Turkish soccer clubs Sivasspor and Eskisehirspor face a Europa League ban for involvement in a domestic match-fixing scandal in 2011. 

Both clubs were implicated in deliberately losing to eventual champions Fenerbahce late in the 2010-2011 season.

UEFA rules demand clubs are disqualified from the Champions League or Europa League if match-fixing is proven since April 2007, when its legal statutes were updated to take tougher action against clubs involved in corruption.

It was unclear Wednesday if Turkish clubs next in line for potentially vacant Europa League places would be judged eligible to play.

It’s not the first time that Turkish Superlig is in the eye of the storm, as newly crowned champions Fenerbahce were handed a two-year ban from European football for match-fixing last August.

Clearwater in Florida (USA) ) will host the top event in 19-and-under female fast pitch softball in 2017, International Softball executives have announced today. 

The XII ISF Junior Women’s World Championship will take place 24-30 July 2017. 

The event will mark the first time that Clearwater has ever hosted an ISF World Championship. 

The United States will now host back-to-back junior women’s — the 2015 tournament will be contested in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and the 2016 Junior Men’s World Championship in Midland, MI. 

“I have every confidence that Clearwater will put on an exceptional world championship. The ISF looks forward to working closely with the organisers,” WBSC Executive Vice President for Softball and ISF President Dale McMann said. “The location and top notch facilities will be an asset for the top youth female softball athletes to compete. This is an important competition opportunity for this age category to be able to continue to test their skills against their counterparts from around the world.” 

The Eddie C. Moore Complex — featuring nine softball fields and state of the art training facility — will host the championship.

H.C. Rotterdam, one of the biggest hockey clubs in the Netherlands, will host the second FIH Masters World Cup 2014, it has been announced.

The tournament – which take place simultaneously with the Rabobank Hockey World Cup in The Hague – will see legendary players of the past battling it out for the respective titles in the 40+, 45+, 50+, 55+ and 60+ age categories at Rotterdam’s world class venue.

It’s expected that around seventy national teams and with over one thousand players will participate in the FIH Masters World Cup 2014, which will take place between 5-13 June.

The event is being organised by the KNHB (Royal Dutch Hockey Association) in close cooperation with the International Hockey Masters Association and the host club. Participation in the tournament is only possible through national masters organisations.

“It’s a great honour for Hockey Club Rotterdam to host this fantastic event,’’ says Edwin Brouwers, president of Hockey Club Rotterdam. “The FIH Masters World Cup will highlight not only our club, but also the city of Rotterdam.’’

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has signed an agreement with INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization, to create a Group of Major Sporting Event Security Experts to ensure the safety and security of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

At a ceremony at INTERPOL’s General Assembly in Rome, the Chairman of Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee’s Security Committee, H.E. Sheikh Abdulla bin Nasser Al Thani, met with Ronald K. Noble, Secretary General of INTERPOL, to sanction terms of the agreement that will see INTERPOL provide a permanent Chairperson and Vice Chairperson to assist the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee in its planning. 

The INTERPOL Group of Major Event Security Experts will bring together specialized law enforcement professionals and security experts from all regions of the world to offer assistance and consultation to the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee on security strategy, framework and practices throughout Qatar to help ensure that the safety and security of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

The former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Service, Janet Williams, who led and oversaw policing protective security planning for the 2012 London Olympic Games, will chair the new Group.

H.E. Sheikh Abdulla bin Nasser Al Thani said: “We recognize that hosting the FIFA World Cup, one of the world’s largest international sporting events, will entail a wide variety of challenges. By working with INTERPOL and its network of 190 member countries, the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee will be able to draw on a pool of expertise from around the world on how best to host a successful and safe tournament while adhering to the highest international standards.”

Al Thani added: “Together we are committed to identifying further areas of cooperation in which INTERPOL’s global tools and international law enforcement networks can further support our national and regional security. The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee looks forward to close collaboration on other strategic initiatives.”

