French Police Hold Platini For Questioning About Qatar 2022

Michel Platini, the former head of European football association UEFA, was detained for questioning by French police on Tuesday over the awarding of the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament to Qatar, a judicial source told Reuters.

Platini’s lawyer, William Bourdon, was not immediately available to comment. The detention of the former soccer star was first reported by French investigative website Mediapart.

Reuters reports:

France’s national financial prosecutor’s office, which specializes in investigating economic crimes and corruption, has been leading a probe into the awarding of the 2022 tournament to the Gulf emirate since 2016.

It is looking into possible offences including private corruption, conspiracy and influence peddling.

UEFA declined to comment, while officials with Qatar’s organizing committee could not immediately be reached.

The decision in December 2010 to award the World Cup to Qatar surprised many given the lack of potential local audiences for the games, the extremely hot summer weather, and the poor performance of the country’s national squad. It will be the first Arab state to host the competition.

Le Monde newspaper reported that prosecutors were particularly looking into a lunch hosted by France’s then president, Nicolas Sarkozy, nine days before the vote that awarded the cup to Qatar. Platini and Sheikh Tamim Ben Hamad Al Thani, who was Qatar’s prime minister and is now the country’s emir, were guests at the lunch.

Platini has since acknowledged that he supported Qatar over a rival bid from the United States in the vote, but said Sarkozy “never asked him to”, the newspaper said.

Two of Sarkozy’s aides at that time, then Elysee secretary general Claude Gueant and Sarkozy’s adviser for sports Sophie Dion, were also questioned by police on Tuesday, judicial sources confirmed to Reuters. Dion remains detained with Platini. Gueant is a “free suspect”, the source said.

The lawyer for Gueant, who later became interior minister, was not immediately available for comment. A spokeswoman for Sarkozy declined to comment. A lawyer for Dion could not immediately be reached for comment.

Under French law, suspects can be held for questioning for up to 48 hours.

Platini was forced to leave his job as UEFA chief after he was investigated in another case over 1.8 million Swiss francs ($1.8 million) that he received from FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, in 2011. He was cleared in that case.

As a player in the 1970s and 1980s, Platini was a prolific striker, mainly for Saint-Etienne in France and Juventus in Italy. He played in three World Cups, captaining the French national squad to the semi-finals in both 1982 and 1986, and won the Ballon d’Or as Europe’s top player in 1983-84-85 when he played for Juventus.

 

 

Infront Will Distribute Olympics In Africa

The International Olympic Committee has signed a new agreement with Infront for the media rights to Sub-Saharan Africa for all Olympic properties up until and including 2024.

The six-year deal runs from 2019 to 2024 and includes the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2022 and the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The territory covers 46 African countries with the agreement comprising exclusive free-to-air television and radio rights, alongside digital rights.

Infront will also work with the IOC to produce a dedicated African television feed with a focus on the continent’s best athletes, delivering hundreds of hours of programming to audiences across the region. Over 30 journalists will deliver live and delayed broadcasts as well as highlights from all competitions and full coverage from the opening and closing ceremonies.

For the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Infront will provide a ready-to-broadcast customised programme, with over 200 hours of broadcast made available across 46 sub-Saharan African countries. This will include six to 15 hours of daily content in three languages.

Julien Ternisien, Infront Vice President Summer Sports, said: “Our shared objective with the IOC is to maximise the reach of the Olympic Games and bring the unique stories to households across Sub-Saharan Africa. We feel the next five years will be an exciting time for the Olympic Movement in Africa, with Dakar 2022 providing one of many opportunities for Africa to illustrate its passion for the Games. Infront is delighted to deliver the high-quality service it is known for.”

Timo Lumme, Managing Director of IOC Television and Marketing Services, said: “Following our partnership for Rio and Sochi, we are pleased to be working again with Infront to bring the best Olympic Games coverage to Sub-Saharan Africa.”

“In 2022, the Youth Olympic Games will be hosted for the first time in Africa, in Dakar, Senegal. With a young population, this is an important time for the development of the future of sport in Africa, and the IOC continues to redistribute 90 per cent of the revenue we generate through our commercial agreements to support sport around the world, including in Africa.”

 

Inter Milan Opens New Club Headquarters

Inter Milan family has unveiled the club’s new headquarters (Inter HQ) in the heart of the city’s innovation district in a move reflecting the ambition and vision of the club

Located in Viale Liberazione in the building known as The Corner, Inter HQ comprises five floors as well as a panoramic terrace boasting a view that extends from the Madonnina to the San Siro.

