By Christian Radnedge

Sepp Blatter has confirmed that he will appeal to the court of arbitration for sport to overturn his eight year suspension from all football related activity that was handed down to him by FIFA’s ethics committee on Monday.

In a press conference in Zurich, link the beleaguered outgoing chief of world football struck a defiant figure and repeatedly protested his innocence despite the ban for a “disloyal payment” of CHF2m to Michel Platini in 2011.

Frenchman Platini also found himself suspended from football for eight years for his alleged part in the scandal.

“We had a oral contract, sales a gentleman’s agreement, allergy ” Blatter said of the payment in question. “This was made in 1998 after the World Cup. What astonished me now when I talk about the decision today is that they deny the existence of such an agreement. This agreement was confirmed by two meetings. We have the proof that this agreement existed.

“Therefore the 2m Swiss francs paid to Platini went through the finance committee, the executive committee and was done in good terms. This is a donation. This is a gift. We avoided the issue of corruption. We did this because this arrangement was in the FIFA books. You can have oral contracts.

“Once again we go to the appeal committee. We go to CAS, the Court of Arbitration for Sport. There might have been an administrative error, but this was nothing to do with the ethics. This cannot be proven. If it cannot be proven, then it cannot be guilty.”

Blatter added he wants to clear his name in time to preside over the extraordinary elective congress which will pick his successor in Zurich on February 26; Platini meanwhile wants to be back in that election race.

The 79-year-old suggested he was being victimised and even spoke of his dismay that members of his family had been tarnished because of the allegations.

Blatter said he was not ashamed, but that he did regret the situation which has seen several officials linked to FIFA arrested and charged in respective investigations into corruption in world football by the US department of justice and Swiss authorities.

“I’m really sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry that I am still somewhere a punching ball. As president of FIFA, I’m still this punching ball. I’m sorry for FIFA. I’m sorry for football. I’m also sorry about me. How I am treated in this world.

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iSportconnect, the world’s largest global private network of sports business executives, is delighted to announce Ed Warner, Chairman of UK Athletics and Nick Bitel, CEO of London Marathon Events and chair of Sport England, as the first confirmed panellists for the next Directors’ Club in London.

The event will be the final Directors’ Club of the year and will be held at the 5-star Grange St. Paul’s hotel on 8^th December.

The evening will also include a special post-event Christmas Dinner with Live Entertainment at the hotel’s beautiful Novello Restaurant.

This will be the third Directors’ Club in London in 2015 and the seventh in total this year. The event has certainly continued its growth this year and has debuted in new territories across the world, with two events in Moscow and another in Mexico City.

The Directors’ Club also made successful returns to Dubai and Paris this year as it continues to be one of the most popular events in the sports business industry.

Ed Warner OBE was appointed Chairman of UK Athletics, the sport’s national governing body, in 2007.

He led the successful London campaign to host the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships as Chairman of its bid committee and has since been appointed Chair of London 2017 to lead the staging of these Championships and of the IPC Athletics World Championships in the same summer.

He played a key role in securing the long term future of the athletics track at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford and has been Chair of IPC Athletics since 2011.

Nick Bitel has been the Chief Executive of London Marathon Events which organises the London Marathon, the world’s most successful city centre marathon, since 1995.

The event has grown substantially in that time and now sees over 37,000 finishers each year who between them raise a world record £54 million per annum. It also organises RideLondon a major two day cycling festival that sees over 100,000 cycling on closed roads in the British capital.

Nick was appointed Chair of Sport England in April 2013 following three years as a Board Member and is also a Board Member of UK Sport.

iSportconnect Directors’ Club events are a gathering of exclusively invited director level delegates, partaking in a BBC Question Time-style discussion with a panel of well-established executives from the sport business industry.

Followed by networking, the discussion is held under Chatham House rules, allowing for an open and free flowing debate.

iSportconnect chairman Michael Cunnah said: “We’re very excited to welcome Ed and Nick as panellists for our final Directors’ Club of the year. They have been involved in sport in the UK for a number of years and their experience in this industry will help to create really interesting and meaningful discussions.”

