The South Africa Football Association (Safa) have secured a deal with South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) for the public network to air all the national football team’s matches for the next three years.

Details of the deal will be revealed to the public in May once the boards of both associations formally approve the deal, said the Sapa news agency.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng, acting chief operating officer, SABC, said: “For the SABC this is a historic milestone for both parties, as previously we negotiated on a game to game basis.

“Once the contract has been signed, South Africans can rest assured that for the next three years, they will be able to watch the national soccer teams whenever they play home games. The agreement has been structured in a way that all parties, but especially the South African public, wins.

“This agreement will further strengthen the relationship between the SABC and Safa, as it was perceived to be on shaky ground,” he said.

Ensuring the South African public could see the matches free to air was key to the deal, said Mandla Mazibuko, acting president of Safa.

by Ismail Uddin

The proposal to move the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter months has been backed by the world footballers’ union, FIFPro. The suggestions have been supported by various FIFA officials, including FIFA president Sepp Blatter, due to summer temperatures potentially reaching 50C in the Middle Eastern Gulf.

In a statement, FIFPro said it “does not foresee any insurmountable problems in this regard”. The event which is traditionally held in June and July may well be hosted in January for the 2022 edition.

Tijs Tummers, secretary of FIFPro’s technical committee, did however question the decision to award Qatar the tournament based on it still being held in the summer. “It is not sensible in a country with an average temperature of 41C in June and July, a midday temperature of 50C and, above all, extremely high humidity”.

“Tourists are advised not to travel to Qatar in the summer months and inhabitants leave the country en masse during this period” added Tummers. “The summer months in Qatar also do not provide suitable conditions for a festival of football such as the World Cup should be, including for the supporters.”

However Tummers did support a switch to winter in order to counter the climate issues and also stated that the player’s may well be in better condition than usual after a long European season.

“Space will have to be made for the tournament, even though many countries already have a winter break,” added the secretary of FIFPro’s technical committee. “In Europe, competitive matches will have to be played in August and the second half of May and the first half of June.

“If you look at what happened last weekend with weather problems in Europe because of heavy snowfall, you could see this as an advantage rather than as a problem. And it might, perhaps, turn out that the players will be fitter at the start of a winter World Cup than was the case last summer at the World Cup in South Africa” concluded Tummers.

Modern Times Group (MTG), impotent the international entertainment broadcasting group, sale sale today announced that it has acquired live TV broadcasting rights to UEFA Champions League football in the Czech Republic from the start of the next season until the end of the 2014/15 season.

The rights include broadcast coverage on free-TV and exclusive rights to pay-TV, mobile and internet coverage in the Czech Republic.

MTG will have exclusive broadcasting rights to Tuesday matches and all but one Wednesday match from the qualifying matches, the group stages and the play-offs through to the semi-finals. The games will be broadcast live and in highlights shows on the Prima COOL free-TV channel and include local language commentary, studio analysis and interviews. MTG has also secured the exclusive pay-TV rights for the final.

Prima COOL is a general entertainment channel targeting 20-40 year old male viewers and is distributed via the Czech digital terrestrial network, as well as through cable, satellite and IPTV networks. MTG also operates the Prima Family and Prima LOVE channels as part of its Czech free-TV media house. The three channels have a combined commercial share of viewing amongst 15 to 54 year olds of approximately 37%.

MTG holds the TV broadcast rights to the UEFA Champions League in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Ghana.

Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO of MTG, commented: “The acquisition of these hugely popular rights for Prima not only builds on our long and successful partnership with TEAM and UEFA, but will also add a new dimension to Prima’s programming schedules. The Champions League is Europe’s premier club competition and features leading players from all over the world. Both Czech players and teams have played in the League and the interest amongst football fans is growing every year.”

by Ismail Uddin

The Russian Premier League has seen its second casualty in less than a year after it was announced on Tuesday 21 that soccer side Amkar Perm had pulled out of the nation’s top flight due to financial difficulties. The Urals-based club will drop down to the second tier of Russian soccer, following FK Moscow who were forced to withdraw from the league earlier this year after their main financial backer, Norilsk, withdrew its support.

Amkar’s president, Valery Chuprakov confirmed his resignation on the club’s official website and released a statement revealing that he had written an official letter to the league to inform the body of Amkar’s decision.

“In light of the difficult financial situation, the club has voluntarily decided to play (in Russia’s second division),” Chuprakov stated on www.amkar.org. “As of today, the club has accumulated debts of 167 million roubles ($5.4 million) and negotiations with potential sponsors have not come to fruition.”

US satelite television network, SPEED and the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) have reached an agreement on a multi-year deal that includes expanded digital rights with the Le Mans 24 hour-race.

“The 24 Hours of Le Mans certainly is one of the crown jewels of motor sport,” said SPEED President Scott Ackerson. “Together with our coverage of the Daytona 24, this deal cements SPEED as the continued home for the world’s premiere sports car endurance racing.”

When SPEED rolled out its first-ever programming lineup on New Year’s Eve 1995, live coverage from Le Mans certainly was one of the highlights, and on June 16 of this year, the 17-year relationship continues with SPEED’s live coverage of the 80th running of the world’s oldest sports car endurance race.

“Le Mans has taken on the aura of one of a select group of sporting events that belongs to the entire world,” said former racer and SPEED analyst David Hobbs, who competed 20 times in the event. “It belongs with such events as Wimbledon and the Indy 500.”

Supermarket chain Waitrose, food shop of the John Lewis Partnership, have renewed their contract with English soccer’s nPower Championship side, Reading FC. The deal will see the side continue to wear the Waitrose sponsored home, away and training kits for a further two seasons, 2011/12 and 2012/13.

The supermarket will provide the food for away matches for the Royals and also offer exclusive deals to Reading FC season ticket holders under the new agreement. The renewal sees the club remain as the only English side to be sponsored by a food retailer.

