FIFA has lodged a criminal complaint to the Swiss attorney general regarding individuals involved in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process.

On the advice of FIFA’s ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert FIFA President Sepp has decided to file the complaint.

Blatter stated however that this will not have any bearing on the statements made by Eckert last week in relation to Michael Garcia’s 42-page report into the World Cup bidding process, as he insists the bidding process is concluded.  

A FIFA statement said: “The subject of the criminal complaint is the possible misconduct of individual persons in connection with the awarding of the hosting rights of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups investigated by Michael Garcia, chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Fifa ethics committee.

“In particular there seem to be grounds for suspicion that, in isolated cases, international transfers of assets with connections to Switzerland took place, which merit examination by the criminal prosecution authorities.”

The Garcia report will be handed to the attorney general’s office by Eckert but he, along with Blatter maintains that the report cannot be published.

Blatter told FIFA’s website: “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.

“The matter will now also be looked at by an independent, state body, which shows that FIFA is not opposed to transparency.”

When asked about the possible publication of the report, he added: “If FIFA were to publish the report, we would be violating our own association law as well as state law.

“The people who are demanding in the media and elsewhere that Fifa publish the report are obviously of the opinion that FIFA should or must ignore the law in this regard.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach believes FIFA will stick to its promise that the Qatar 2022 World Cup will not clash with the Winter Olympics.

A FIFA taskforce set up to investigate whether the tournament should be moved to the winter due to scorching temperatures in Qatar in the summer, is believed to be favouring a January and February World Cup in 2022 following a meeting in Zurich.

That will result in a direct clash with the Winter Olympics scheduled for 2022, to be held in Almaty or Beijing.

Speaking at the SportAccord IF Forum in Lausanne, Bach was optimistic that FIFA President Sepp Blatter will keep his promise.

“I have not heard about this but I am confident that the Winter Olympics and World Cup will not clash,” he said speaking to insidethegames.

November and December are alternative dates also being considered by the FIFA taskforce, which is believed to be favoured by Sepp Blatter.

But this option is opposed by major European football clubs and leagues, including those who play in the English Premier League, who have asked for FIFA to consider switiching it to May.

“We are getting closer to narrowing the dates for the FIFA World Cup to two options – January/February 2022 or November/December 2022 – but FIFA has also been asked to consider May 2022,” FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said.

“We will summarise what we’ve heard today and provide feedback to all parties in order for them to prepare for the next meeting as we progress towards a final decision.”

FIFA’s chief medical officer, Professor Jiri Dvorak delivered a presentation to the taskforce where he warned that there was a “highly critical risk” to players, officials, and fans if the tournament were to be staged in June and August in Qatar, which makes a winter World Cup seem almost inevitable.

“What I have said is that for the players, the accompanying staff and the fans the months June till August are highly critical in terms of risk, due to the climatic conditions in Qatar,” Dvorak told the taskforce.

“In May and September it is borderline when it comes to the temperature of high risk but from the medical point of view it is not recommended.”

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Leading international law firm Pinsent Masons is set to become Official Legal Partner for the Middle East iSportconnect Directors’ Club: Dubai, taking place on 12^th November 2014.

Supported by Dubai Sports Council and in association with INTERACT Events, the second edition of the Directors Club Dubai will gather the key stakeholders in sport business in the UAE. 

The event will be hosted at Falcon and Associates’ offices in the heart of Dubai’s city, the Dubai International Financial Centre.

With a strong presence in the region and an industry leader worldwide, Pinsent Masons is a perfect fit with the Directors Club in Dubai, where high-level discussion takes place to shape the future of the industry. 

Key regional and international sporting decision makers will discuss how the sports industry can help to ensure sport is sustainable and can drive further business in the Middle East.

Directors Club attendees are key stakeholders and sport business decision makers working within the UAE market.

Participating organisations include; UAE Rugby Federation, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai Sports Council, Golf in Dubai, Dubai Holding, Oman Sail, PGA European Tour, Falcon and Associates, Dubai Tourism, ICC, Daman/Activelife, Automobile and Touring Club, Dubai Sports City, UAE Association of Sports, Du amongst many others.

