Claret Jug Visits Anfield Ahead of The Open

The Claret Jug, golf’s most iconic trophy, made a special appearance at Anfield for Liverpool’s last game of the season against Middlesbrough yesterday.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, joined LFC Legend and official Open Ambassador Kenny Dalglish on the pitch to share the Claret Jug with the fans.

Ahead of the 146th staging of the Championship at Royal Birkdale from 16-23 July, Liverpool FC has teamed up with The Open to offer fans the chance to see the world’s greatest golfers play the famous Southport links in their quest to become Champion Golfer of the Year.

Reds fans can purchase hospitality tickets for the historic Championship and join LFC footballing legend Kenny Dalglish at the Hillside Clubhouse, situated at the iconic Hillside Golf Club next to Royal Birkdale.

Fans who purchase hospitality tickets through Liverpool FC will receive a free pair of Open Championship cufflinks with each purchase.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said: “The Open is a true celebration of golf and one of the world’s great sporting events. We look forward to working with Liverpool FC to help promote The Open’s return to the historic links at Royal Birkdale for the tenth time this summer.”

There are still packages remaining for the Hillside Club where you can join Kenny Dalglish and these are available through the LFC Hospitality team.

Visit www.liverpoolfc.com/hospitality or call 0151 264 2222 for more information.

London 2017 Announces BP as Partner for World Para Athletics Championships

Global brand BP has been announced by London 2017 as the latest National Partner for the World Para Athletics Championships.

BP has been a partner of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) since 2013 and has supported a number of National Paralympic Committees and Paralympians around the world.

This year’s World Para Athletics Championships, which will take place at the London Stadium between 14-23 July.

The Championships, along with the IAAF World Championships London 2017 that follow from 4-13 August, together celebrate the Summer of World Athletics, the biggest sporting event in the world in 2017 with more than 3,000 athletes from over 200 nations set to compete.

Niels de Vos, Championship Director, said: “Securing such a major multinational as BP is great news for us. We are aware of their support for the Paralympic movement and we are delighted that they have agreed to extend this to support to the World Para Athletics Championships London 2017.”

Duncan Blake, BP’s Global Brand Director, said: “BP was one of the first major brands to support the global Paralympic movement. The energy within Para sport is truly inspirational, and being involved in this world-class Para sporting event at the venue of the London 2012 Paralympic Games brings us back to where our support began.”

Andrea Radrizzani Completes Takeover of Leeds United FC

Andrea Radrizzani has completed his takeover of Leeds United.

Radrizzani, who purchased 50% of the club in January, has acquired the remaining 50% stake from Massimo Cellino and in doing so takes full control of the club.

Andrea Radrizzani said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to become a custodian of this great football club.

“The heritage and history of Leeds United attracted me to the club and having spent time at games and at Thorp Arch, I can see that we are ready to move forward to the next level.

“This is a long-term commitment, there is a lot of hard work ahead of us and I am aware of my responsibilities as owner of Leeds United.

“I can assure all supporters that everyone at this club will be doing all we can to build a successful team at Elland Road.”

Andrea Radrizzani also becomes chairman of Leeds United with immediate effect.

Brazilian Police Make Arrests in 2014 World Cup Corruption Probe

Brazilian police have arrested a presidential aide and two ex-governors as part of an investigation into the 2014 World Cup’s most expensive stadium in the capital, Brasilia.

The development added to the pressure on President Michel Temer as the long-running focus of the corruption scandal in public life turned back on to the twin sporting stagings of the World Cup and Olympic Games.

Brasilia, with a capacity of 72,800, staged matches in both events.

A police statement said that Tadeu Filippelli, a special adviser in Temer’s Cabinet, and former Federal District governors José Roberto Arruda and Agnelo Queiroz had been detained.

Renovation of the Brasilia stadium for the 2014 World Cup cost $459.38m which, according to prosecutors and police, included significant excessive charges. This was then considered the second-most expensive football ground in the world after the reconstruction of Wembley.

