IndyCar announced today it is returning to Brazil next season and will sanction a Verizon IndyCar Series event at Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet in the capital city of Brasília during the 2015 season.

Hulman & Company CEO Mark Miles and Maruska Souza Holanda, President of Terracap, a government-owned company that owns the racetrack, made the joint announcement from Brasília today. The Brasília Indy will be held on March 8, 2015. 

“We’re eager to continue IndyCar’s rich history of racing in Brazil with today’s announcement of a Verizon IndyCar Series event in Brasília  next season,” Miles said. “This event is an instrumental step in the growth of INDYCAR as we continue to execute our strategy of adding race markets and events that drive us forward. We’ve received a tremendous amount of support from Governor Agnelo Queiroz, the Government of the Federal District – GDF and the Bandeirantes Communications Group throughout this entire process. IndyCar fans throughout the world are unbelievably enthusiastic about our sport and we’re excited to showcase another thrilling event next season.” 

IndyCar previously sanctioned a Verizon IndyCar Series street race in São Paulo (2010-13) and CART raced in Rio de Janeiro (1996-2000) on an oval circuit that was also named in honor of Piquet. 

“I look forward to having the race in Brasília; it will be a marvelous event not only for developing Brasília but for all of Brazil,” Brasília Governor Agnelo Queiroz said while visiting the Indianapolis 500 in May. “The racetrack is located close to downtown and we expect more than 100,000 fans at the event. The racetrack is a permanent facility and it was built in the center of the city in 1973, and we were determined in our improvements that the track should meet the safety and performance requirements for IndyCa, F1 and MotoGP. We truly hope the event will bring investments and economic development for the whole Central region of Brazil.” 

Brasília joins NOLA Motorsports Park as the second new IndyCar venue added to the calendar for next season. IndyCar officials are currently finalizing the entire 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule, which will be announced later this offseason.

Despite losing the League Cup Final, Sunderland fans will have something to cheer after the club revealed it has reduced season ticket prices for the 2014-15 campaign. 

Sunderland, who took 31,000 fans to Wembley for Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, revealed that all season ticket holders who sign up before April 11 will pay less.

Adult seats will be available from £370, while supporters aged over 65 will pay £270. Season tickets for Under-22s will be reduced by £90 to £190, while Under-16s can watch the whole season for £69.

Chief executive Margaret Byrne said: “Our fans have been amazing throughout the season, both home and away, and it is incredibly humbling to see such fantastic levels of support.

“They show unbelievable commitment to the club and we want to demonstrate to them just how valued and important their backing is.

“Keeping football at the Stadium of Light affordable is something that we are fully committed to.

“By reducing prices for next season, we hope that our existing season card holders will be able to continue to support the team in such huge numbers. We also hope to encourage more fans to join us for the 2014-15 season.”

Forbes have released their annual list of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) most valuable franchises with Canadian teams dominating the top of the list.

For the first time since Forbes began tracking NHL team valuations in 1998, three of the league’s five most valuable franchises are Canadian.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were top of the list at $1.15 billion, a 15 percent jump from last year, while the Montreal Canadiens ($775 million) and Vancouver Canucks ($700 million) were third and fourth, respectively, in the survey.

The New York Rangers ($850 million) were second on the list while the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks ($625 million) rounded out the top five.

The NHL’s 30 teams are worth an average $413 million, a 46 percent rise over last year but still below the average values of franchises in the other major North American sports leagues.

Forbes has previously said teams in the National Football League are worth an average of $1.17 billion, followed by teams in Major League Baseball ($744 million) and the National Basketball Association ($509 million).

Snooker player Stephen Lee, who was once ranked fifth in the world, has been found guilty of match-fixing charges.

Nigel Mawer, the chairman of the disciplinary committee of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPSBA), has confirmed the verdict.

Mawer said Lee, 38, has been found guilty of match-fixing charges relating to seven matches.

The punishment will be announced at a separate hearing on September 24 and Lee could be facing a lifetime ban from the sport.

Lee was charged following an investigation into eight matches – four at the Malta Cup in 2008, two at the UK Championship 2008, and one each at the China Open in 2009 and the World Championship 2009.

He was initially arrested in 2010 following an investigation into suspicious betting patterns, but last October the Crown Prosecution Service dropped their case.

Snooker’s disciplinary chiefs assessed the evidence themselves, and in February this year Lee was told he had a case to answer.

WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: “The WPBSA have a zero tolerance approach to match fixing. We have an extensive network of contacts across the world with the gambling industry and with bodies such as the International Centre for Sport Security and the Gambling Commission. This particular case was extremely difficult and complicated to bring to a hearing.