The space is characterised by a sharp visual identity that sees the Nerazzurri brand play a central role, together with the great players that have graced the club through its history and the international nature of the Nerazzurri.

The working environment offers pleasant natural brightness, created by large windows that cover this space in the heart of the ‘innovation district’ of Porta Nuova, and is complemented by carefully selected furniture and innovative technological implements. The final result is a space where the various workstation zones are accompanied by dedicated areas for sharing and collaboration, a setting that has been developed to enable productivity and efficiency.

The ninth floor of the structure, which is truly one of a kind, is dedicated to welcoming guests and hosting events. It comprises a multi-purpose media room as well as the Inter Heritage area and a completely renovated Trophy Room, a fully-fledged multimedia set-up that tells the entire story of the Nerazzurri’s glory in a single glance.

Eco-sustainability is one of the values that the club wants to uphold in this new era. The building selected for the club’s new base is one that has been reclassified, with close attention paid to environmental respect and energy efficiency, earning it a LEED Gold certification.

The investments in new club infrastructure do not end with the Milan office space. In addition to the new headquarters, there is the project to renovate the Suning Training Centre in Appiano Gentile, which commenced in recent days and will provide the club with an elite structure giving the team all the support needed to further enhance its sporting performance.

Euro U-21 Match Tops Italian Viewing

The Euro U-21 tournament topped all viewing on Sunday in host nation Italy with the national team’s 3-1 win over Spain pulling 5.660 million viewers on RAI 1 with a share of 29.4%.

On Thursday, Italy’s game again Ecuador in the U-20 World Cup on RAI 4 drew 425,000 and a share of 2.2%.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup topped the ratings in The Netherlands on Saturday with an afternoon match between Holland and Cameroon scoring a 79.8% viewing share with 2.260 million people tuning in to see the Dutch team’s 3-1 win.

Goals Soccer Centres Reported Up For Sale

British five-a-side soccer pitch operator Goals Soccer Centres is preparing to launch a sale process within months, according to Sky News.

The company, in which Sports Direct and Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has an 18.92 percent stake, has drafted in advisers to examine a potential medium-term sale, Sky News said.

The review has been instigated by Lloyds Banking Group Plc, which has hired Deloitte to advise on the company’s future.

Established in 2000 and operating about 50 sites globally, Goals suspended trading in its shares since March amid accounting problems stemming from its tax reporting.

Former Goals Soccer Centres CEO Andy Anson was named chief exec of the British Olympic association last month.

 

POLO BLUE Surfs Into WSL Sponsorship With Brazilian Star

Ralph Lauren Fragrances brand POLO BLUE, launching its official sponsorship of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour this June, has tapped professional surfer and two-time world champion Gabriel Medina as the newest global ambassador.

POLO BLUE will serve as an official sponsor of the WSL Championship Tour and the official fragrance for three key events: Oi Rio Pro in Brazil, Vans U.S. Open of Surf in the U.S. and Meo Rip Curl Pro in Portugal.

The brand will amplify the partnership with a fully integrated marketing campaign including regional pop-up experiences, paid media, influencer partnerships and more.

“We are excited to have Polo Blue back in a big way for our 2019 season,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO. “There are natural synergies between style, confidence and the beauty of our sport – and we are looking forward to a long-standing partnership that highlights these critical pillars of surf.”

“To me, POLO BLUE perfectly embodies the surf lifestyle,” said Medina. “It’s about connecting with the power of the ocean and letting that power fuel you in all areas of your life. I’m excited to give fans a look at the things that inspire me on tour, including my family, travel and much more.”

 

 

Levante UD: Inclusion As A Business Strategy

Football fans come from all walks of life and expect to feel welcomed and represented when they interact with their club. At Levante UD, this approach to inclusivity informs everything that the LaLiga club does.

Valencia-based Levante UD runs 32 different football teams encompassing different age groups, genders and physical abilities.

This not only provides a platform for a wide range of competition. The club defines itself by normalising groups that had previously been marginalised.

Over more than 20 years, an approach has been developed within the club’s foundation to treat all footballers equally. As well as creating sporting success, this has also helped to increase acceptance in wider society.

