English Premier League club Everton are reportedly close to finalising a £200 million takeover by an American consortium.

The group, purchase led by former San Diego Padres owner John Jay Moores and fellow entrepreneur Charles Noell, discount have been in talks with Toffees owner Bill Kenwright in recent months.

Read more HERE.

The International Basketball Association (FIBA) has agreed a deal with French broadcaster Canal+ to carry exclusive coverage of the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for Men and Women.

Canal+ will show coverage of the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT) in France in June and the three FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs) taking place in Italy, Serbia and the Philippines.

More info HERE.

iSportconnect, the world’s biggest social network for sports business executives has announced today an exclusive partnership with Israeli software company Visual Domains which has developed a unique technology, “Venus”, capable of organising information in a three dimensional space.

Through its homogenous set of mobile solutions, social solutions and a new form of Augmented Reality application, Venus AR, the Venus platform offers a new sports and entertainment experience.

The partnership will mean Visual Domains has a one-stop entry to the global business of sports as it seeks to develop relationships with rights holders across the globe.

The partnership will be launched at iSportconnect’s Digital Media and Technology Masterclass event in Lausanne on 30^th September with presentations from the company’s founder and CEO Yoav Shefi.

The deal was successfully brokered by leading independent sports marketing agency, Sports Media Gaming Ltd.

Sree Varma, Founder and CEO of iSportconnect expressed his delight at the partnership and said: “Visual Domains is a highly innovative business, offering new and unique revenue streams to sports rights holders, media owners and sponsors in the global sports industry.”

Yoav Shefi shared the positive sentiments. He said: “Our partnership with iSportconnect will give us a “one stop” direct access to key decision makers across the global sports industry. We are very excited to be able to demonstrate how our technology can add a new dimension to the world of sports and act as a new source of revenue at the same time.”

About Visual Domains

Visual Domains is a software company which has developed a unique technology, Venus, of organizing information in three dimensional space.

Venus technology’s mission is to reinvent the way we view and interact with digital information across Apps, Web pages and continuing further to the desktop and devices.

Venus Visual Search organizes content not only according to their semantic relevance but also according to visual relevance. Thus Venus search creates an immediate grasp of the story surrounding a topic of interest.

Venus solves the 30 seconds barrier – Users will dedicate a max of 30 seconds to anything; they must get the story in 10 seconds, so they can have 20 seconds to do something about it.

The technology provides a unique opportunity for the global sports industry to enhance their digital product offerings and create lucrative new revenue streams.

To learn more about Visual Domains and “Venus Augmented Reality” including presentation videos, visit the website here.

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By Keir Radnedge

Michael Garcia has challenged FIFA to publish his initial report into the 2018-2022 World Cup bid scandal.

The unspoken threat, in a statement issued from his New York lawyers’ office, is that refusal could see him walk away from his supposedly independent role. That would throw the world football federation into chaos and fatally undermine any prospect of rebuilding a reputation thoroughly thrashed by the scandals of the last few years under long-serving president Sepp Blatter.

Garcia, the United States attorney brought in as independent investigator in 2012 after the creation of a new, ramped-up ethics system, is clearly angry over events last Friday in Zurich.

Then, on the sidelines of an ethics in sport conference hosted – but not organised – by FIFA, independent judge Hans-Joachim Eckert intimated that the report should never see the light of day, whatever ultimate disciplinary verdicts he might hand down next April.

Garcia, simultaneously, said he believed the cause of restoring FIFA’s reputation through transparency could be served only by publication, allowing for the removal for legal reasons of certain passages of the 430-page report.

Today he stepped up the pressure on the world federation – and Eckert by name – by issuing this statement from the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis:

“Given the limited role Mr Hans-Joachim Eckert envisions for the Adjudicatory Chamber, I believe it is now necessary for the FIFA Executive Committee to authorize the appropriate publication of the Report on the Inquiry into the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup Bidding Process.

“Publication would be consistent with statements made by a number of Executive Committee members, with the view recently expressed by Independent Governance Committee Chair Mark Pieth, and with the goals of the reform process.”

By coincidence – or not – FIFA’s governing exco meets tomorrow and Friday in Zurich with Blatter due to give a closing press conference. One of the main items was expected his formal confirmation that he will stand, next May, for a fifth term as president. 

Now a significant new item will have to be added to the agenda, unless the emergency committee steps in with an immediate order for publication. This is unlikely considered the legal ramifications.

Last Friday Sylvia Schenk of Transparency International immediately aligned herself behind Garcia in supporting publication, as did the British MP Damian Collins who wants it reviewed by the UK’s serious fraud office.

Last night they were joined FIFA’s Asian vice-president, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan. He said: “In the interest of full transparency, I believe it is important that the much-anticipated report on the ethics investigation move ahead in reforming our institutions in the best interest of the sport.

“The entire football family as well as it’s sponsors and those who follow the game worldwide have a full right to know the contents of the report in the spirit of complete openness.”

Prince Ali’s words and sentiments were echoed by another FIFA vice-president, Ulsterman Jim Boyce, who is the British home associations’ representative on the executive committee.

He said: “I have stated on many occasions that if people have nothing to hide they should have no problem with the results of this inquiry becoming public knowledge.”

Also supporting publication is Frenchman Jerome Champagne (pictured), the only declared rival to Blatter for the FIFA presidency next year.

Champagne said: “We need to know is in the report because the World Cup is the biggest event of its kind in the world and we need to protect its’ sanctity.’ A good legal system involves explaining publicly what has happened and why any person or persons should be indicted or not.

“Also, we need to know because it’s an important step in rebuilding and rehabilitating the image and reputation of FIFA in public opinion.”

