New Broadcast Deal For 2014 Women’s Softball World Championship

New broadcast deal for 2014 Women’s Softball World Championship set to highlight women’s sport to global audience

“This broadcast agreement helps to highlight the power and potential of softball as a promoter of women’s sport, helping shape a sporting world that is more balanced and relevant to women,” ISF and WBSC Secretary General Low Beng Choo commented.

The ISF, the international softball division of the World Baseball Softball Confederation — has announced that all 67 games of the 14th Women’s Softball World Championship will be web-streamed.

The pinnacle women’s softball championship featuring the top sixteen national teams begins Friday in Haarlem, Netherlands continuing through August 24.

World Baseball Softball Confederation

Coverage of the Women’s World Championship will be available globally through live web streaming as well as archived (on demand) on a subscription basis via ISFsoftball.org.

In addition to the live streaming, the bronze and gold medal games on August 24 will be carried on major television networks. Agreements have been reached with multiple broadcasters that will provide coverage in Japan and the USA to approximately 185 million homes. TV Tokyo has also secured the exclusive rights for Japan to its 32 million households.

“We are very pleased to showcase the 14th Women’s World Championship to the entire global audience,” said ISF President and WBSC Executive Vice President Dale McMann. “The ability for the international community to access the highest level of women’s softball will only enhance our capacity to drive spectator interest and the growing consumer demand of our sport.”

The ten-day tournament will include national teams from Australia, Botswana, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Russia, and USA.

“The Softball World Championship provides a dedicated international platform for women athletes to shine and be the focus of sport, which highlights the power and potential of softball as a promoter of women’s sport, helping shape a sporting world that is more balanced and relevant to women,” ISF and WBSC Secretary General Low Beng Choo commented.

Japan is the defending champions having defeated the United States 2-1 in extra innings in Whitehorse, YK, Canada in 2012.

WBSC officials also reiterated the continued acceleration of baseball and softball’s global spread, as the XIV Women’s Softball World Championship represents the first time the women’s showpiece event will be celebrated in Europe.

To follow the tournament, visit ISFsoftball.org or the official event website at wcsoftball2014.com

Latest Football Transfer Market Deals, Rumours And Titbits

Sami Khedira: Photo Credit freegreatimages.com

Its been an extremely busy football transfer market day, Sergio Aguero Signs New 5 year deal at Man City, as Tony Pulis parts ways with Crystal Palace suddenly, well here are the top football stories stories making the rounds at this moment.

please follow Paul on twitter: @El_Pauleta on twitter and also follow @NewFanzone and we will follow you right back, lets keep the discussion going

Done Deals:

– Sergio Kun Aguero has joined team mates Silva and Kompany by also signing a new five-year deal at Manchester City

– Tottenham striker Harry Kane has signed a new-five year contract.

– Sunderland have completed the signing of winger Will Buckley from Brighton and Hove Albion on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

– Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Forward Raul Jimenez from Club America for €10million

– Southampton have completed the signing of striker Shane long from Hull city on a four-year contract.

– Anderlecht have completed the signing of Steven Defour from FC Porto for €6million

– Swansea has confirmed the departure of Pablo Hernandez to Qatari side Al-Arabi.

– Deportivo La Coruna have agreed a season-long loan deal for Manchester city new boy Bruno Zucullini

– PSV have completed the signing Karim Rekik from Manchester city on a season-long loan deal

– Southampton have completed the signing of defender Florin Gardin from Steaua Bucharest

– Crystal Palace have completed the signing of defender Martin Kelly from Liverpool on a three-year deal.

– Zenit Saint Petersburg have completed the signing of Javi Garcia from Manchester City on four-year deal

– West Ham have announced the signing of Metz striker Diafra Sakho.

Sergio Aguero, photo credit mcfc.co.uk

Today’s report and rumours:

– According to reports,AC Milan are close to signing Douglas Costa from Shakthar Donetsk

– Arsenal and Valencia are fighting it out for the signature of Napoli striker Eduardo Vargas

– Liverpool are reportedly keen on signing Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi

– Manchester United are having problems closing the signing of defender Marcos Rojo of Sporting Lisbon

– According to reports, Inter Milan have told Tottenham they want £10million plus Roberto Soldado for Fredy Guarin

– According to reports, Hull city are willing to pay £14million for Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck

– According to reports, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have opened talks over a move for Andre schurrle

– Swansea boss Gary Monk hopes to bring Napoli defender Federico Fernandez to the club as soon as possible.