FIFA Select Hawk-Eye For Video Assistant Technology Provider Test

FIFA confirmed the appointment of Hawk-Eye Innovations as the VAR technology provider for the testing during the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017 (20 May – 11 June), the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 (17 June – 02 July) and the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017 (6 – 16 December)

The announcement follows a comprehensive tender process, when interested technology providers were invited to submit their proposals.

The relevant departments within FIFA examined the use of VAR technology during former trials at the FIFA Club World Cup 2016 in Japan and various tests done in international friendly games.

“FIFA is confident that the choice of Hawk-Eye as the VAR technology provider for the upcoming FIFA tournaments will satisfy the technological requirements needed for such an important innovation which is aimed at enhancing integrity and fairness in our game,” FIFA’s Deputy Secretary General Zvonimir Boban commented.

Leeds United CEO Mansford to Leave the Club

Leeds United confirmed this week that Chief Executive Ben Mansford will leave the club at the end of this month.

Mansford joined the Championship side from Barnsley in June 2016, playing a pivotal role in what has been a mixed year for the club.

He played a key role by assisting in the process to bring investment to Elland Road in the form of Andrea Radrizzani.

“We would like to thank Ben for his hard work and dedication during his time at the club,” said co-owner Radrizzani.

“Ben has been a major factor in the club’s resurgence in the past 12 months commercially and in the community, he has been a great support to Garry Monk and played an important role in my investment process.

Fellow co-owner Massimo Cellino added: “Working with Ben has been a positive and enjoyable experience and I would like to personally wish him all the best going forwards.

“I have no doubts he will succeed in his next venture.”

An announcement on Mansford’s replacement will be made in the coming days.

 

Road to 2024: IOC to Discuss 2024/2028 Double Host Award on June 9

The International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board will meet in Lausanne on June 9 to discuss awarding the host of the 2028 Olympic Games at the same time as the 2024 host at the session in Lima, Peru in September.

IOC president Thomas Bach set up a working group of his four vice-presidents in March to examine the prospect of a double award, given the strength of the two bids for 2024 from Los Angeles and Paris.

Any decision on a rule change to the bidding process would likely require the full backing of the IOC membership. Therefore, the outcome of next month’s meeting would likely be merely a recommendation to be voted on at the session on September 13.

Both cities have reiterated they are fully focused on winning the race for 2024.

Over the past two weeks, the IOC’s evaluation commission led by Patrick Baumann has visited both LA and Paris to compile a report on both cities, due for publication in July.

You can find out more about the IOC’s visit by watching our latest update on iSportconnect TV.

 

Doha Hosts World Meeting On Sport Infrastructure And Tournament Delivery

The 8th edition of the World Stadium Congress officially kicked off today in Doha where representatives from over 25 countries gathered to discuss the future of sport infrastructure development, tournament delivery and legacy. The event saw an impressive delegation of some of the famous international clubs and organising committees including FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Titans Cricket South Africa, La Liga, Rugby World Cup, Asian Football Confederation, alongside Qatar Stars League, Qatar Football Association, Qatar Olympic Committee, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy and many more. 

The congress kicked off with a welcome speech from the host sponsor, Vodafone, followed by back-to-back keynote presentations from local and international leaders. Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Thani, Director of Enterprise Sales at Vodafone, welcomed the international audience and highlighted Vodafone’s role towards building a memorable tournament in 2022 before Datuk Dell, Former Head of Police of Kuala Lumpur, and the Asian Football Confederation Match Commissioner and FIFA Security Officer, took the stage to share his experiences from AFC and FIFA on how to successfully deliver a world-class international tournament.

Eng. Thani Al Zarraa, Project Manager (Al-Wakrah Stadium), Competition Venues, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, then guided the audience through the current progress in Qatar and illuminated the path to 2022, inspiring confidence and belief that the road to the 2022 tournament will set the tone for future tournaments. This was followed by Commissaire Antoine Boutonnet, Chief, French Police – National Division against Hooliganism, Euro 2016, who shared insights and experiences from the highly successful Euro 2016 tournament in France that was modelled on creating a secure and safe tournament for citizens, visitors and athletes. Mr. Ali Al Khalifa, CEO, ASTAD Project Management, rounded off the morning keynote plenary affirming the role of ASTAD Project Management towards sustainability, legacy and delivery for the 2022 tournament.