The Group’s scope of work will also extend to providing advice, guidance and robust training to Qatar’s Ministry of Interior in preparing for the security for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, in addition to developing strategic partnerships with international and national partners to help promote security and ensure compliance with major event security standards and best practices.

INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said that Qatar’s support for the initiative demonstrated its commitment to ensuring the highest standards in event security.

“The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has shown great leadership in the area of security for its country, its people and the millions of football fans who will visit the region during the 2022 FIFA World Cup and we are delighted that they share INTERPOL’s vision for a safer world,” said Mr Noble.

INTERPOL’s group of experts and its General Secretariat will work closely with the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, the Ministry of the Interior and our National Central Bureau in Doha during the next ten years as part of a fully collaborative approach to prepare and implement the necessary security framework and practices.

“Already the world leader in international police information exchange, the creation of this group of experts will see INTERPOL become the reference point for all security elements linked to hosting a major event, sporting or otherwise,” concluded the INTERPOL Chief.

Wie das Magazin „Sponsors“ berichtet, health hat die Kommission für Zulassung und Aufsicht der Landesmedienanstalten (ZAK) das Verbot für Werbung von Sportwettenanbieter bei TV-Sendern gelockert. Ab sofort dürfen sie als Presenter werblich auftreten. Bislang wurde jede Form von Sportwettenwerbung beanstandet.

Ende Juni wurde zum Beispiel Werbung der Anbieter Bwin und Tipico beim privaten Fernsehsender Sat.1 beanstandet und für die Zukunft untersagt. Auch Sport1 wurde Sportwettenwerbung verboten. Begründet wurde dieses Verbot mit dem geltenden Glücksspielrecht. Das hat sich zum 1. März in Schleswig-Holstein und zum 1. Juli in 13 Bundesländern geändert. Auf die Gesetzesänderung in den 13 Ländern stützt sich nun die neue Haltung der ZAK. Denn nach dem neuen Glücksspielstaatsvertrag sollen Wettenanbieter, die eine Konzession besitzen, grundsätzlich werben dürfen. Näheres soll eine Werberichtlinie regeln, die in Bearbeitung ist und noch verabschiedet werden muss.

Unternehmen, die nun eine der 20 bundesweiten Sportwetten-Konzessionen in Deutschland beantragt haben, dürfen ab sofort Sendungen im Privatfernsehen sponsern, ohne dass die Medienaufsicht dies beanstanden wird. Das Presenting oder TV-Sponsoring, wie es die ZAK nennt, darf aber nicht mit einem „werblichen Zusatz“ versehen sein, erklärte eine Sprecherin der Kommission auf Nachfrage. Werbefilme, zum Beispiel von Bwin mit den FC-Bayern-Granden Uli Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge und Karl Hopfner, sind weiterhin nicht erlaubt. Dieses Prozedere soll mit dem Verband Privater Rundfunk und Telemedien (VPRT) abgesprochen worden sein. Die VPRT war für eine Stellungnahme gegenüber SPONSORs nicht zu erreichen.

Vor dem Hintergrund der harschen Kritik an dem neuen Glücksspielstaatsvertrag, an dem Vergabeprozess der 20 bundesweiten Sportwettenlizenzen und an den ersten Entwürfen der Werberichtlinie für Glücksspielanbieter ist die Bedeutung der neuen ZAK-Vorgabe als gering einzustufen. Anfang diesen Monats hatte Thomas Deissenberger, Vorsitzender der Geschäftsführung von Constantin Sport Marketing und Sprecher des Arbeitskreises Wetten beim VPRT, gegenüber SPONSORs mit Blick auf die noch zu verabschiedende Werberichtlinie mitgeteilt, das Glücksspielwesen in Deutschland sei „nach wie vor nicht in einer kohärenten Weise ausgestaltet und genügt daher nicht den europarechtlichen Anforderungen. Aus diesem Grund halten wir die Bewerbung von Sportwettangeboten mit EU-Lizenz weiterhin für zulässig und erhalten diese vorläufig aufrecht.“

