English soccer’s second tier clubs of the Npower Championship are set to bring in their own money controls, mirroring UEFA’s own Financial Fair Play rules that are being introduced over the coming years.

According to Greg Clarke, chairman of the Football League, which governs the three divisions below the Barclays Premier League, clubs have voted in principle to adopt the system. The system will be proposed later today at the Football League’s AGM in Cyprus, where it will also be put forward that League One clubs move towards the introduction of the salary cap currently in force in League Two, where teams can spend a maximum of 60% of their turnover on wages.

Clarke told Press Association Sport: “The Championship clubs voted to look at financial fair play and in principle decided that was the road they wanted to go down. I think it’s essential, and the energy to solve this is coming from the clubs themselves. It’s a perfect storm in that a lot of things have come together to make this happen, including of course the level of debt in the game – £700 million in the Football League, most of that in the Championship – and big losses being racked up by the clubs.

“These things are never unanimous and a couple of the clubs would rather not have constraints on how much money they can spend. I would hope this could lead to a return to the days when local communities could own the clubs rather than rely on offshore benefactors. There is also a proposal for League One clubs to shadow the League Two system in the coming season with a view to their adopting it the season afterwards.”

National sports station talkSPORT has secured the exclusive commercial radio rights for the FA Cup for the first time in UK and global rights excluding Europe.

The deal also includes Community Shield worldwide rights and selected England Games UK rights.

The station will be broadcasting live audio commentary of FA Cup matches in the UK following today’s agreement with the Football Association.

Additionally, click talkSPORT’s new international service talkSPORT Live launches on 18 August and will offer access to FA Cup matches as well as all Premier League games with distribution via the internet, mobile apps and international broadcast partners.

The latest agreement follows the announcement in April that talkSPORT had signed an exclusive deal with the Premier League to broadcast live commentary of all Premier League matches outside the European Economic Area in multiple languages including English, Spanish and Mandarin for the next four seasons.

Scott Taunton, Chief Executive, talkSPORT said: “Today’s announcement clearly positions talkSPORT as the leading commercial sports radio station worldwide.

“The FA Cup is the original and most historic cup competition in the world. I’m extremely excited that this deal gives us the ability to bring talkSPORT’s passion and analysis to the FA Cup, Community Shield and England friendlies to our listeners in the UK for the first time ever.

“The opportunity to broadcast FA Cup games internationally has been a key part of our global plans for talkSPORT Live and today’s rights announcement opens up the European market to us. We are in the process of creating a network of global radio and distribution partners for talkSPORT Live.”

Moz Dee, Programme Director, talkSPORT, said: “The FA Cup creates some of the best drama and stories in football. I’m extremely excited that this deal gives us the ability to bring talkSPORT’s passion and analysis to the FA Cup, Community Shield and England friendlies to our listeners.”

Mexico’s national soccer side qualified for the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup yesterday, June 9, despite having suspended five senior international players just hours before their 5-0 5-0 thrashing of Cuba for testing positive for the banned stimulant clenbuterol.

Antonio Naelson, Christian Bermudez, Edgar Duenas, Francisco Javier Rodriguez and goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa tested positive during a training camp in Mexico according to tournament organizer CONCACAF, currently in turmoil following the suspension of their own president and subsequently, acting president.

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, will hold a meeting today to discuss the issue and decide whether Mexico can replace the suspended players after claiming that the five may have inadvertently ingested the substance.

Clenbuterol is used to treat respiratory disorders such as asthma and can increase aerobic capacity by improving the flow of oxygen in the bloodstream. Farmers sometimes use it illegally to bulk up cattle more quickly.

In fact, just this April, Germany’s anti-doping agency advised soccer players attending this month’s FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Mexico to avoid eating meat because of the widespread use of clenbuterol by farmers.

“As far as possible the consumption of meat products should be omitted,” the German agency said at the time.

The Football Association (FA) has announced a new six season deal with BBC Sport for the radio commentary rights for all men’s and women’s FA Cup & International matches along with the Community Shield.

