The International University Sports Federation (FISU) has named the Swiss city of Lucerne as the host the 30^th Winter Universiade in 2021.

Full story HERE.

A memo published in a French newspaper on Sunday could pave the way for UEFA president Michel Platini to stand for the FIFA presidential election in February, according to his lawyers.

His lawyers believe the memo has evidence that will clear the Frenchman of any wrongdoing following his 90-day suspension for a ‘disloyal payment’ he received from Sepp Blatter for work carried out several years ago.

The memo was published in French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche and it says the memo, dating back to 1998, includes a payment agreement between Platini and Fifa. 

Platini’s lawyer Thomas Clay called the 23-page document “important evidence”.

Clay, speaking to the Reuters news agency, added: “From the moment that we have proof of an agreement between Fifa and Mr Platini, and of knowledge of this agreement by officials of Uefa, then this inquiry falls down.

“For us, it’s very important evidence that Mr Platini has always been telling the truth.”

Both Platini and Blatter were handed 90-day suspensions by the FIFA Ethics Committee and had appeals rejected. 

According to Le Journal du Dimanche, the memo was presented at a meeting of Uefa’s executive committee in November 1998 and included a section that stated Platini was being paid 1m Swiss francs a year for work he was doing for Fifa.

“It shows that the contract did not have any sort of secret character and that many people, including those in Uefa and Fifa, have known about it since 1998,” added Clay.

The FIFA presidential election takes place on 26 February and Platini must be cleared before that date in order to stand. 

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iSportconnect and Populous staged another intriguing and successful Stadia Masterclass in London on Wednesday evening at the Lord’s cricket ground.

The Long Room at the Home of Cricket provided a wonderful setting for the event which attracted top quality delegates from major rights holders and brands from the sports business industry.

This included representatives from Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, Eurosport, IMG, Liverpool FC, NFL, PwC, RFU, Rugby World Cup 2015, The FA, The LTA, The Premier League, The Scottish FA, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Wembley Stadium, West Bromwich Albion FC and many more.

The theme of the event was “engaging fans at home and around the globe – creating a physical and digital place for your tribe or community”.

This theme was discussed in great detail in the form of two panels, the first of which was titled ‘Designing Experiences – venues and entertainment’ and included Roy Westwood, Creative and Innovations Director of Levy Restaurants, Simon Jordan, Co-founder and Principal of Jump Studios (A Populous Company) and Nicholas Reynolds, Senior Principal of Populous and founder of Populous Activate.

The trio created a fascinating discussion around the importance of fan engagement at stadia within the sport and entertainment industries.

Populous’ Nicholas Reynolds commented: “I found it fascinating and really enjoy these occasions when you get together with other industry professionals and you have the opportunity to just chat about the current state of the market place, the current state of venues and fan expectations.”

The second panel was titled ‘In it Together – sport and the role of club and league brands’, and featured Emma Taylor, Head of Marketing at Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Cathy Long, Head of Supporter Services at the Premier League, Christopher Lee, Senior Principal and Managing Director of Populous and Nicholas Reynolds.

The panellists focused on the expectations of fans at stadiums and the importance of authenticity. Each panel member also touched on their individual projects and initiatives within their respective organisations and how they continuously look to create unique fan experiences.

Speaking after the event Emma Taylor said: “I thoroughly enjoyed it, it just shows the rich environment that we work in within sport, we’re entertaining and despite working in football for 18 years, I got some take outs from today that were really useful.”

Cathy Long added: “The event was fascinating; I loved the debate and all the questions that we covered.”

We will be announcing our final event of the year very soon, stay tuned to iSportconnect.com for this upcoming announcement and details of this event.

The highlights of the Stadia Masterclass will be available on iSportconnect TV soon.

More Pictures Below

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English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have partnered with fantasy sports platform developers Mondogoal.

The deal will see the club promote Mondogoal’s club-branded fantasy football game.

Read more HERE.

The National Basketball League (NBL) has made new appointments to the NBL Board and Senior Executive team.

Sports professional Bob Elphinston OAM, health international company director and advisor Laura Anderson and sporting media rights specialist Colin Smith have all joined the NBL Board.

Full story HERE.