– Aston Villa Manager Paul Lambert says he doesn’t know if Ron Vlaar will still be at the club when the transfer window closes.

– According to ESPN, Louis van Gaal is getting “increasingly frustrated” about how slow Manchester United have been in the transfer market this summer.

– Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc says Ezequiel Lavezzi is free to leave the club

– Manchester United could turn to Atletico Madrid winger Arda Turan if Real Madrid won’t sell Angel Di Maria

– Arsenal manager Arsenee Wenger is considering a move to land Stephane Mbia on a free.

– Locomotiv Moscow midfielder Mbark Boussouffa could be on his way to QPR

– According to reports, QPR have made a breakthrough in talks with Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson

– Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira looks set to join either Chelsea or Arsenal before the close of the transfer window.

– According to reports, Newcastle are considering a swoop for Palermo striker Abel Hernandez.

– Besiktas have keen on signing QPR playmaker Adel Taarabt

– Wigan are reportedly considering an approach for St Etienne striker Max Gradel

– Chelsea are set to sign 19-year old Croatian goalkeeper Ivan Brkic

-Manchester United midfielder Anderson rejects a loan move to Flamengo.

– According to reports, QPR have failed with a bid for Espanyol striker Sergio Garcia

– Liverpool are interested in signing Sampdoria goalkeeper Sergio Romero

Football tit bits:

– UEFA has thrown out Legia Warsaw’s appeal against their expulsion from the Champions league.

– The Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS) has upheld Luis Suarez’s four-month ban but has cleared him to train and play in friendlies with Barcelona

– Tony Pulis has left Crystal Palace 2 days to the start of the new season by mutual consent.

– Bayern Munich has confirmed that Javi Martinez faces a lenghty spell on the sidelines after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) in the club’s 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

– Former Belgian international Daniel van Buyten has retired from football at age 36.

– San Lorenzo of Argentina,Pope Francis’ favourite team,defeated Paraguayan side Nacional 1-0 to win the Copa Libertadores title for the first time on Wednesday night.

– Cristiano Ronaldo,Arjen Robben and Manuel Neuer have made the final shortlist for the 2013-2014 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.

– Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp say he has no problem Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s “Spider-man” celebration as long as he doesn’t get booked.

– Former Juventus manager Antonio Conte has been appointed as the new coach of Italy on a two-year contract.

– A Colombian lawyer,Aurelio Jimenez says he is suing FIFA for £800million over “moral damages” caused by refereeing at the 2014 World cup

​“I Didn’t Accuse Referee Of Bribery,”-Stanley Eguma

Dolphins head coach, Stanley Eguma says he never at any time accused a referee of being bribed to bring a league game to disrepute.

Reacting to a statement credited to him after his side’s game in Jos against Giwa FC, last weekend, Eguma says it is not true.

There were reports on social media portal, Twitter that Eguma had accused the center referee of that game of receiving a certain amount of money from the host club after he disallowed what looked like a good goal scored by Dolphins in the 78th minute of the game.

However, Eguma has taken time to clear the air over the incident saying it was far, very far from the truth.

Stanley Eguma – Dolphins fc head coach

“I was angry that our goal which I thought was a good one was disallowed and expressed myself accordingly but to accuse the referee of being bribed is one thing I did not do,”

Eguma continued that he was merely speaking rhetorically and his statement or question was directed at no one in particular.

“Not talking about the referee on the day, I simply said, ‘even if somebody is given millions of naira, it is not enough to disallow a good goal that everybody applauded’”

“No one should misinterpret me to say the referees took money… I didn’t. I think the referees in Nigeria are trying, they are doing well but it is good that we have good officiating in games,” Eguma said.

2014 – 2015 BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW, PART 2

With the start of the 2014/2015 Barclays Premier League season on the horizon it would be interesting to know which teams will have a ground breaking campaign, Which teams will Struggle, Which team is likely to be the revelation of the Season and of-course the contenders for relegation.

This Season which happens to be the 23rd in the series will commence on Saturday the 16th of August 2014 and will end on Sunday the 24th of of May 2015

NewFanZone

Newfanzone.com takes a look at the chances of some EPL teams in a 3 part series this Upcoming Season

* The contenders
* The mid-table teams
* The relegation battlers

After taking a look at the First part of these series(The title contenders) Newfanzone.com now takes a concise look on the second part of this 2014/2015 Epl preview.