Invitation Policy: The iSportconnect Directors’ Club is an invitation only event open exclusively for CEOs, chairmen and director level executives from governing bodies, sports teams and sponsorship brands.

To register your interests please contact Elyse Gallacher at elyse.gallacher@isportconnect.com.

Save the date: 8th December 2015

Time: 4pm

Event Partners

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World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper says they are on track to deliver the biggest and best Rugby World Cup in England later this year.

The tournament kicks off on 18 September and Gosper is confident the organisation will deliver on their promises.

“Six months out we’re into the meticulous military detailed part of the execution really and most of the big things are on track,” said Gosper, speaking exclusively to iSportconnect.

“I’d say the biggest challenge is delivering on the potential. We’ve been pretty public in saying that this should be the best and certainly the biggest World Cup that Rugby’s seen and now it’s just a matter of delivering on that promise and there’s no reason why we won’t deliver on that promise.”

Gosper also believes the Rugby World Cup has a its standing as a major sporting event alongside the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and the Super Bowl and doesn’t struggle to compete in a crowded market commercially.

“It is a crowded market but we think we’ve got a distinctive position in that market,” he added.

“We probably don’t compete at the same level of eyeball that some of the big football events do, Rugby World Cup itself, we consider to be the third biggest global sporting event on the planet behind the Olympics, behind FIFA and so on.

“We’re estimating 2.5 billion in extra economic activity for the England Rugby 2015 World Cup.”

Read the full interview with Brett Gosper HERE.

 

 

SportAccord Convention is pleased to announce its collaborative partnerships for this year’s edition taking place from 19-24 April 2015 at the Sochi Expocentre in Russia. The World Sport & Business Summit is the foremost global gathering owned by sport.

Gold Partners include:

The Combat and Strength Sports Confederation of Kazakhstan, clinic Macau Sport Development Board who are supporting the Convention for the eighth consecutive year; as well as Sport Event Denmark who are also returning this year.

Silver Partners include: Aggreko, ailment City of Edmonton, Eurosport, EventScotland and Qatar Olympic Committee, with the Commonwealth Games Federation joining once again as a Bronze Partner.

Euronews will be supporting the Convention in 2015 and continue to generate buzz around the SportAccord Member sports with the Sports United weekly-show in conjunction with SportAccord. Additionally, Taishan Sports Equipment Company, who signed a ground-breaking partnership agreement with SportAccord, will be in attendance too.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director, SportAccord Convention said, “As the Convention broadens its role, it is important to encourage involvement from both the sport and industry sectors. We’re pleased that our committed partner organisations, new and existing, will be working with us to deliver a rewarding Convention for our delegates.”

The World Sport & Business Summit creates a unique opportunity for exchange between key decision-makers from International Sports Federations and business leaders from innovative and fast-growing companies across more than 20 industries.

The SportAccord Convention Conference Programme promises to encourage lively discussion with ‘Legacy’ being this year’s theme. Panel discussions include debate on: The truth about Legacy; and addressing current issues including: The Sporting Future Today – How technology is changing the game plan.

“There are so many important areas of interest for our attendees, and during this Conference Programme, we can focus on the specific implications for International Sport Federations and the wider Sport Family.” noted Nis Hatt.

Presentations delivered by leading experts will spotlight trends and opportunities, including: The Athlete Brand and Role Model Revolution; as well as covering issues around sport morality, social responsibility, transparency and authenticity when it comes to managing an organisations’ reputation before it becomes the legacy.

Nis Hatt concluded by saying: “The SportAccord Convention World Sport & Business Summit provides a unique platform for bringing together the world of sport and industry.”

For further information about SportAccord Convention or to reach Partner Organisations, please contact Jenny Edmondson, Media Relations Officer: Jenny.Edmondson@sportaccordconvention.com Tel: + 44 203 289 1690.

 

WPP has become the lead investor for Bruin Sports Capital, buy cialis a media, allergy sports and marketing firm founded by ex-IMG boss George Pyne.

An investment of $250 million was made by a group led by WPP to Bruin.

Full story HERE.

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