“It’s a pleasure to have Pinsent Masons as an Official Partner of the Middle East iSportconnect Directors’ Club Dubai.  Pinsent Masons share the same objective to help to shape and grow the sports industry in the region and we are delighted to work with them this year.” commented Michael Cunnah, iSportconnect Chairman.

James Earl, Head of Sport – Gulf Region, Pinsent Masons said, “There is no question that the Gulf region is a crucial hub within the international business of sport. It continues to drive growth domestically, whilst increasingly enabling international investment. The continued success of the Directors’ Club initiative and the calibre of the speakers and organisations it attracts is testament to this.

“Our belief in the region is reflected through our strong presence in the Gulf, with significant offices in both Dubai and Doha, alongside 18 offices internationally and we share the vision of a dynamic future for the region where the business of sport is a driver for investment.”

The Dubai Directors Club is a part of the Middle East series of Clubs. Dr Ahmad Al Sharif, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council will open the event with a welcome to delegates and a short speech, to be followed by a keynote speech and a high-level panel debate.

Further information on the iSportconnect Directors Clubs can be viewed on the website www.directorsclub.biz

About Pinsent Masons

Pinsent Masons is a global 100 law firm employing over 2,500 people in total, including over 1,500 lawyers.

The firm has operates out of Doha and Dubai and its office network extends across the major international business and financial centres of London, Munich, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore in addition to key business centres in the UK. The firm also launched a presence in Turkey in 2013.

– Pinsent Masons LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England & Wales (registered number: OC333653) authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and by the appropriate regulatory body in the other jurisdictions in which it operates. The word ‘partner’, used in relation to the LLP, refers to a member of the LLP or an employee or consultant of the LLP or any affiliated firm who is a lawyer with equivalent standing and qualifications. A list of the members of the LLP, and of those non-members who are designated as partners, is displayed at the LLP’s registered office: 30 Crown Place, London EC2A 4ES, United Kingdom.

– We use ‘Pinsent Masons’ to refer to Pinsent Masons LLP and affiliated entities that practise under the name ‘Pinsent Masons’ or a name that incorporates those words. Reference to ‘Pinsent Masons’ is to Pinsent Masons LLP and/or one or more of those affiliated entities as the context requires. © Pinsent Masons LLP 2014.

For further information:

Sam Turvey

Partner, Bell Pottinger

Mobile: +971 555597383

Email: sturvey@bell-pottinger.com

About iSportconnect

iSportconnect.com is the one stop platform for members of the sports industry with private community, latest news, features, community discussions, executive jobs & market place opportunities. 

iSportconnect TV is the first online TV channel for the worldwide sports business industry. iSc TV broadcasts daily news shows and weekly round-ups of the major news stories, with expert insights from key people from inside the industry. It also provides viewers with big one-on-one interviews and special programmes dedicated to certain sectors of the industry.

About INTERACT

INTERACT is an independently owned business events specialist, focused on the sports business industry. 

Through the organisation of business events, conferences, sports activities, workshops and training events, we educate and inspire our participants, whilst providing profitable business opportunities.

We aim to combat some of the major challenges in sport to help the growth of the industry in the Middle East, whilst also embedding sport into the lives of the local community.

Our team are well connected, energetic, creative, passionate and experienced event professionals, who deliver a high level of service tailored to our market.

Mark Selby’s remarkable comeback and victory of Ronnie O’Sullivan in the snooker World Championship was watched by 16 million Europeans on the Eurosport network, troche a 50% rise in audience reach on the 2013 event.

The average live audience was also up by 26% and in total the tournament generated a positive reach of 54 million different European viewers across Eurosport and Eurosport 2.

In particular the tournament did well in the Netherlands (+59%), prostate Romania (+22%) and Poland (+23%).

An official press release from Eurosport read: “These figures confirm the ability of Eurosport to increase snooker’s popularity outside the sport’s traditional markets. The channel’s commitment to show the best snooker all year long is unrivalled in Europe.

