said: “We look forward to bringing Monday Night Football to our audience, who this summer have shown a great appetite for sport content via our online and red button streams. We’re delighted that our relationship with the NFL continues to grow and we look forward to a great season.”

In addition to MNF, BBC TV will continue to air live coverage of the Super Bowl, which is played in New Orleans on February 3, 2013; highlights of the International Series game between the New England Patriots and St Louis Rams at Wembley on Sunday October 28; and weekly playoff highlights in January.  BBC Radio will air at least one live game commentary per week on 5Live Sports Extra, beginning with the season opener between the Dallas Cowboys and Super Bowl champion New York Giants at 1.30 a.m. this Wednesday night.

“We are thrilled to be extending our relationship with the BBC in this way,” said Alistair Kirkwood, Managing Director of NFLUK. “Monday Night Football is one of the jewels of the NFL season and the ability for our fans to see it free of charge is very exciting.”

From Week 2 of the season, Monday Night Football will revert to its usual 1.30 a.m. start time. In Week 2 (September 17), viewers will be able to see Peyton Manning lead the Denver Broncos into battle at the Atlanta Falcons, while Week 3 features NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers taking on the Seattle Seahawks.

Italian Serie A team Juventus has declared plans to raise Eur120 million ($166m) through a share sale as the club seeks to tackle the worst financial loss in its history.

The Turin based side revealed losses of Eur95.4 million ($132) for the financial year ending June 30, discount 2011, abortion a huge rise on the loss of Eur11 million ($15.2m) for the 2009-10 season. The share sale, which will be completed by March 31, is part of a five-year plan looking to change the fortunes of the club.

Juventus currently leads Serie A it is still suffering the effects of the 2006 match-fixing scandal, which saw it relegated from the top flight, while it has failed to qualify for the lucrative UEFA Champions League in the past two years. Juventus has also been focused on developing its new stadium, which opened this season as Italy’s first privately owned football venue. Juventus president Andrea Agnelli told the club’s shareholders on Tuesday that the huge losses for 2010-11 were caused by the “virtuous” investment into the new stadium and four years of overhauling the club’s squad, which “flooded our engine”.

The Agnelli family, whose Exor company controls Juventus, has agreed to pay down Eur72 million ($99.5m) of the club’s debt as an advance on the share sale.

Juventus chief executive Aldo Mazzia added: “The increase in capital will finance the club’s life for the next five years. The aim is to get back to being competitive in Italy and Europe and, at the same time, reach a financial balance and be self-financing by the end of the industrial plan.”

The Maloof Money Cup will be broadcast to movie theaters nationwide for the first time with the “Maloof Money Cup World Skateboarding Championship Event” on Tuesday, view October 2 at 7:30 p.m. local time.

Showcasing the World Skateboarding Championship pro street finals from South Africa, check this in-theater event features competition highlights, behind-the-scenes footage and up-close action that will take fans on an exciting, big-screen ride with the competitors. This special event will also include never-before-seen Money Cup highlights, jaw-dropping tricks and exclusive interviews. The event pre-show will also announce three amateur skateboard winners, chosen out of thousands, who submitted home videos of personal best tricks during the Best Trick Big Screen online contest.

Presented by NCM Fathom Events, Maloof Skateboarding and IGN, in association with CCS, tickets for “Maloof Money Cup World Skateboarding Championship Event” are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be broadcast to nearly 580 select movie theaters across the country through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network.

“We’re excited to answer the demand to bring the World’s Greatest Skateboarding Event to millions of fans in the U.S. like it’s never been seen before – on the big screen,” said Maloof Money Cup Founder Joe Maloof. “This is an incredible opportunity for fans to experience the intensity and excitement of the contest as the best skaters in the world battle it out for the only world championship title in skateboarding.”

Maloof Skateboarding aims to raise the visibility of skateboarding across the U.S. and globally through professional and amateur contests and partnerships, supporting local skate shops and giving back to the communities it touches. It was founded in 2008 by Joe and Gavin Maloof, whose family owns the Sacramento Kings NBA franchise and the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The Maloof Money Cup is the only contest that lets the skaters take the lead on the design of the competition street courses and vert ramps, and provide overall input on the contest format. It is also the first contest of its kind to invest the time and money needed to build actual concrete skate plazas for the contest that replicate true street skating.

“For the first time ever, action sports fans have the opportunity to experience the finest skateboarders on the planet compete for the title of ‘World’s Champion’ only on the big screen in this exclusive Maloof Fathom event,” said Shelly Maxwell, executive vice president of NCM Fathom Events.

Managing director Derek Llambias believes Newcastle United is on course to break even for the financial year after their impressive start to the season.

The Magpies, who are one of three teams to remain unbeaten in the Premier League and currently in a Champions League qualification spot, reported operating losses, before player trading, of £37.7m ($59.5m) in 2008/09 and £35.5m ($56m) in 2009/10.

Newcastle’s target does not include transfer fees, including the sale of Andy Carroll to Liverpool in January for a record £35m ($55.2m).

Llambias said in the matchday programme for the weekend game with Spurs that the club is aiming towards being able to operate within the boundaries of Uefa’s financial fair play rules.

‘We are demonstrating our commitment to taking this club forward [to] a stronger position,’ commented Llambias.

Llambias added that he expected accounts for the 2010/11 period to show a loss of £4.7m ($7.4m).

International sports marketing company Sportfive has signed a deal with ANO Sports Broadcasting for the media rights in Russia for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and 2016 Olympic Games.

Created in December 2009 by RTR, Channel One and NTV PLUS, ANO Sports Broadcasting comprises the largest Russian public and private national broadcasters.

The deal with ANO Sports Broadcasting incorporates all of the main broadcasting rights for both Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016. The rights will be exploited over a number of platforms, including free-to-air television, internet, mobile and radio, amongst others.

With Russia as host country for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, ANO Sports Broadcasting intends to provide significant coverage of Sochi 2014. Live action and programming will be made accessible to viewers across the country, using multiple television channels and media platforms. The consortium’s free-to-air television channels, Channel One and Russia 1, will broadcast the key events, with further coverage offered on Russia 2 and Russia 24. There will be additional coverage on numerous pay television channels and services, as well as content transmitted via the internet, mobile and national radio.

ANO Sports Broadcasting CEO Vasily Kiknadze said: “By signing this agreement we have taken on the responsibility of providing top quality coverage of the greatest global sports event, which will be eagerly awaited by millions of Russian fans and television audiences. Our team, which will work in close cooperation with RTR, Channel One and NTV PLUS, are prepared to rise to this exciting challenge.”

Sportfive International CEO Shaila-Ann Rao added: “We are delighted to have concluded this deal for Russia with ANO Sports Broadcasting, representing the principal channels RTR, Channel One and NTV PLUS. We are certain that this will provide the best possible coverage to both the Winter and Summer Games across Russia and greatly contribute to the success and excitement of the Games in Sochi.”