Lyca Group, medicine the provider of services to ethnic communities, diagnosis  has acquired the exclusive licencing and sub-licencing radio rights to the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with immediate effect.

The rights are valid for three years until 2018 globally, outside of Pakistan and Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC).

The radio coverage of the new premier professional T20 cricket league will be streamed live on Lycamobile websites, as well as on the Lyca Dilse Radio 1035 website.

Lyca Group chairman Subaskaran Allirajah said: “We’ve been passionate about supporting sport from the beginning, so it brings us great pleasure to be the exclusive radio broadcaster for the Pakistan Super League. We have built our business by targeting global families and now we are helping those families  enjoy cricket wherever they are.”

By Christian Radnedge

FIFA has been plunged into further turmoil by the news on Wednesday that independent ethics investigator Michael Garcia is resigning from his post over the handing of his report.

The US attorney appealed the “erroneous” summary by ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert of his report into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups – awarded to Russia and Qatar, respectively.

However FIFA this week dismissed Garcia’s appeal as inadmissible as they maintained that Eckert’s summary was not legally binding.

That seems to have been all Garcia could bear, as he cited a “lack of leadership” at world football’s governing body in a statement released through his Chicago-based law firm Kirkland & Ellis.

The news came of a shock to FIFA president Sepp Blatter who told Associated Press: “I am surprised by Mr Garcia’s decision. The work of the Ethics Committee will nonetheless continue and will be a central part of the discussions at the ExCo meeting in the next two days.”

The decision to walk away brings an end to Garcia’s three years at FIFA. He was initially appointed in 2011 as part of the reform process implemented by Blatter and led by Basel governance expert Mark Pieth.

In his statement Garcia explains how his calls for the full publication of his report were largely ignored, only being taken into account to refer him to the disciplinary committee for “allegedly violating the Code of Ethics through my public comments.”

Concern with Eckert’s statement in November on the bid scandal report and the omission of certain material from it led Garcia to appeal the findings.

Having that appeal rejected, Garcia ended his statement thus: “The Eckert decision made me lose confidence in the independence of the Adjudicatory Chamber, it is the lack of leadership on these issues within FIFA that leads me to conclude that my role in this process is at an end.

“Accordingly, effective today, December 17, 2014, I am resigning as independent Chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee.”

Michael Garcia Full Statement:

For the first two years after my July 2012 appointment as independent Chairman of the FIFA Ethics Committee’s Investigatory Chamber, I felt that the Ethics Committee was making real progress in advancing ethics enforcement at FIFA. In recent months, that changed.

On September 5, 2014, I and Cornel Borbely, the Deputy Chair of the Investigatory Chamber, sent a “Report on the Inquiry into the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup Bidding Process” (the “Report”) to the FIFA Ethics Committee’s Adjudicatory Chamber.

The Report identified serious and wide-ranging issues with the bidding and selection process (Mr Borbely also filed separate reports from his inquiries into the activities of the bid teams from Russia and the United States).

Soon after, the chairman of the Adjudicatory Chamber, Hans-Joachim Eckert, indicated publicly that only limited information from the Report would be made public.

Concerned that insufficient transparency would not serve FIFA’s interests, I issued a public statement calling on the FIFA Executive Committee to authorize the appropriate publication of the Report.

The Executive Committee took no action on this subject during its September 2014 meetings – other than to refer me to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for allegedly violating the Code of Ethics through my public comments, namely, my public request that the Executive Committee authorize appropriate publication of the Report and the on-the-record statement Mr Borbely and I released concerning watches given to certain football officials.

The chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Claudio Sulser, ultimately rejected the Executive Committee’s referral.

On November 13, 2014, Mr. Eckert issued a 42-page “Statement of the Chairman of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee on the Report on the Inquiry into the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup Bidding Process prepared by the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee” (the “Eckert Decision”).

In a cover letter, Mr. Eckert described the statement as his “findings, including certain descriptions of the contents of the Investigatory Chamber’s report.”