“Eurosport is the home of snooker with 19 tournaments broadcast live every season. The offer includes the World Championships and all other world ranking events.”

The Rugby League World Cup 2013 (RLWC2013) started on the weekend with three new sponsors on board, viagra 60mg in the shape of Gatorade, viagra 100mg Thirsty Planet and MyClubBetting.com.

Gatorade has signed an agreement to supply G Series Pro: Perform drinks to all of the 14 teams involved in the competition.

Gatorade UK Marketing Manager Alex Armstrong said: “Naturally we are very pleased to add Rugby League World Cup 2013 to our portfolio of elite partners.

“We are happy to play a small part in the players’ on-pitch performance and look forward to a fantastic tournament.”

RLWC2013 General Manager Sally Bolton: “We are delighted to have secured such a highly regarded brand as Gatorade as the Official Sports Drink of Rugby League World Cup 2013.”

Thirsty Planet Appointed Official Water Suppliers

Thirsty Planet became the Official Water Supplier for the RLWC2013 and will supply all of the nations with their product.

As a part of the agreement, illness RLWC2013 will make a donation to ‘Pump Aid’, a UK registered charity which works alongside African communities to provide sustainable clean water and sanitation solutions.

Nicky Reeve, head of marketing at Thirsty Planet, said:“Thirsty Planet is an ethical brand with a strong emphasis on supporting communities, those in Africa and in the UK.

“As well as contributing towards providing clean, safe drinking water and improved sanitation in Africa, the brand also helps educate children on the importance of healthy hydration in UK classrooms.

“We are delighted to announce that as part of the sponsorship, the Rugby League World Cup will be making a generous donation to Pump Aid, which will contribute towards two elephant pumps for communities in Africa.”

MyClubBetting.com Sign Agreement

In another deal completed over the weekend, MyClubBetting.com was appointed the Official  Betting and Gaming Partner for the tournament.

The commercial deal was completed with The Betting Service (TBS), whose CEO Marcus Barrett said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with RLWC2013 as Official Betting and Gaming Partner.

“The Betting Service, through the brand MyClubBetting.com, aims to help promote grassroots rugby by facilitating any club with a potential revenue stream at zero cost.

“We are proud to be part of the development of a rapidly growing sport, and dovetailing with such a dynamic and well-respected international organisation makes perfect sense for us.”

Location: Dallas, erectile USA

Closing Date: 26th October 2016

Overview:

The Product Movement Manager leads and directs a team of drivers and is responsible for the overall movement of all Cowboys/Eighty-One Eighty product within the facility, troche and ensures specified integrity standards set by Dallas Cowboys Merchandising, LLC. This position reports directly to the Assistant Operations Manager.

Job Duties: 

 –          Perform regular and accurate putaway of received product.

–          Ensure correct product is being putaway/transferred to and from locations.

–          Perform quality checks on orders being picked.

–          Investigate incorrect putaway product (incorrect items/incorrect locations).

–          Assist in directing/designing/implementing staffing processes for hiring seasonal/part time employees.

–          Drive a performance based environment, metric driven by utilizing/analyzing real time data.

–          Drive continuous improvement by training to ensure standards of excellence.

–          Communication role with management regarding picks and putaways.

–          Responsible for overall daily cleanliness of the general warehouse (reserve racks).

–          Liaison between receiving, compliance, replenishment and inventory control areas of the warehouse   (understanding the entire process).

–          Manage staff, proper on-boarding/training of daily responsibilities and maintain weekly hours.

–          Perform other functions and activities as directed by the Assistant Operations Manager.

Requirements:

 –          Bachelor’s degree preferred.

–          1 – 3 yrs warehouse experience

–          Proficient in Microsoft Office.

–          Able to simultaneously manage a very high level of detail across multiple projects.

–          Able to demonstrate flexibility and quickly adapt to changes while maintaining high levels of productivity and effectiveness under pressure.

–          Able to work well within a team environment, offering assistance and support to team members whenever necessary.

–          Able to work Monday – Friday 7:00am – 4:00pm with flexibility for irregular hours and occasional overtime.

How to Apply

Click to apply HERE