The FIFA code of ethics states that “only the final decisions already notified to the addressees may be made public.” But that appears to leave open the option for approval of publication.

According to Garcia and Eckert they and their two deputies – Swiss lawyer Cornel Borbely [investigatory chamber] and Australian Alan Sullivan [deputy chairman, adjudicatory chamber] – have seen the 430-page report and the 200,000 pages of supporting evidence.

No single individual in such a delicate but powerful role has ever previously challenged FIFA publicly as Garcia is doing.

Premiership Rugby clubs are contractually bound to play in the Heineken Cup until 2015, leaving the possibility of playing in a new tournament next year in the balance.

The former chairman of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Martyn Thomas told Radio Wales that English clubs are contracted to the Heineken Cup for another year and their move to play in another tournament was ‘grandstanding.’

Top-flight English and French clubs have said they want to play in a new tournament next season, due to grievances with the qualification process of the current European cups.

However, Thomas said: “”There’s a contractual obligation there that the RFU can enforce.

“It not only provides that they will play in Europe to the end of the season 2014-2015, it also provides that they will play in no other professional competitions.”

“It’s grandstanding,” he added. “The ERC (European Rugby Cup) agreement was signed, and it was signed subsequently to an agreement that the RFU and PRL [Premier Rugby Ltd] and each individual club entered into and that was in 2007.

“One of the terms of the agreement was that the Premiership clubs would remain playing in Europe until the end of that agreement with the RFU.

“The RFU have got to stand up and be counted, it’s not a popularity competition being at the RFU.”

A statement was released on Saturday by Premiership Rugby that said they and the French Super 14 clubs would set up a new continental tournament which was open to other nations.

Thomas expects FFR & IRB to block new tournament

Thomas added that he expected the French Rugby Federation (FFR) and the International Rugby Board (IRB) to block the move.

“The clubs in England require the consent of their union, the teams in France require the consent of their union,” he said.

“Pierre Camou is probably one of the strongest presidents in world rugby – he is a tough guy.

“Also, because it’s a cross border they require the consent of the IRB and they have a French chairman in Bernard Lapasset.

“There is no way that those two Frenchmen are going to give consent for this to occur.”

Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale could be set to make £3m ($4.8m) a year from trademarking his heart celebration.

The Spurs man, adiposity who won the Player of the Year award last season, thumb has filed an application  to the Intellectual Property Office to trademark a logo copying his gesture of a number 11, the Welshman’s shirt number, inside a heart,

The ‘Eleven of Hearts’ celebration was first introduced in 2010 for Bale’s girlfriend Emma Rhys-Jones who he has been with since childhood.

Director of sports marketing agency brandRapport Nigel Currie told Sky Sports: “The possibilities are huge for Gareth Bale. Once he has that right he can cash in on it and become a more well-known player.

“A third of his overall income could be made from his image rights, potentially up to £3million a year.”

Bale has applied to trademark the logo for use on headgear, footwear, jewellery and clothing.

He would follow in the footsteps of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo who have cashed in on their image rights.

Currie added: “Beckham does various things for various brands, but having this logo gives you the opportunity to use it as the brand image.

“It can appear on any sort of product he wants, so it has massive potential.

“Once you have got something that is readily identifiable with the person and has the potential to be seen by millions every time he scores a goal, then it becomes more and more recognisable globally.”

Bale is not the only footballer to make a heart shape when celebrating a goal. Former AC Milan striker Alexander Pato and Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria are amongst a host of stars to make the gesture after scoring.

Location: Italy & United Kingdom

Closing date: Until filled

Overview: 

Key Responsibilities

 – Contribute to design the International Team’s and Talents’ partnership strategy and process to deliver results in accordance with budget and targets

– With the help of a junior resource, create Global / Regional partner packages and develop partnership proposals to suit the needs of individual companies and prospective partners

– Research key information to fully evaluate identified market opportunities and leverage the researches and the internal data that will be available

– Manage the sponsorship sales process in accordance with the defined timetable and priorities, negotiate agreements

– Generate revenue on the international markets from different sources including but not limited to sponsorship, IP, player image rights, digital media, hospitality, promotional and  match day rights

– Working closely together with the International Development team, find potential target companies and create specific offers for International events, grass-root programs, specific platforms the club will create in specific regions (eg: academies, team’s tour, etc)

A new partnership launched at this week’s CIPD L&D Show at Olympia is to use the natural team-building atmosphere on board ocean racing yachts, arthritis with proven neuroscience, to create engaging L&D programmes based on research conducted on the unique Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. 

Clipper Events has teamed up with Mission Performance to transfer insights and performance lessons from the hostile environments encountered on the world’s longest ocean adventure into inspiring development programmes and experiences for business. 

Speaking about the new partnership, Clipper Events Manager, Emma Eason said: “We have seen the power and transformational nature of participation in ocean racing over the years on the biennial Clipper Race, which has trained over 4000 novices and non-professional sailors.

“We have captured some of that in day-sailing opportunities and Mission Performance has studied how to translate the lessons from the hostile ocean environment to challenging business situations for organisations and individuals.”

Mission Performance has been transferring the lessons from challenging environments to business for the past twelve years, and operates globally with a group of elite mountaineers, decorated soldiers, ocean racers, ocean rowers, pilots, polar explorers, actors and elite sportsmen and women. The client list now includes the Clipper Race crew, who have battled against Mother Nature across 40,000 miles of the world’s oceans.

Mission Performance Managing Director, Rob Lewis says: “One of the reasons why we got involved in the Clipper Race and now Clipper Events is that we share a similar philosophy  about people and we think that people have within they have the great resources to own their own development and change and make different decisions. Provided they’ve got the right environment they feel supported and can make those changes.