By Christian Radnedge

The Emirates Equestrian Federation has withdrawn its appeal to the suspension handed down by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) following an investigation into endurance racing in the United Arab Emirates.

The news comes as the EEF initiates a review into national and international endurance racing in the UAE.

The FEI suspended the EEF over horse welfare and rule infringements in endurance events, meaning that UAE riders are not allowed to compete in any international events – including the Olympics.

However, they will be at least be allowed to compete under an FEI flag in non-endurance disciplines outside of the Emirates and presumably the Olympic flag at Rio 2016 should the suspension not be lifted by then.

Taleb Al Muhairi, Secretary General of the Emirates Equestrian Federation, will meet with FEI officials in Lausanne this week to show that the body is making positive steps towards reconciliation.

In a statement, Al Muhairi said: “As the governing body of equestrian sports in the UAE, it is our goal to pursue excellence while promoting the growth of the sport and safeguarding the welfare of equine and human athletes. We recognise the best way to achieve this is to work closely with the FEI, the international governing authority, and as such have decided to withdraw our appeal against the suspension.

“The EEF has always sought to uphold the highest standards in horse and athlete welfare and integrity. The Endurance Committee will look to build further on those standards, working in collaboration with the FEI, and ensure that the FEI’s rules and regulations are applied in endurance racing across the UAE.”

There has been growing concern over the treatment of endurance horses in the UAE. The FEI earlier this year stepped in to remove two endurance events in UAE from the winter season.

Three horses were reported dead at the 74-mile Al Reef Cup in Abu Dhabi in February.

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Wasps have reached their maximum target of £35m in the first retail bond to be issued by a sports club. 

David Armstrong, bronchi Group Chief Executive of Wasps, said: “We are delighted at the success of our debut Retail Bond which was fully subscribed, and at reaching our maximum target of £35 million.

“This is the first time a sports club has accessed the market in this way and the response from investors, both institutional and private, has been very positive. 

“The funds raised will enable us to restructure our balance sheet and pay down our existing debt, including the loans we acquired with the Ricoh Arena.

“We now have a solid foundation for the long-term future of the Club and look forward to the future with confidence.”

SportAccord Convention are delighted to announce Sport Event Denmark will join once again as a Gold Partner for this year’s World Sport & Business Summit taking place from 19-24 April 2015 at the Sochi Expocentre, Sochi, Russia.

Sport Event Denmark is the Danish national sports event organisation with the main objective of attracting and organising major international sports events and sports congresses.

“SportAccord Convention is a great opportunity to stay in contact with our international network, exchange ideas, and engage in the discussions on sport event management. Our efforts have been focused on adding value to international events.” said Lars Lundov, CEO, Sport Event Denmark.

“Last year we conducted a survey at our Convention stand asking guests about the challenges and opportunities with hosting events.”

Lundov went on to say: “This year we will follow up on these answers and add yet another layer to our hosting policies, to the benefit of the international event owners, the athletes, spectators and the Danish host cities.”

Visit Sport Event Denmark at Booths 109-112 to connect and take part.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director, SportAccord Convention remarked: “As one of the inaugural Partners of SportAccord Convention, the passion, experience and commitment Sport Event Denmark brings to the Convention is tangible.

“This is illustrated in their approach, and the opportunities they take during the Convention, to understand and connect with everyone, when it comes to hosting championships and world-class events.”

The SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit is a unique opportunity for key decision-makers in sport to engage with business leaders across 25+ industry sectors.

The 6-day event features a 3-day Conference, dynamic exhibition, LawAccord, City Forum, the SportAccord Convention Village and Sports Demo Zone, as well as hosting the annual general meetings of governing bodies of world sport.

Commenting on the benefits of taking part in the World Sport & Business Summit, Lundov said: “SportAccord Convention offers unrivalled networking and development opportunities with the key decision makers in international sport business.”

This year, Denmark’s sporting calendar is looking action-packed with 25 events scheduled, including Olympic sports like IHF Women’s Handball World Championship, the World Archery Championships, the FIG Trampoline and Tumbling World Championships, Made in Denmark Tour Golf, and a wide range of sailing world championships.

RedTorch Managing Director Jonny Murch, pills and Directors Alex Ross and Chris Argyle-Robinson have taken joint control of the London-based marketing agency after an internal buyout.

Full story HERE.