The Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships is to be streamed live with English-language commentary, prostate  European Athletics announced today.

Athletics fans around the world will be able to click through to the live stream link from the European Athletics website homepage and watch the championships live in their entirety.

Fans will be able to instantly rewind the action and watch video on demand of an event just a few minutes after it has finished.

English commentary will add colour to the live action throughout the 27 June to 1 July event.

The live stream page is scheduled to be opened on 20 June.

After it was announced that English Premier League soccer leaders Manchester United would play the Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star team again this year, the club have confirmed the four remaining friendlies on their US tour, including a mouth-watering clash with FC Barcelona of Spain’s La Liga.

Additionally in the five-match tour in July, United will face MLS sides of New England Revolution on July 13, Seattle Sounders on July 20 and Chicago Fire on July 23.

The All-Star match-up will take place on July 27 before the tour ends with the exciting prospect of friendly against fellow UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists FC Barcelona on July 30 at the FedEx Field, Maryland, home of the National Football League’s (NFL) Washington Redskins.

NBC Sports Network will expand its coverage of this weekend’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 with more than six hours of coverage of the June 23 IZOD IndyCar Series event.

Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. (ET) with the latest episode of the all-access series INDYCAR 36.

The NBC Sports Network original series is produced by IMS Productions and gives viewers an all-access pass into the life of an IZOD IndyCar Series driver in the middle of race season. The cameras will follow a driver for 36 hours during a race weekend providing a behind-the-scenes look at the on- and off-track activities of the stars of the IZOD IndyCar Series. This week the spotlight shines on Charlie Kimball, who races for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing.

Following INDYCAR 36, the network will televise the three heat races that will determine the starting lineup for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 followed by live flag-to-flag coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series race at 9 p.m. (ET).

NBC Sports Network’s coverage of the Firestone Indy Lights Sukup 100 will immediately follow the Iowa Corn Indy 250 as the network centers its coverage of the IZOD IndyCar Series’ official developmental series closer to IZOD IndyCar Series events.

An announcement was made yesterday, March 28, by Major League Soccer (MLS) confirming that English Premier League leaders Manchester United will be the opponent in the AT&T MLS All-Star Game on July 27 at Red Bull Arena.

Manchester United was the opponent for last year’s game, which they won 5-2, and this year’s game will be televised live on ESPN2, Galavision and TSN.

The match is part of United’s 2011 North American tour, details of which will be formally announced today, March 29, at a media event at Red Bull Arena.

America ONE Sports today announced that live and exclusive broadband coverage of the 2012 Indoor Football League (IFL) Playoffs and the League Championship United Bowl will be available on Pay Per View (PPV).

Created in 2008, discount the IFL features two conferences, unhealthy | the United Conference and the Intense Conference, with eight teams each. Each conference will hold two semi-finals during the first weekend of competition. The remaining two teams from each conference will face-off during the conference finals for a position in the League championship game, the United Bowl.

In 2011 the Sioux Falls Storm won the Championship United Bowl with a 37-10 victory over the Tri-Cities Fever. 

All of the playoff games will be available on America ONE Sports. The price for an individual Game Pass is $9. Additionally, a pass that is good for every game throughout the entire playoff is available for $50. Game broadcast video will become available at game time.

“America ONE Sports congratulates the IFL and its fans on a memorable, record breaking regular season,” said Bruce LeVine, America ONE Sports Director of Programming. “ America ONE Sports is proud to bring the playoffs and the Championship United Bowl to IFL fans everywhere.”

The company that owns English nPower Championship soccer club Watford has reported a sharp increase in losses for the second half of 2010.

Despite a small rise in revenue to £5.4m (US$8.6m), hospital pre-tax losses for the six-month period came in at £2.5m ($4m) compared with a loss of £172, sale 000 ($274,400) a year earlier.

The lack of player sales in that period is what Watford Leisure is crediting with much of the loss.

The club, who sit 9th in the league at the moment and four points off a play-off place, is currently the subject of a £440,000 ($702,000) buy-out offer.

The bid was tabled earlier this month by Panos Thomas, a surgeon who set up company Watford Football Club, specifically to buy the club, and is backed by entrepreneur Laurence Bassini.

Watford Leisure said that it needed to sell players in order to keep the business sustainable.

Chairman Graham Taylor stated: “It should be no surprise to anyone to read that our half-year figures state a deficit.

“Our focus on ensuring we remain true to our business plan means that failure to trade in either [summer or January transfer] window inevitably leads to the need for a working capital injection from alternative sources.”

He said this injection would have to amount to about £3.5m ($5.6m) this year.