The congress continued after the morning break with Ross Aitken, Venues and Cities Manager at Rugby World Cup, and Philipp Herpel, Managing Director at HFP, who shared updates and plans for future bids for the 2023 Rugby World Cup and 2026 FIFA World Cup ™ respectively. The day’s proceedings included presentations from leading solutions providers including GREE, Al-Taadhod, EATON and Space Hellas MicroTech before concluding with a session on fan experience featuring Alfredo Lorenzo, Security Director for La Liga, David Storr, Head of Safety and Security at Bristol Sport, and Chris Dite, Associate Director – Sport Venue Design and Major Events at Arup.

The congress is organised by IQPC Middle East who remains committed to hosting event that supports Qatar’s national vision.

Marco Cipolat, Head of Production at IQPC Middle East and Conference Director, stated, “We are at the half-way mark for the two-day congress. Today’s action was a testament to Qatar’s leadership in sport infrastructure development and we are thankful to our sponsors and event partners who consistently help us to grow this event. We are pleased to see the congress continue to grow in international prominence and we are honoured to host this event in Doha as it serves as the ideal location to connect with sport infrastructure professionals from the East and the West.’

Participating as the title sponsor of the event, Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Thani, Director of Enterprise Sales at Vodafone Qatar added, ” The timing of World Stadium Congress could not be better. We crossed a historic milestone in Qatar’s ambition to deliver a truly amazing 2022 FIFA World Cup™ with the opening of Khalifa International Stadium. As one of the world’s largest telecommunications groups, we see firsthand every day the stadium experience customers expect in terms of fast connection speeds, great mobile coverage and unparalleled access to video and social media. That makes us the ideal partner for those developing and operating stadiums – to bring that expertise to bear.”

The second day of the conference is scheduled to kick off tomorrow with a ‘round-the-world tour’ and showcase of some of the major stadium projects from around the world including Russia, The Netherlands, the U.S., Singapore and more.

World Rugby and NBC Announce Media Rights Agreement for the United States

World Rugby and NBC Sports Group have announced details of an unprecedented seven-year partnership for exclusive rights to present the world’s biggest international rugby events, including Rugby World Cup and Women’s Rugby World Cup.

The deal, the biggest of its kind for rugby rights in the USA, will cement NBC’s status as the destination for rugby in a nation where record participation and fan growth has anchored rugby as one of the hottest properties in the US sports market.

The exclusive rights feature the world’s most prestigious 15s and sevens events, including Rugby World Cup 2019 and 2023, Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 and 2021, Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 (in San Francisco) and 2022 and the annual World Rugby U20 Championship from 2017-23.

World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper said: “This deal represents a significant uplift on previous deals in the US, reflecting the ever-increasing stature of rugby within what is arguably the most competitive commercial marketplace for sport. This all-encompassing deal with our friends at NBC is great for fans and great for rugby as we look towards San Francisco’s hosting of Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018.”

Arsenal Shares Not For Sale, Says Under Fire Owner Stan Kroenke

Arsenal majority shareholder Stan Kroenke has strenuously denied suggestions he could sell his stake in the club, despite fan displeasure and takeover rumours.

Last week it was reported that Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov had tabled a £1bn bid to take over Arsenal.

However, in a statement released through Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, it appears the US  tycoon is in no mood to cash in on his shares despite fans voicing their displeasure on the final day of the season when Arsenal failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

“KSE UK, Inc notes the recent media speculation concerning its shareholding in Arsenal Holdings PLC and confirms its shares are not, and never have been, for sale.

“KSE is a committed, long term investor in Arsenal and will remain so.”

Usmanov increased his share in Arsenal last year, having first bought his way in back in 2007. His share currently stands at 30 per cent.

The oligarch previously voiced concerns with Kroenke’s stewardship and said in April that he must “bear huge responsibility” for the club’s on-field problems.

Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League on Sunday for the first time in Arsene Wenger’s 21 years as manager, and speculation over his future has created a cloud of uncertainty over the club for much of the year.

Wenger has said that a decision between himself and the board on next steps will be made after the FA Cup final against Chelsea this coming week.