According to a report by the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, the collective turnover of English Premier League soccer clubs hit a record £2.03bn (US$3.33bn) in the 2009-10 season and will have exceeded £2.2bn ($3.61bn) in the latest campaign.

Alex Byars, senior consultant in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, stated: “Of the £49m increase in Premier League clubs’ revenues, less than 10% (£4m) fed through to operating profits, which increased from £79m to £83m. The challenge for clubs continues to be converting impressive revenue growth into sustainable profits that allow for investment in both infrastructure and talent.”

“The record pre-tax losses of £445m in 2009-10 are a concern, particularly as credit is likely to remain less available to football clubs than it was two or three years ago. This may also, in part, explain why gross transfer spending by Premier League clubs decreased by more than 20% from the record £713m in 2008-09 to £559m in 2009-10.”

Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, added: “Despite the difficult economic environment, Premier League clubs’ revenues increased by 2% in 2009-10. Broadcast revenue grew by 7% to £1.04bn to become the first £1bn revenue stream of any domestic football league, even before further growth in 2010-11 from the uplift in overseas broadcast deal values.”

However, the Review of Soccer Finance added that the total European football market grew to a record £13.3bn in 2009-10, with Germany’s Bundesliga proving the most profitable major league within the continent (£1.4bn revenue). However, the report suggested the high revenues of English clubs would place them in a strong position ahead of the new UEFA financial fair play rules to come into practice from the 2013-14 season.

Spain and Italy followed (£1.3bn each) and France (£0.9bn) all trailed the Premier League in the revenue stakes. However, for a second successive year the increase in Premier League clubs’ total wage costs of £64m (5%) exceeded the rise in revenues (£49m), driving total wages up to over £1.4bn and resulting in a record wages to revenue ratio of 68%.

The new deals follow an announcement yesterday about a three-year extension to ESPN’s Bundesliga rights, and come as the broadcaster plans for the future after losing out on a new Premier League deal to BT. 

ESPN is clearly positioning itself as the home of European club football, with France’s Ligue 1 coming to the broadcaster for the first time.

Serie A has been aired on ESPN since the broadcaster launched its UK channel in 2009, and it will remain so under a renewed deal. 

Agreements to Dutch and Russian top-flight club football have also been renewed. 

“The addition of France’s Ligue 1 and the renewal of Serie A, Dutch Eredivisie and Russian Premier League means ESPN is the home to the very best domestic league football from across Europe,” said Jeroen Oerlemans, the vice president of TV Channels, ESPN EMEA.

“Our portfolio of live football on ESPN is combined with our growing range of sport, which includes rugby, cricket, darts, motorsport, UFC, boxing and more.”

Gianni Infantino, general secretary of European soccer’s governing body UEFA, has heaped praise on preparations for Euro 2012 and insisted that doubts about Poland and Ukraine’s ability to co-host the tournament have been “wiped out”.

The news comes as a huge result and boost to organisers after UEFA president Michel Platini questioned progress in the host countries last year after particular concerns were raised about stadia in the Ukrainian cities of Kiev and Lviv.

Since then, construction work at the Kiev venue is expected to be completed in August or September and Infantino said at a press conference yesterday, June 8, that all preparations were now on track exactly one year ahead of the start of the competition.

Infantino stated: “It is impressive what is going on in Ukraine. There are many milestones but we are now on the final straight and have achieved much in Poland and Ukraine. The road was not an easy ride – the project was at a high risk (of cancellation) due to delays to facilities. Our doubts have now been wiped out; we are going in the right direction at the right pace.”

Football Federation of Ukraine president Hryhoriy Surkis added: “Eighteen months ago we felt it (the project) was seriously threatened, but today no one doubts it. We are on the final lap.”

Infantino also expressed confidence that the recent spate of hooliganism in Poland would not be repeated at Euro 2012. “As far as hooliganism and crowd trouble are concerned, England had this problem for many years and have more or less eradicated it through the work of the government and the authorities. I am convinced that the same thing will be happening in Poland to stop this being a problem at Euro 2012.”

