With a money row between the British Olympic Association (BOA) and London 2012 stealing the headlines, a new issue is threatening to engulf the BOA after complaints from Nelson McCausland, Northern Ireland’s (NI) Sports Minister, that “Team GB” is discriminatory and should be changed to “Team UK”.

The BOA have, in recent Games, established “Team GB” as a powerful marketing brand, even though its official title is “Team GB and Northern Ireland” which McCausland claims is unfair to athletes from NI as their contribution is being overlooked.

McCausland stated: “The current naming and branding of the team has the potential to create the perception that Northern Ireland is not part of the British Olympic team.

“However as we are all aware, Northern Ireland athletes have contributed significantly to the Olympic team’s success, particularly in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and this should be recognised in the name and branding.

“Indeed, a change in branding, such as to ‘Team UK’, would be entirely consistent with the current title for our UK-wide sports body, UK Sport.”

McCausland has has promised that the Government will write to the BOA to ask them to consider changing the name, lobbying Britain’s Sport and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson on the affair.

The topic of Northern Ireland’s role in the Olympic Movement has always been clouded in confusion and controversy since athletes have been able to opt to compete for either Britain or the Republic of Ireland.

Jacques Rogge, IOC President, stated earlier this month that sports bodies should receive a cut of betting revenues and also insisted that governments should impose tighter controls on gambling in sport, speaking ahead of a summit with government ministers, Interpol, UN representatives and betting operators.

The PFSC, chaired by UEFA president Michel Platini and comprising representatives from the European Club Association, European Professional Football Leagues, FIFPro and UEFA, released a statement via the official website of European football’s governing body yesterday, March 10, to confirm its members had “agreed a united position regarding the issue of betting”.

The statement added: “Financial solidarity depends on redistribution of revenue from the commercial exploitation of top professional football to the grassroots…(and the PFSC) expresses concern at the growing unauthorised commercial use of football competitions for betting purposes.

“(The PFSC) considers that competition organisers/clubs should have the right, including intellectual property right, to consent to their events being used by betting companies and that such companies should pay fair financial compensation,” added the statement on UEFA.com. “Such financial compensation is also essential for funding grassroots football as well as fighting match-fixing and sports fraud.”

The PFSC also stated it would urge “political authorities to adopt a concrete national and/or European-wide legislation to address these matters and to ensure a fair financial return to football”.

World soccer’s governing body FIFA has charged six match officials allegedly involved in match-fixing during an international friendly tournament in Antalya, Turkey, on February 9.

FIFA announced that it had opened disciplinary proceedings after investigating games between Bolivia and Latvia and also Estonia and Bulgaria which produced seven goals, all of which were scored from penalties. One of those awarded was even missed and subsequently re-taken due to an alleged infringement.

A statement released by FIFA read: “The proceedings were opened following an evaluation of all documentation and information received by FIFA, in relation to a possible match-fixing situation in these matches. The FIFA disciplinary committee will be in charge to deal with the matter.”

Officials from the four countries involved raised questions about the game with FIFA and UEFA and also queried the identities of the match officials involved, while unusual betting patterns on the matches were also reported.

FIFA have not disclosed the identities of the officials charged, but the Hungarian Football Association last month suspended referee Kolos Lengyel and two other Hungarian assistant referees following the matches in Turkey. The exhibition tournament was organised by a Thailand-based company called Footy Sport International.

Leading digital media company Perform Group have, medstore as expected, floated a 25 per cent stake in the agency through an IPO on the London Stock Exchange with the hope of raising around US$113m.

A notice on the sports specialist agency’s site claimed the proceeds will be used to fund organic growth and further acquisitions.

Perform said it wants to exploit opportunities posed by new digital platforms such as tablet devices, as well as expand into high-growth markets like Russia and China.

The statement read: “Underlying social and technology drivers point to further growth in the rapidly developing global market for commercialising digital sports content. The directors believe the opportunities for Perform to monetise sports content rights are significant.”

The announcement also disclosed a new management structure that will see former CEO Paul Walker become non-executive chairman, replaced by Oliver Slipper and Simon Denyer as joint-CEOs.

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The International Boxing Association (AIBA) have confirmed the suspension, as of March 8, of the Romanian Boxing Federation in a decision made by the AIBA Executive Committee Bureau, with the case submitted to the AIBA Disciplinary Commission for review.  AIBA had been informed that the Romanian Boxing Federation would hold an election, which subsequently failed to take place, for its Presidency on October 27, 2010, in order to elect a new President to replace the suspended President, Rudel Obreja.  On December 2, 2010, AIBA granted the Romanian Boxing Federation two additional months to organize an election but until now Mr Obreja continues to act as President of the Romanian Boxing Federation despite his current long suspension. The AIBA Executive Committee Bureau has therefore provisionally fully suspended the Romanian Boxing Federation, meaning that no boxers, coaches or any officials are authorized to take part in any AIBA approved or controlled events and/or meetings. Additionally, the Romanian Boxing Federation is not authorized to host any continental or international boxing events until an election for Presidency takes place and a decision by the AIBA Disciplinary Commission is made.

