The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has announced that it’s domestic soccer season will be delayed by one month as officials deal with the ongoing match-fixing scandal which has implicated many of Turkey’s top clubs.

The 2011-12 Spor Toto SuperLig season was scheduled to start on August 7, but has now been put back to September 9, whilst the second tier of Turkish football, the Bank Asya 1. League, will start a day later.

The scandal has already seen a Turkish court jail 31 people pending trial on charges of match fixing, including the chairman of SuperLig champions Fenerbahce and the coach and deputy chairman of rivals Besiktas. The TFF stated it will meet with club chairmen on Tuesday to discuss the next steps.

Fenerbahce won the league title last season after a remarkable end-of-season run of form saw Trabzonspor edged out on goal difference. Besiktas lifted the Turkish Cup after beating Buyuksehir in a penalty shoot-out. Media reports indicate Besiktas’ Cup final victory is one of 19 games highlighted in the police investigation, along with Fenerbahce’s title-clinching 4-3 victory over Sivasspor on the final day of the season.

ESPN has agreed a deal to broadcast the Professional Darts Corporation’s (PDC) European Darts Championship next month.

This is the first time ESPN and the PDC team up for the first time to show a major darts event.

The championship will see 32 players battling it out over four days for the £200,000 prize pot, including Taylor, who has won all four European Championship titles since the event’s inception in 2008.

Other players in contention include double PDC World Champion Adrian Lewis, who was the runner-up to Taylor in last year’s European Championship, world number three James Wade, Holland’s five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld, and Australian favourite Simon Whitlock.

Jeroen Oerlemans, the vice-president of TV Channels at ESPN EMEA, said: “We’re delighted to add more top-class darts to ESPN’s great sporting line-up.

“Our live and exclusive coverage of the European Darts Championship will bring viewers some of the best players in the world competing for one of the most prestigious trophies in darts. 

“We’ll continue to look to add more darts programming as we expand and solidify the range of our programming.”

PDC Chairman Barry Hearn added: “The PartyPoker.net European Darts Championship has established itself as one of our most exciting and colourful events over the past four years, and it is a pleasure to welcome ESPN as our broadcast partner for the 2012 event.

“Last year, we saw the emergence of Kim Huybrechts as he took part in a major PDC event for the first time as well as a thrilling nine-darter by Adrian Lewis and his great final with Phil Taylor, and I’m sure that September’s tournament will be equally memorable for the fans in Germany and viewers on ESPN.”

England’s soccer organisation, The Football League. has announced Help the Hospices as its Official Charity Partner for the 2011/12 season.

As the national charity for hospice care, Help the Hospices represents and supports local hospices, and champions the very best care for everyone facing the end of their life.

Chosen by fans following a public vote on The Football League website, Help the Hospices will benefit from unrivalled exposure across The League’s 72 member clubs.

The partnership will officially launch on Monday 25 July 2011 with the ‘Sunflower Sprint’ mascot race at Uttoxeter Racecourse, Staffordshire where Football League furry mascots will dash down a 100m stretch of the course.

David Praill, Chief Executive of Help the Hospices, said: “We are delighted to have the chance to work alongside The Football League this season, so that hospices across the UK can continue to care for 360,000 people every year – which could fill Wembley stadium four times over.

“This is an exciting opportunity for local hospices to tell millions of football fans about their important work.”

Football League crowds topped 16 million last season, and statistically half of those attending games will know someone who has been cared for by a hospice.

Fundraising activities this season are set to include bucket collections and fan initiatives, as well as a dedicated week of action from 7 to 13 March 2011 where all 72 League clubs will stage a game in support of Help the Hospices.

Greg Clarke, Chairman of The Football League, said: “Like Football League clubs, hospices operate at the heart of their local communities.

“This season, with the support of all 72 League clubs, hospices will continue to provide vital care for adults and children with life-limiting and terminal illnesses across England and Wales.”

The Scottish Premier League (SPL) has announced a partnership with YouTube, generic which will see match highlights and exclusive content available for YouTube viewers in the UK and around the world for the next three seasons.

The deal is a first for league football in the UK and will see the SPL’s official YouTube channel, generic ‘splofficial’ screen highlights from every Clydesdale Bank Premier League match. From season 2012-13 ‘splofficial’ will be the place to catch all the goals, order skills, best saves and top tackles from the top tier of Scottish football, while being a platform for supporters to share their own videos and experiences as they follow their club throughout the season.