Auch dürfte die ZAK-Regelung nur für eine Übergangszeit gelten. Mit Ausnahme von Schleswig-Holstein, das ein deutlich liberaleres Glücksspielgesetz hat, arbeiten die Bundesländer gerade an einer Werberichtlinie, die noch in diesem Jahr in Kraft treten soll. Der aktuelle Entwurf regelt unter anderem Werbung von Sportwettenanbietern im Fernsehen. Doch auch dies könnte nur eine Übergangsregelung sein: Einzelne Wettenanbieter haben bereits juristische Schritte gegen die Werberichtlinie angekündigt und Rechtsexperten räumen ihnen vor Gericht gute Chancen ein.

Taipei and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop deeper relations between the UK and Taipei as the Taiwanese city prepares itself to host the 2017 Universiade for elite university athletes.

The agreement, signed at the Global Sports Projects Summit at the British Business Embassy, is expected to help British companies capitalize on business opportunities associated with future global sporting events including the 2017 Universiade, for which contracts are expected to total 750 million pounds, according to a statement released by the British Trade & Cultural Office (BTCO) in Taipei yesterday.

The MOU was signed by Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin, who is currently visiting London for the summit and UK Trade & Investment Chief Executive Nick Baird, the BTCO said.

Speaking at the singing ceremony, Hau said this marks the first time that the Taipei City Government has signed an MOU with the British government.

He hopes that the agreement will not only enable Taipei City to benefit from the United Kingdom’s experience of staging international sports events, including the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games, but also boost bilateral ties and mutual trades between Taiwan and Great Britain.

“Following the unparalleled success of the London 2012 Games, UK Trade & Investment is helping British firms identify, win and deliver contracts for major sporting events all around the world,” Baird said during the ceremony.

“The 2017 Universiade represents a major opportunity for UK firms to export their expertise. This collaboration with Taipei City will help the UK maximize the economic legacy of the 2012 Games, and support Taipei as it delivers a world class competition,” he added.

Taipei won the bid to host the 2017 Summer Universiade last December.

Launched in the Italian city of Turin in 1959, the Universiade is a biennial sports event for 12,000-plus university athletes from more than 160 countries.

At the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China, Taiwan won 32 medals — seven gold, nine silver, and 16 bronze.

A lucrative three-year deal has been agreed between Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid and the capital’s Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce and the Community and City of Madrid to promote holidays in the city and the rest of the country.

The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Özil and Spain captain Iker Casillas will act as ambassadors for Spanish tourism and appear in promotional campaigns, including television advertisements.

Additionally, the tourist board will also have a presence in the team’s home Santiago Bernabeu stadium, on billboards and LED perimeter hoardings adorned with the slogan “Visit Spain, visit Madrid”.

The campaign hopes to reach an audience of 300 million worldwide through coverage of Real Madrid’s home matches, most notably El Clásico, their 17th April meeting with bitter rivals and Liga BBVA leaders Barcelona.

However, the deal has proved controversial in some quarters, with Barcelona-based newspaper Sport objecting to the decision to pay Real an annual US$4.58m of taxpayers’ money as Spain embarks on an aggressive programme of fiscal spending cuts. The paper also voiced its disappointment that other top Spanish clubs, such as Valencia and Barcelona, were not included in the project.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said: “Our history and legend have made Real Madrid a universal team, but its grandeur begins in Madrid and Spain. For over 100 years it has been one of the most relevant references of this country and we have proudly carried the Madrid name around the world. We humbly accept this responsibility and we will carry it out with hard work, talent and commitment; values that identify with Madridismo.”

Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, the mayor of Madrid, described Real as “this city’s most important asset”, adding: “In large part it belongs to all Spaniards, because you are ambassadors of Spain.”

The minister of industry, tourism and commerce Miguel Sebastien said: “Real Madrid is an icon of Spain. It is a winning team and one of the most visible clubs on an international level, but what we must promote is its culture of hard work and the excellence in its genes.”

The Spanish national team, who are currently world and European champions, are also involved in a US$1.18m “Visit Spain” promotional campaign.