“We believe we have established the world’s most sophisticated system in dealing with corruption in sport and we will take every step under the WPBSA Rules to deal with those responsible. Today’s ruling is a stark warning to competitors in any sport who could become vulnerable in the future. Stephen Lee was the number 5 player in the world and had the opportunity to be part of snooker’s great success story. His future participation in the sport is now in real doubt as he will face a significant sanction.”

It is the highest-profile case of fixing to hit snooker since Quinten Hann was banned for eight years in 2006 for breaking rules governing match-fixing.

Last year, Joe Jogia was banned for two years after the WPBSA found him guilty of breaching betting rules.

By Ismail Uddin

Euroleague has reaffirmed its commitment to the UK market despite awarding Milan the 2014 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four competition. 

The 2014 event will be staged at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan, Italy from May 15 to 18 next year. London hosted the 2013 event which was considered a success and there was an option to return to London for the 2014 event but Euroleague have decided against that. But Alex Ferrer, Kristjansson, Brand and Communication Director at Euroleague reiterated their commitment of growing the game in the UK

“We went there to help grow the market and the ultimate long term objective was to have a team in the UK and that hasn’t changed. The commitment from Euroleague is still that and that’s our goal to have a team in the UK competing at the highest level in the Euro Cup and Euroleague,” he told iSportconnect exclusively.

“Not Exercising the option of going back to London next year responds to the fact that we felt the market wasn’t mature enough to have two (Final Fours) in a row so we decided to postpone this decision and event. We certainly want to come back to London for the Final Four but we simply felt that this was not the moment to return.”

The Euroleague Director also said it may be a while before they return to London.

He said: “We probably won’t return in the next few years because we still need to see the development of Baketball in the market but we have seen some positive signs working with the local organisations in the UK. We will still be looking to bring more sports events to city in the next few years. In terms of Final Four it all depends on how the market evolves in the next few years, so if we see positive growth then we would be ready to think about it.”

Kristjansson also suggested that returning to Milan was the right decision as they felt it was a strong market for Euroleague.

“Milan in Italy is one of the traditional markets of Euroleague. It was a wish from us to come back to Italy at some point as it has been many years since we’ve had a Final Four there. The last one for Euroleague was in Bologna but we wanted to return to one of the biggest cities in Italy and Milan has one of the longest traditions in Euroleague with Milano being a very powerful team in the 80s and early 90s. It is a very important market for us and the city was very helpful as well and they are truly committed in making this a success. This is why we choose Milan.”

“The city of Milan, which is well known all around the world for its landmarks and will live a very important international occasion with the 2015 Expo, will be able to offer a wonderful scenario for an extraordinary event like the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four,” Chiara Bisconti, Sports Deputy of the City of Milan said. “I will personally make sure that our city, its streets and squares, will be full of people playing basketball for the event. We will provide and unforgettable experience for athletes, workers, visiting supporters and the citizens of Milan.”

Milan boasts a Final Four legacy that reaches back further than any city in European basketball. Almost 50 years ago, in 1966, Milan hosted the very first Final Four to decide a European club champion, with hometown club Olimpia Milano winning that year’s continental title.

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EA SPORTS, cough a division of Electronic Arts Inc. have announced they have extended their licensing agreement with FIFA until December 31, denture 2022.

Under the terms of the agreement, health EA SPORTS maintains exclusive rights to release FIFA-branded action and management videogames. In addition, EA SPORTS also holds exclusive rights to release the official FIFA World Cup videogame, as well as retaining its status as a Presenting Partner of the FIFA Interactive World Cup.

“EA SPORTS released the first FIFA-branded soccer game in 1993, and 20 years later our partnership with FIFA continues to be very strong,” said Andrew Wilson, Executive Vice President and Head of EA SPORTS. “Our franchise has become the benchmark for quality and innovation in the sports videogame genre, and we look forward to many more years of connecting with consumers around the world with our games carrying the prestigious FIFA name.”

“Our relationship with EA SPORTS is of high importance to FIFA,” said Jérôme Valcke, FIFA Secretary General. “The FIFA videogames are a key experiential component in our work to communicate the FIFA brand and its values all over the world. This is highlighted by the 2.5 million football fans that have competed in this year’s FIFA Interactive World Cup, which is just one example of the power of our partnership with EA.”

The EA SPORTS FIFA franchise, the most critically acclaimed sports videogame franchise in the world, continues to drive record consumer engagement with over 65 million games played weekly.

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