The issues raised by Mr. Eckert’s selection and omission of material from the Report, and his additional comments, went far beyond the initial transparency concerns. As my public statement at the time explained, the Eckert Decision contained “numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of facts and conclusions.” Accordingly, I appealed.

A brief I filed with the FIFA Appeal Committee on November 24, 2014, outlined the Eckert Decision’s most serious failings. Among other points, the brief explained why, when viewed in the context of the Report it purported to summarize, no principled approach could justify the Eckert Decision’s edits, omissions, and additions.

Yesterday’s decision by the Appeal Committee declined to address these points. Instead, the Appeal Committee rejected my appeal on procedural grounds, concluding that “it is not necessary for the FIFA Appeals Committee to enter into considerations on the substance of the appeal.”

The Appeal Committee found that the Eckert Decision was “merely a personal opinion on the Report” and had “no legally binding effect whatsoever.”

It reached this conclusion even though, under Article 36 of the Code of Ethics, only “final decisions” may be made public, as the Eckert Decision, which was published on FIFA’s website, obviously was.

The Appeal Committee also overlooked the Eckert Decision’s self-described “findings,” including one stating that “the evaluation of the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups bidding process is closed for the FIFA Ethics Committee.”

FIFA President Blatter recently reaffirmed that “finding” during an interview published by FIFA, stating: “Furthermore, there is no change to Judge Eckert’s statement that the investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups is concluded.”

I disagree with the Appeal Committee’s decision.

It now appears that, at least for the foreseeable future, the Eckert Decision will stand as the final word on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process.

While the Appeal Committee’s decision notes that further appeal may be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, I have concluded that such a course of action would not be practicable in this case.

No independent governance committee, investigator, or arbitration panel can change the culture of an organization. And while the November 13, 2014, Eckert Decision made me lose confidence in the independence of the Adjudicatory Chamber, it is the lack of leadership on these issues within FIFA that leads me to conclude that my role in this process is at an end.

Accordingly, effective today, December 17, 2014, I am resigning as independent Chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee.

Yokohama has been added to the list of venues bidding to stage matches at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The application was accepted by tournament’s organising body, price order Japan Rugby 2019, pills which now brings the total number of applicants to 15.

Read more HERE.

The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) has announced that for the first time since the 1988 Olympics Games, ambulance the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will feature finals during the morning sessions.

“Staging finals in the morning was done at the request of the Rio LOC and the Olympic Broadcasting Service, prescription supported by the International Olympic Committee,” said IAAF Competitions Director Paul Hardy.

“Having finals in the morning will also ensure that we receive maximum visibility for athletics at the Olympics across all time zones,”

“There will be 13 finals in the mornings: the five road events (three race walks and two marathons) and also eight events in the stadium.

“Out of those eight, there will be an even split between genders as well as between track and field events.

Hardy added: “Our prevailing view was that the leading distance runners will welcome this change to the athletics programme at the Olympics as they will often have competitions throughout the year in the morning, such as road or cross country races, and so will be accustomed to this timing.”

Hardy confirmed that there will be at least one final in each of the six morning sessions held in the stadium and at least one final in the morning of nine out of the 10 days of athletics competition.

The Directors’ Club Dubai, in association with INTERACT, closed a successful week of the Middle East series of iSportconnect Directors’ Clubs.

The Dubai Directors’ Club took place on Wednesday 12^th November, held at the prestigious Falcon and Associates’ office overlooking the Burjj Khalifa.

The event was supported by the Dubai Sports Council and gathered 60 key stakeholders in sport business.

Attendees came from a range of organisations including; Golf in Dubai, Dubai Duty Free, Liverpool FC, Dubai Sports Council, Dubai Sports City, UAE Rugby Federation, Pepsi, Oman Sail, Dubai Racing Club, Monster Energy, Falcon and Associates, Daman, International Cricket Council and many more.

One of the highlights of the afternoon included an interview with the Secretary General of the UAE Rugby Federation, Qais Abdulla Al Dhalai who was clearly passionate about growing the game of rugby and talked about how they are integrating the sport into the Emirati culture through grassroots development and initiatives with the community.