Polish Football Association chief Grzegorz Lato added: “There are measures in place to stop this (hooliganism) from happening again. I am sure that at Euro 2012 Polish people will be sitting next to English fans or Greeks or Spaniards and there will be no problem with hooliganism.”

Scottish Football League’s (SFL) Ramsdens Challenge Cup have renewed their deal with BBC Alba for a further three-years.

The new agreement extends the partnership that has existed between BBC ALBA and the SFL since 2008.

The Gaelic language channel’s coverage of this season’s tournament begins on Sunday when Brechin host Rangers.

SFL chief executive David Longmuir said: “We are delighted to have reached this agreement with BBC ALBA who have supported the Scottish Football League since the channel launched in 2008.

“The coverage which the channel provides has helped to bring Scottish football at community level to wider audiences not only in Scotland but throughout the UK. We look forward to continuing our relationship with BBC ALBA for the next three years.”

Members of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) voted unanimously in favour of restructuring organisation yesterday, June 7.

At its meeting, proposals from former first minister Henry McLeish’s Scottish football review were ratified by the SFA members after the report was commissioned by departing SFA president George Peat.

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan said: “This is truly an historic day for the SFA. I’m delighted our members share our vision for the future.”

In a resounding result, all 93 of the SFA’s member clubs voted to implement all of the recommendations to modernise the way the game is governed in Scotland, with main changes including the reduction of the SFA board from 11 officials to seven, including an independent member.

In turn, the SFA say the board will become more strategic than representative and focus on “corporate strategy and top-line decision-making”.

In addition, two new boards will be created under the main board – one for the professional game and another for the non-professional game, while the much-maligned disciplinary procedures will be rewritten and a compliance officer will quickly decide whether cases will be heard by the new semi-autonomous judicial panel.

As part of the ruling, the numerous SFA committees including the disciplinary, general purposes and emergency panels, have been immediately disbanded, though an audit committee will be formed to ensure the efficient running of the organisation.

Regan added: “These are the most significant changes in the 138-year history of the SFA. The decisions made today will allow us to change and modernise the association.

“I was pleasantly surprised that it was unanimous. Going into an AGM you are never quite sure how things will go. We put the groundwork in, covering the miles across Scotland trying to explain the benefits of what we’re doing.

“I’m really proud, I’m proud for my staff, the board and the members that they have had the guts to make the change. It really is a huge day for Scottish football.”

Also at the meeting, Campbell Ogilvie’s election as president, replacing Peat, was confirmed, while Cove Rangers chairman Alan McRae was voted first vice-president and Hibernian chairman Rod Petrie second vice-president.

The outgoing Peat predicted a “brighter future” for Scottish football and added: “I’m proud to leave my post as president of the Scottish FA on such a positive note.

“I commissioned Henry McLeish’s Review of Scottish Football because it was becoming increasingly apparent that our game had to modernise.”

America ONE Sports and the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) today announced that they have entered into an agreement for the broadband telecast distribution of PASL games. PASL games are scheduled to begin airing on America ONE Sports this fall.

The PASL, cialis with teams coast-to-coast, is the largest arena/indoor soccer league in the US. Each team plays 16 regular season games, 8 at home and 8 away as the league embarks on its fifth season this October. Additional playoffs will be available on America ONE Sports. America ONE Sports, an operating company of ONE Media Corp Inc., is a leader in live broadband sports featuring more than 5500 live and exclusive sporting events.

“Our partnership with America ONE Sports will allow our teams to broadcast more games with a higher quality video,” said PASL Commissioner Kevin Milliken. “Combining that with the addition of new teams, the PASL will have a much broader presence online this season.”

“We are pleased to bring the PASL to soccer fans across the country and around the world,” added Bruce LeVine, America ONE Sports Director of Programming. “Indoor soccer is fast paced and exciting entertainment. Broadband telecast distribution on America ONE Sports makes global visibility for the PASL both efficient and economical..”