The president of the French Football League (FLP) Frederic Thiriez has revealed the need for calm after a report by the league’s financing authority, the national directorate of management control (DNCG), unveiled worrying financial results for the country’s top soccer clubs.

In its annual report for the year through to June 30, 2010, the DNCG announced a cumulative deficit of nearly US$180m for clubs, with Ligue 1 outfits accounting for $157.8m of the total.

The losses for the 20 clubs in the top flight were reduced to $157.8m after write-downs by some shareholders, but Thiriez is concerned that the deficit has increased from $78.9m in the previous financial year.

In an interview with Reuters, Thiriez stated: “The accounts are not good. However, it is necessary to keep our heads. This report will be submitted to the union so that it can make its observations.”

Forbes have released a list detailing the top 10 richest owners in sport, led by Indian Premier League (IPL) Mumbai Indians owner Mukesh Ambani, owner of the behemoth conglomerate Reliance Industries, his share of the business empire built by his father that he split with his brother Anil.

Ambani is the ninth richest person in the world, with a net worth of US$27bn way ahead of second placed Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. As owner of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) New Jersey Nets, Prokhorov is 32nd on Forbes’ list of the world’s wealthiest people with a net worth of $18bn

Third on the list is the only owner of an English sports club and another Russian in Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. 53rd on the world’s rich list, Abramovich has a net worth of $13.4bn.

The first of five Americans in the top 10 is Paul Allen, Microsoft billionaire and owner of NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. Allen is followed by the controversial prime minister of Italy and AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi who is the 118th-richest person on the globe  with net worth of $7.8bn.

6th to 10th list as follows; Philip Anschutz (LA Kings/$7.5bn), Micky Arison (Miami Heat/$5.9bn), Richard DeVos (Orlando Magic/$4.2bn), Charles Dolan (New York Knicks, Rangers/$3.3bn), Joe Lewis (Tottenham Hotspur/$3.2bn)

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The Middle Eastern gulf nation of Qatar launched a new non-profit organisation yesterday, tadalafil March 9, aimed at sharing information about security at major sports events around the world and helping them prepare to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Helmut Spahn, a former German policeman who was in charge of security at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, will head up the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) operating under an Advisory Board that includes Lord John Stevens, Peter Ryan and Rick Parry, former chief executive of the Premier League and Liverpool

The ICSS idea came Mohammed Hanzab, president of the organisation and Royal Air Force-trained former Colonel in the Qatari Air Force.

Hanzab stated: “No-body has really looked into this really seriously.

“We are concerned not to lose the people who were on board for previous events.

“In this centre our primary objective is to take the knowledge and share it with the world of sport, including federations, Governments, organising committees and event organisers.”

Hanzab went on to promise that it will be independent and not affiliated to any organisation, stating: “We want to encourage them to interact and to seek innovative and research.

“The message from Qatar is that we want to contribute.

“We are used to organising big international events here in Doha.

“We will try to get the best talent to work for the ICSS to show that we are serious.”

Following a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris on Tuesday, viagra March 8, the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, released a statement to confirm that the Bahrain Motor Federation has been instructed “to communicate by May 1 at the latest if the Bahrain Grand Prix can be organised in 2011”.

Formula One Management (FOM) chief executive officer Bernie Ecclestone has previously indicated his willingness to seek a new date for the Bahrain race, and last week he said: “If they want the race then we want to be able to supply it for them. If there is peace in Bahrain, we will be there.”

A release on the FOM website stated: “On May 1 Bahrain’s Crown Prince – HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa – is expected to inform the FIA about the possibility of hosting a race in the country, and then together with Formula One Management, the FIA will make a final decision about a new slot for the race during the 2011 season.”

The statement added: “Formula One group CEO Bernie Ecclestone had hoped a new date could be settled on before the season got underway, but given the circumstances, it was mutually agreed that a final decision would be made in May.”

Three English County Cricket Club’s announced annual losses yesterday, March 8, for 2010 with Kent posting the highest operating loss, despite making an overall profit due to the sale of land at their St Lawrence Ground home in Canterbury.

The club’s overall profits of £3,535,426 (US$5,727,895), overshadowed concerning operating losses of £595,000 ($964,000). This was majorly affected by a decrease of £243,000 ($393.715) on gate receipts in 2010, a drop of 36 per cent.

Club treasurer Simon Philip stated: “There is no doubt that the World Cup and the lack of a cricket narrative last summer, with the major Test series not starting until late July, had a huge impact.

“With cricket off the back pages throughout, the low profile of the game in the nation’s sporting consciousness in 2010 had a direct effect on the more casual cricket fan.”

The other two sides to have announced losses yesterday were Gloucestershire and Derbyshire who posted post-tax losses of £216,000 ($350,000) and £187,037 ($303,000) respectively.

Gloucestershire treasurer Tony Elgood said: “We clearly cannot continue to run the club at this level of loss.”

He added: “This is the second year running that the club has had a significant deficit.

“We have set a positive budget for the current year and we will be making every effort to ensure we deliver against this budget.”

While Derbyshire chairman Don Amott said: “With the World Cup swamping our FP t20 campaign and new fee payment regulations, 2010 has been a difficult year.”