Following Qais’ interview, the panel of speakers discussed the major concerns in the region, including sponsorship, local participation and obesity issues.

The panel featured Salah Tahlak, SVP Communications, DDF & Tournament Director, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, David Graham, CEO, Oman Sail, David Spencer, Strategic Advisor, Golf in Dubai and Frank G. Gabriel Jr, Executive Director – Racing, Dubai Racing Club

Suggestions were put forward by the attendees and speakers to solve some of the bigger concerns to take to government entities and drive the sector forward.

The event closed with more networking at the Reception and Dinner on Ritz Carlton DIFC’s Garden Terrace.

The third edition of the Directors’ Club Dubai will take place in May 2015.

More pictures below

---

Pre-event networking

iSportconnect Founder and CEO Sree Varma with delegates from International Cricket Council at the event

Delegates are welcomed to the second Directors’ Club Dubai

Delegates at the Directors’ Club Dubai

Qais Abdulla Al Dhalai (Secretary General of the UAE Rugby Federation, left), Salah Tahlak (SVP Communications, DDF & Tournament Director, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, centre)

Networking again in full flow between delegates

{jcomments on}

 

Location: Milton, patient Canada

Closing Date: 21st October

Overview:

Answering to the High Performance Director – Head Coach, impotent the Pathway Development Manager will be responsible for ensuring podium pathway alignment of all Cycling Canada programs, as well as assisting provinces and territories in aligning their pathways to that of the national body.

In collaboration with the Performance Development Director and the Sports Science, Medicine and Innovations Manager, and overseen by the High Performance Director- Head Coach, the Pathway Development Manager is expected to:

• – Provide on-going guidance and support to NextGen coaches as it pertains to establishing program selection policies, performance tracking and talent ID and development initiatives;
• – Work closely with representatives from Own The Podium, provincial partners and clubs to educate, develop and implement proper Podium Pathway alignment across all of Cycling Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic cycling sports;
• – Work in close collaboration with sport coordinators and High Performance Program Managers as it pertains to NextGen program development and implementation;
• – Develop and implement costed Talent Identification initiatives in partnership with Own The Podium, Canadian Sports Institutes (COPSIN) and Provincial Sports Organizations using standardized Cycling Canada developed testing protocols.
• – Drive and continue to manage ongoing Podium Pathway and Gold Medal Profile initiatives;
• – Act as Cycling Canada’s representative on all NextGen Management Groups

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in high performance coaching, and will possess strong consultative, facilitation and decision?making skills.  She/he will have demonstrated success as a team leader with excellent management, administrative; and financial skills which are all considered key attributes. The ability to communicate in both official languages is an asset.

How to Apply

Click to apply HERE

Modern Formula One seems to be an exercise in losing money. Every year, teams outside the established factory elite seem to be struggling to make ends meet, and face questions on their long term future.

For those teams, sponsorship revenue could be the difference between making it to the next season or closing their doors.

Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams of Williams F1 knows that pressure all too well. Williams has been in the sport coming up to 40 years, but their most recent accounts show how tough it is to run an independent Formula One team.

The Williams group made a loss of £3.3 million, with the F1 arm making a small pre-tax profit of £200,000 – and that was a good year for the team.

Living on those razor tight margins, Williams outlined just how important sponsorship was to the team.

“It’s more important than ever.” she admitted. “Williams is one of the last true independent teams in Formula One. Our sponsorship revenue is absolutely critical to our survival. If we don’t have the generosity of partners coming in and buying into this team, then Williams doesn’t survive. Fortunately we’ve been very lucky in that space, next year we will have been racing for four decades. I think that is testament to the work we do looking after our partners who put their faith and trust in us.”

The difficulty is that sponsors naturally want to have their logos on the winning car. The less likely you are to be winning races, or achieving podiums, the less money you can command from perspective sponsors. Which means racing budgets go down, and the downward spiral continues:

“If you’re not doing well, why would a brand want to put their sticker on your race car? To work with you, to partner with you? Then you get fewer dollars in, less budget, then what do you do? How do you build a quick race car to get back to the top? To get back to a position where brands do want to partner with you?”