Reading FC commercial director, Pat Coyne spoke of the deal: “We are absolutely delighted that Waitrose have extended their contract with us. Our partnership to date has been very successful and we are looking forward to continuing that for a further two years at least. We share the same brand values, together we are very proactive in a number of joint initiatives, especially engaging with fans in the local community, and we are proud to wear the Waitrose logo on our shirt.”

We’re delighted to extend our commitment to Reading Football Club and its supporters by sponsoring the team for the next two seasons. The partnership has already enabled us to support the community in one of our prime retailing areas and broadened the exposure of our brand on both a local and national level. We look forward to building on the success of the partnership and further realising its potential in the years ahead.” added Waitrose commercial director, Mark Williamson.

The BBC and the London Marathon have agreed a new contract extension which will see historic road race hit British terrestrial screens until 2018.

The deal gives the BBC exclusive UK broadcast rights to the annual sporting and charity event, troche across all platforms including TV, radio, internet, mobile and the BBC iPlayer.

The BBC has been the broadcast partner for the London Marathon since its beginning in 1981 and the event has since grown into one of the most important on the long-distance calendar, as well as raising millions of pounds for charity.

“We’re delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with the London Marathon,” said Barbara Slater, BBC Director of Sport.

“This prestigious race is a hugely important national event and a key part of BBC Sport’s calendar. We look forward to bringing the full spectacle live to audiences through to 2018 across the BBC platforms.”

David Bedford, joint race director of the Virgin London Marathon, added: “The BBC has been a vital partner of the London Marathon since it started in 1981 and its unrivalled coverage is a key ingredient of the event’s success and popularity, not only in Britain but across the world.

“We are delighted with this new agreement which ensures the event will continue to enjoy the profile it deserves over the coming years.”

by Ismail Uddin

English soccer giants Manchester United have refuted reports that the club could be sold to Qatar Holdings, claiming “there is nothing in this”.

Rumours circulated over the weekend that a £1.5bn (US$2.3bn) was being prepared by Qatar Holdings in a bid to buy the Premier League outfit. Phil Townsend, Communications Director at United, denied suggestions that the clubs current controversial owners, the Glazers, may be tempted in to a sale.

In an interview with Manchester Evening News, Townsend stated: “There is nothing in this, the club have had no approach at all and it is not for sale.”

Qatar’s on world soccer has catapulted in recent months, leading to a proposed attempt to buy out the world’s largest soccer brand. Sheikh Abdullah al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family, completed a buy-out of Spanish top-flight club Malaga, while last week the Qatar Foundation, the charity wing of the ruling family, agreed a €150 million deal to become Barcelona’s first paying shirt sponsor. All this is multiplied by the nation’s recent success in their bid to host the World Cup in 2022.

Qatar Holdings has assets of around £40bn ($62bn) and is chaired by the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani.

TVG, America’s Horseracing Network, have announced they will be the exclusive broadcast network of the Betfair Hollywood Park 2012 Spring/Summer race meet, offering live, on-site coverage beginning Thursday, April 26.

Betfair Hollywood Park was renamed recently as part of a historic marketing/sponsorship/promotional agreement between the Los Angeles-area racetrack and Betfair, TVG’s parent company. It will conduct a 50-day meet concluding July 15. The meet will feature 26 graded events, including seven grade Is, highlighted by the meet’s signature race, the Hollywood Gold Cup (July 7).

Rounding out the grade I contests are the Gamely Stakes (May 28), Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (June 9), Vanity Handicap (June 18), Shoemaker Mile (June 30), Triple Bend Handicap (June 30) and American Oaks (July 14).

Opening weekend will include the 13th annual California Gold Rush, an eight-stakes program open to Cal-bred and Cal-sired horses that features a pair of $300,000 races. In total, the eight stakes carry purses in excess of $1.1 million. Leading nominees for the Cal Gold Rush include Amazombie, the 2011 champion sprinter who won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint; and Willa B Awesome, upset winner of last month’s Grade I Santa Anita Oaks.

Tony Allevato, TVG Executive Vice President, said: “Betfair Hollywood Park, one of the nation’s most historic racetracks, is undergoing a major revitalization process, and we are excited to be able to deliver all the racing action that will be part of that process. As the calendar begins moving towards summer, the horseracing season heats up, and the sport’s leading horses come to the fore. We look forward to showcasing these horses to our audience.”

TVG will once again present its Late DDouble show on Friday nights from Betfair Hollywood Park. 

Despite FIFA President Sepp Blatter putting pressure on the Brazil 2014 World Cup organisers to step up the pace of their preparations, medstore | the government has dramatically cut funds to the 12 proposed cities.

A major revisions from the new incoming government in Brazil has been made to drastically decrease the original $526m set aside to fund the preparations. According to finance ministry sources, asthma this could mean up to $316m being taken from the World Cup projects support fund.

Brazilian Sports Minister Orlando Silva insisted that the cuts would make no difference, stating: “The sums involved had been set aside as reserves in the early stage of the process so this will have no difference to the work currently being undertaken on airports, ports, stadia and hotels.

“In fact, we may even – at some stage – increase the capital sums available for some projects in host cities.”

Last week president Sepp Blatter hinted at FIFA’s increasing impatience with the progression of work in Brazil.

He said: “Perhaps we have to remind Brazil that the World Cup is in three and a half years. As far as the stadia are concerned they are doing a good job but I am not so certain the same can be said about the general infrastucture.

“The issues are the same as in South Africa at this stage. What will happen if the stadia are not ready? Or the hotels? Do we have a Plan B in one pocket and a Plan C in another? Well, Plan B is Brazil – and Plan C is also Brazil. We’re sure the Brazilians will do what has to be done.