The ‘splofficial’ channel will also cover pre and post match reaction from players and managers, as well as exclusive behind-the-scenes features, representing an exciting new means through which fans can engage with their club.

The ‘splofficial’ channel can be accessed via the following URL: http://www.youtube.com/splofficial. Match highlights will be available for supporters in the UK to view from 6pm on Sundays.

Stuart MacPhee, SPL Commercial Manager, said: “Launching the ‘splofficial’ channel represents a new chapter in online fan engagement for our league. Making Clydesdale Bank Premier League content available on YouTube will allow fans to access all the best action, on and off the pitch, whenever they want and wherever they are, be it at home on the laptop or on their smartphone on the bus to work.”

Stephen Nuttall, Senior Director, Sports for YouTube Europe, Middle East and Africa, added: “Football fans worldwide naturally go to YouTube to catch up on goals and highlights. Our partnership with The Scottish Premier League will give the global YouTube audience access to all aspects of Scottish football from the best on-field action to exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.”

Worawi Makudi, head of FIFA’s committee for women’s soccer, has said that the tournament in Germany is proving to be one of the most successful ever.

“We are very happy that so far it has been excellently organised,” Makudi said.

“The spectators and atmosphere here is fantastic. This is something we have achieved with the cooperation of the host country.”

Most satisfying for FIFA, he said, were the crowd numbers at the host stadia and the millions watching televised games in different TV markets worldwide.

Japan’s 1-0 extra-time over reigning champions Germany drew a huge TV audience in the host nation, with the ZDF coverage of the match attracted an average viewership of almost 17 million.

The Professional Football League (LFP) in Spain has approved new regulations designed to curb excessive spending by clubs in the country’s top two divisions, denture after a season where many clubs faced financial difficulties.

Jaypee Sports International Limited, asthma | the promoter of Buddh International Circuit, anesthetist has acquired exclusive TV rights from Infront Sports & Media, the promoter and organizer of the FIM Superbike World Championship, for the live transmission of the Indian round of the championship to be held in March 2013.

The deal licenses JPSI to resell the TV rights of the main race along with the support races to the Indian broadcasters. 

The four-year contract, which covers the Indian Territory and goes into effect till 2016, will also permit JPSI to resell the non-exclusive TV rights to the broadcasters for other non-India WSBK races.   

Sameer Gaur, MD & CEO, JPSI, said: “We are delighted with the deal as this will help generate additional revenue apart from sponsorships. Post the F1 Indian GP, the popularity of motorsport has increased many folds in India and with WSBK also coming to BIC early next year, it is going to increase further.” 

Paolo Flammini, CEO of Infront  Motor  Sports, said: “We are pleased that such a prestigious partner as Jaypee Sports International, which has committed itself to the organization of the Indian Round of the Superbike World Championship from 2013 to 2016, is also directly involved in the administration of the television rights of the championship throughout India. We are certain that this collaboration will bring about a major increase in awareness for World Superbike.”

World Superbike is slated to make its Indian debut at the Buddh International Circuit on 9th-10th March next year.

The 2011 women’s World Cup in Germany made a net profit of $ US10.9 million

The announcement in Frankfurt said that the projected income from the June 26-July 17 tournament was $ US 72.7. Nearly half of the money came from ticket sales which totalled 782,000.

Lower than planned out goings and high incoming contributed to this and was a ‘tremendous financial success’ announced German football federation president Theo Zwanziger said spending had been lower and ticket sales higher than planned, contributing to the tournament’s “tremendous financial success.”

7.18 million Dollars will be reinvested in promoting women’s football, and 1 million to German sport, including the Olympic organization, sport for the disabled and a sports aid foundation.

Good news for the stadium operators as they will also receive an additional 28,000 US Dollars per match played at their venues.

Commercial broadcaster KTK has been awarded the free-to-air media rights for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League for the next three seasons in Kazakhstan.

KTK will show the best live UEFA Champions League game each matchnight as well as the best live UEFA Europa League fixture in every kick-off slot. Live coverage of both competitions will be followed each matchnight by a highlights programme, impotent also on KTK.

Football fans in Kazakhstan will also be able to follow coverage of either competition on mobile and on the internet via www.ktk.kz.