“For us, the main outcome of playing football is socialisation,” said Vicente Herrero, Director of the Levante UD Foundation. “We have created an environment where both male and female players, with and without physical or intellectual disabilities, are mixing on an almost daily basis. For us it’s a model of not just how a club should run, but a community too.”

Levante UD’s approach to inclusivity can be traced back to 1998 when its women’s team was created. But it did not stop there. One of the cornerstones of the club’s efforts to make football accessible to all has been its Football School for People with Intellectual Disabilities (EDI).

After beginning in 2012, the school has grown in size and is now helping around 150 people fulfil their sporting dreams.

Read the full story in Global Fútbol.

Jubilant Canadians Celebrate First NBA Crown

Canadians erupted from coast to coast and all the way up to the Arctic on Thursday as the Toronto Raptors captured their first NBA championship in a country that is traditionally known as the home of hockey.

The Raptors clinched the series in Oakland, California in six games by beating the Golden State Warriors by 114-110 points, sealing a nationwide love affair with basketball.

Reuters reports:

Jubilant crowds took to the streets in downtown Toronto, the Raptors’ home, well past midnight to celebrate the historic win.

The Raptors frenzy also set records for ticket prices.

Game 1, won by the Raptors in Toronto, posted an average ticket price of $1,400, a record for the first game of an NBA Finals, and the most expensive live event ticket in Toronto, according to ticket platform SeatGeek.

Tickets for Game 5 in Toronto soared as high as C$10,000 ($7,496.81) on Ticketmaster.

Game 5 set record viewership numbers in Canada for NBA games, the league said, with an average of 6.4 million viewers, making it the most watched broadcast of 2019 in Canada.

After the victory last night, fans set off fireworks as confetti rained down, creating a carnival-type atmosphere on the streets of Canada’s biggest city. The landmark CN Tower was bathed in gold light as cheering people walked by.

“And that is how we do it in the North,” tweeted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Raptors captured the hearts of Canadians as they progressed through the playoffs and into the final round against the two-time defending champion Warriors.

Jurassic Park, a public space outside Scotiabank Arena for viewing parties, was filled to its maximum capacity of 5,000 fans for every game in the final series.

For Game 5 in Toronto, fans lined up for two days to get inside the park and set up camp.

As Toronto whipped itself into a frenzy the rest of Canada joined in, with cities across the country setting up their own “Jurassic Park” fanzones.

In Mississauga, just west of Toronto, 30,000 fans regularly attended viewing parties, while bars, restaurants and fanzones were packed from Vancouver to Halifax.

In Montreal, a city known for its passionate sports rivalry with Toronto, authorities closed off two downtown streets to allow fans to watch Game 6.

The fever spread as far as Rankin Inlet, a small Arctic town some 2,280 km (1,415 miles) north of Toronto, where children played well into the night under a sun that never sets in the summer.

The Raptors snapped a long losing streak for Canadian teams in top North American leagues.

The Montreal Canadiens was the last team to win the Stanley Cup hockey championship in 1993, the same year the Toronto Blue Jays captured the baseball World Series.

 

Stanley Cup Finale Sets NHL Viewing Record

The deciding game of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals on NBC on Wednesday night pulled the biggest audience for an NHL game ever on any U.S. network.

The 4-1 victory of the St. Louis Blues over the Boston Bruins was watched by 8.2 million total viewers.

The victory which gave the Blues the first NHL crown in their 52-year history scored a 6.20 rating in the overnight metered-market results, the highest overnight rating for an NHL game.

St. Louis’s victory gave NBC a 2.5 average rating (the game aired for three hours), compared to a 0.8 for ABC, a 0.6 for Fox and a 0.5 for CBS.

AC Milan Names Legends To Newly Created Management Roles

AC Milan has named  Zvonimir Boban as the Club’s Chief Football Officer (CFO), a newly created role  responsible for the co-ordination and oversight of the club’s sporting activities. He will will work closely with the Club’s CEO Ivan Gazidis and the newly appointed Technical Director Paolo Maldini (in photo).

Gazidis said: “I am very excited to welcome Zvone back home, in our Club. I am confident that, thanks to his background, experience and his skill set, Zvone will contribute significantly to the growth and development of our Sporting Area and will lend invaluable support to the Club’s institutional relations with Football bodies. Together with Paolo Maldini, I have at my side two individuals of undisputed quality and competence who are able to convey our vision and build an increasingly competitive and successful AC Milan.”