2015 - 2016 Football Thread - Page 159

The Copa America Centenario, featuring 16 national teams from North and South America, was meant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of soccer’s oldest regional tournament. Instead, it devolved into a maelstrom of graft as U.S. authorities alleged soccer leaders sold the rights to sports marketer Datisa for millions of dollars in bribes.

Now, the two organizations responsible for the June 2016 competition have recovered those rights and will seek new bids as early as next week, a person familiar with the matter said. U.S. companies which had previously been excluded will be free to take part, said the person, who requested anonymity because the matter isn’t public.

Conmebol, the regional body responsible for soccer in South America, announced Friday it had recovered its sponsorship and television rights for the tournament. Concacaf, the group responsible for the game in North and Central America, is set to make the same announcement as soon as Tuesday evening, said the person.

David Beckham added another heavy hitter to his management team as he continues to work toward launching a Major League Soccer team in Miami.

According to sources close to negotiations, the newcomer to the investment group is Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which runs the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, Toronto Raptors of the NBA and Toronto FC of MLS.

Leiweke, 58, is the former CEO and president of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the world’s largest owner of sports teams and sports events. Among the company’s holdings are the L.A. Kings, L.A. Galaxy, the Staples Center, StubHub Center, and the O2 in London. They also are part-owners of the L.A. Lakers, Houston Dynamo, and previously held ownership of the MLS clubs Chicago Fire, San Jose Earthquakes, NY/NJ MetroStars and D.C. United.

On October 22 2015 09:25 Liquid`Drone wrote:
http://www.lesportiudecatalunya.cat/nel9/article/8-esports/48-barca/907517-el-classic-sota-sospita.html

whats this spaniards? in norwegian papers they're basically saying that a linesman is accusing the head referees of commanding him to judge in favor of real madrid in the upcoming clasico november 21st? xD

On October 23 2015 01:51 Twisted wrote:
Surprised no-one has mentioned it yet..

Johan Cruijff (68) has been diagnosed with lung cancer . Hope he'll conquer this terrible disease.

Spanish football faces a potentially huge match-fixing scandal after an unnamed linesman alleged he had been told to favour Real Madrid in next month’s clásico against Barcelona.

The linesman said he did not want to be identified because of concerns over “possible reprisals” but he made a formal complaint through a lawyer to the anti-corruption investigating magistrate in Barcelona in which he claimed to have been told to favour Madrid – first by another official and then, over the phone, by a member of the Spanish Football Federation’s referees’ committee.

The linesman alleged he was told officials had already acted to influence the outcome of games and that another linesman has been subjected to similar pressures. According to his lawyer, Jacinto Vicente Hernández, an expert in sports law based in Barcelona, the linesman wanted to go public with the allegations but was persuaded to make a formal, legal statement to the anti-corruption investigating magistrate instead. The Guardia Civil has also been informed.

The story was broken by the Catalan newspaper L’Esportiu on Wednesday and followed up by Cadena Cope radio station. It has had a huge impact in Spain, even if there are doubts anything will come of it. The denuncia or formal complaint made by the linesman through his lawyer, dated 19 October, has been published. In it, the linesman recognises a telephone conversation he says took place was not recorded and that there is no concrete proof of it, but he hopes the other linesman will also come forward.

José Ángel Jiménez Muñoz, who is reported as being the referees’ committee member accused of having made the telephone call to the linesman, said on Wednesday night he had not yet had the chance to read the complaint but said of the allegations: “I have no idea where they come from. It is like something out of a Kafka novel.” Barcelona’s vice-president, Susana Monje, said: “I hope it does not prove to be true.”