Match day revenue fell to £2m ($3.2m), while season ticket sales fell by 1,500, resulting in a £49,000 ($78,000) drop in revenue – less than would have been the case had it not been for a “restructuring of the [season ticket] pricing model”.

Media revenue increased to £2.6m ($4.15m).

MP & Silva has acquired Asia-wide rights to the Capital One Cup (also known as the ‘League Cup’) until 2017.

The package covers all Asian territories and could reach over 110 million households.

MP & Silva now holds the Asian broadcast rights for all English football’s cup competitions. The company has announced the acquisition of The FA Cup and England matches across the continent.

Andrea Radrizzani, asthma Group CEO, sale MP & Silva, clinic said: “Our Capital One Cup and Football League agreement is another demonstration of the significant role MP & Silva is playing to increase the popularity of English football across Asia even further. Given the deal will include so many thrilling live matches and highlights, football fans across Asia will be able to follow all tiers of English football and never miss any of the action.”{jcomments on}

The new FIFA vice-president for Britain Jim Boyce, who replaces former incumbent Geoff Thompson, claims there is still time to persuade the four national Home Associations to provide players for a unified team at the 2012 London Olympics.

The Northern Irishman will succeed Thompson in June, embarking on a four-year term at soccer’s world governing body, and is prepared to do everything he can to resolve the current impasse over a unified Olympic soccer team.

The Football Associations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remain resolute in their determination not to get involved in the Olympic soccer tournament for fear of losing their individual status within FIFA, despite president Sepp Blatter repeatedly stating otherwise.

Boyce stated: “They have made it clear that nothing must be done to jeopardise their positions.

“They are very concerned as to what could happen in the future and are adamant that they do not with to take part in a united Olympic team. 

“But it’s the epitome of many peoples’ careers to take part in the Olympics and I will do everything in my power to resolve the situation. 

“I don’t want to see a fallout.

“Mr Blatter has made it clear that it [taking part in a unified team] would not affect them. 

“I have absolutely no doubt he is sincere but he’s not going to be around for ever and there is no guarantee that someone else will also make that particular statement.”

Boyce suggested there may be a way through the impasse, adding: “One of the things that perhaps might be done is that the FIFA Executive Committee, if asked to do so, put in writing that should a player be selected for the Olympic team, it would not in any way jeopardise the future status of the four Associations. 

“I would be quite happy to put that forward if the three Associations feel it is a way round the problem.”

European Athletics has agreed a worldwide deal with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for the sale of media rights outside of Europe for the period 2012-2015.

The partnership, which has been in place since 1981, was extended for the period 2012-2015 making the EBU the exclusive media partner of European Athletics.

The new commitment will cover all of European Athletics’ major events including the Helsinki 2012 and Zurich 2014 European Athletics Championships, the Göteborg 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships and Prague 2015 indoor championships.

The agreement also covers the European Team Championships and European Cross Country Championships taking place during the four-year contract period.

European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz said: “I am very pleased that we have reached an agreement with EBU to be responsible for the sale of our championship programme outside Europe.

“With the sales expertise of EBU this agreement gives us a fantastic platform to promote our sport on media platforms throughout the world, which is an extremely important consideration for us.”

Stefan Kürten, EBU director of Sports and Business, commented: “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to the sport of athletics, and we will work hard to reach the largest audience possible worldwide – an audience the sport deserves.”

Julien Ternisien, EBU head of Sports Rights of Summer Sports, added: “This contract provides European Athletics with a strong and reliable partner that will showcase an attractive championship programme to broadcasters around the world, with the aim of increasing audiences in key athletics markets outside of Europe.”

English Premier League leaders, soccer club Manchester United’s parent company have announced a loss of US$176.8m in the year ending June 30, 2010, according to accounts filed at Companies House.

The parent company of United’s owners the Glazer family, Red Football Joint Venture outlined a turnaround in fortune from the previous financial year when the company had posted a $34m profit – figures largely achieved by the $130m sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

The loss includes one-off costs from establishing a $854m bond scheme to replace outstanding debts of $826.8m. Losses in 2010 also included $49m in interest on Red Football’s $357m payment in kind (PIK) loans, which have now been repaid.

United’s chief executive David Gill has rejected fears over the Barclays Premier League club’s financial health following the release of its annual results in October.

Gill stated at the time: “We have £165 million in the bank. United fans should not be concerned, we have a long-term financing structure in place, excellent revenues that are growing, we are controlling our costs – total wages are 46% of turnover – and we can afford the interest on our long-term finance.”