While few headlines will be written about the battle for third or fourth in the constructors’ championship, it’s of huge important to the teams. Finishing one place further down can cost teams around $20m in merit payments. It’s another factor that challenges struggling teams who are trying to improve. Williams summarised it well:

“It’s a total vicious or virtuous circle in Formula One, but one that you just have to make sure you are doing well in order to survive.”

With income tied so closely to performance, it forces the team to get creative when they think of ways of attracting partners to the team, which doesn’t necessarily depend on track position:

“We’re always trying to innovate our sponsorship strategies, to make sure we are an appealing destination for brand managers, marketing managers, when they are looking at sponsorship opportunities. We have a wonderful heritage at Williams, with a lot of USPs, we have great values that brands want to be associated with.”

One of the ways the team has tried to diversify their income stream, is through Williams Advanced Engineering. The idea has been a success, with the project making the group a pre-tax profit of £2.1 million. Williams outlined its remit:

“One of the biggest things, and one of the most important milestones that we have passed in recent years, is creating Williams Advanced Engineering. It’s all about taking the technology and IPs from F1 and commercialising that. That sets us apart from the competition. It’s an area that a lot of people are looking into, because it’s around energy efficient technology.  A lot of partners want to come in now and not only partner with the Formula One team, but also with Williams Advanced Engineering”

While the headlines are never far away from Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, it’s worth looking at how the smaller teams in F1, or indeed any sport, are operated.

Williams have shown it can be done well, as their podium in Canada showed.

But unfortunately for them, they simply don’t have the leeway to get it wrong.{jcomments on}

Southampton’s Executive Director Les Reed believes Leicester City’s success this season is the continuation of a trend started by Southampton.

Leicester are just one win away from one of the most unlikely successes in any team sport in history, and Les Reed thinks they saw Southampton’s formula and applied it to their side.

“We like to think Leicester are the new Southampton. I think we started a trend three years ago when we brought in Pochettino – which was bringing in a manager because we wanted to challenge the traditional hierarchy, and we felt there were ways of doing that”

Mauricio Pochettino was key to that plan, and Reed feels Tottenham are now enjoying the rewards of a mentality formed at St. Mary’s.

“We managed to source a manager that bought into that plan, and had what it takes to do that. So it’s no surprise to me what’s going on at Tottenham at the moment.”

Reed often gets asked in rivals’ boardrooms about the secrets of his club’s success; the ‘model’ that Reed and Pochettino worked out was fairly simple, even if the execution was much more complex.

“Don’t take anything for granted, work hard and value the ideas of your people and decide what your vision is going to be. Start there. Why are we here? What’s the purpose? Where are we going to go? How are we going to get there? Then build a strategy from there and make sure everyone is involved in not just building that strategy but delivering it”

For Southampton their goal is now even more clear in the wake of Leicester’s unexpected success.

“We would like to build a club that is capable of being in a position for opportunities that occur – like they have for Leicester and Tottenham this season – so that we are in a position to break through that glass ceiling into Europe and the Champions League and that we have a club that is ready to do that.”

And how that strategy looks on a football field is simple enough.

“Let’s forget the status quo, let’s forget how it’s meant to be. Let’s go and attack, let’s try to beat the big clubs. let’s attack everybody. We had a very good season doing that, I think one or two other clubs looked at that and said ‘You know what we can do that’, and Leicester were one of them.

“When they survived relegation they looked at it and said, ‘You know what, we don’t want to be down there anymore. Why are we so worried about this? We’ve just proved it with a nine game run. If we can start the season like that, then why not?.”

“You look at West Ham, you look Stoke City, there are a few clubs saying ‘why not?’ I think that is challenging the status quo and I find that really exciting.”

Perhaps the disruption isn’t just limited to the digital world, and Southampton and Leicester represent the new wave of football clubs disrupting the traditional powers all driven by Les Reed’s powerful challenge:

Why not?