THE MID-TABLE TEAMS

TOTTENHAM

IN: B.Davies,Vorm,Eric Dier

OUT: Livermore,Sigurdsson,Gomes,Lancaster

EXPECTATIONS: After losing Gareth Bale two seasons ago Tottenham does not seem to have that player to look up to as their saviour. Their new manager in the name of Mauricio Pochettino has to look for a way to fine-tune his team into that side that can challenge for the top four this season. Key players like Adebayor,Paulinho,Eriksen,Lloris and Dawson need to improve on their last season performance if they want to give the top 5 a run for their money.

POSSIBLE LINEUP: Lloris,Walker,Dawson,Verthogen,Davies,Bentaleb,Paulinho,Eriksen,Lamela,Adebayor.

LIKELY POSITION:6th

EVERTON

IN: Besic,Lukaku,Barry,Galloway

OUT: Vellios,Springthorpe

EXPECTATIONS: Everton almost pulled a shocker by going head to head with Arsenal last season for the last ticket of the Uefa champions league even though they lost out in the end they won’t forget the 3nil bashing they gave the Gunners at Goodison park. Chairman Bill Kenwright has shown intent this season by forking out £28m on Lukaku who dazzled last season while on loan from Chelsea. With Ross Barkley committing his future with the club and the experience of Gareth Barry Everton might yet again be a thorn in the flesh for the big sides.

POSSIBLE LINEUP: Howard,Coleman,Distin,Stones,Baines,Mccarthy,Barry,Barkley,Pienaar,Mirallas,Lukaku.

LIKELY POSITION:7th

NEWCASTLE

IN: Cabella,Janmaat,Riviere,Siem De Jong,Ferreyra,Lascelles

OUT: Debuchy,Ameobi,Marveaux,Gosling

EXPECTATIONS: For Newcastle to have a ground breaking season this Epl season they need to draw inspiration from their 2011/2012 performance when they finished 5th and notably ahead of UCL champions Chelsea. They hope this season Papiss Cisse can find his scoring boots again and with the support of Cabella,Reviere and De Jong maybe Newcastle can have a season to remember.

POSSIBLE LINEUP: Krul,Colocchini,Taylor,Janmaat,Santon,Anita,Tiote,Cabella,Gouffran,Gutierrez,Cisse.

LIKELY POSITION: 8th

SWANSEA

IN: Fabianski,Sigurdsson,Gomis,Montero.

OUT: Michu(loan),Ngog,Davies,Vorm,Lita,Pozuelo.

EXPECTATIONS: When Swansea Came back from the Championship they were the surprise of the season. They even built on that by lifting the Capital one cup. Brendan Rodgers and Michel Laudrup really worked wonders for the team. Even after a blip last season with the calibre of players they’ve brought in i think going to Wales to get 3 points against Swansea will become difficult again. Players like Gomis,Bony,Fabianski and Williams will need to impose themselves more on the team.

POSSIBLE LINEUP: Fabianski,Rangel,Williams,Flores,Tate,Canas,Shevley,Dyer,Sigurdsson,Gomis,Bony

LIKELY POSITION: 9th

STOKE CITY

IN: Bardsley,Bojan,Diouf,Sidwell.

OUT: Aguedelo,Etherington,Kightly.

EXPECTATIONS: Stoke changed their style of play last season under Mark Hughes. With the signinings they’ve made they seem to be concerned of playing the ball on the turf instead of their usual style of play. Bojan would look to re-ignite his career in the EPL and this might reflect on how stoke finish at the end of this season. Key players like Walters,Crouch,Odemwingie,Shawcross and Begovic are not new to the demands of the EPL.

POSSSIBLE LINEUP – Begovic, Cameron, Huth, Shawcross, Shotton, Adams, Nzonzi, Odemwingie, Arnautovic, Bojan,Walters.

LIKELY POSITION: 10th

* Other teams that might surprise EPL fans by making it to the top half of the table this season include WestBrom,Westham,Crystal Palace and Hull city.

You can check in on this space tommorow to read the final part of this series. Follow @Newfanzone and @demydemo for more sport stories. Remember Newfanzone comes up every saturday on City 105.1fm.

ADEJUWON ADEMOLA

Top Three Nominees Announced For 2013/14 UEFA Best Player In Europe Award (Male & Female)

Shortlist Of 2013/14 UEFA Best Men And Women’s Player in Europe Award Announced

UEFA today announced the names of the three nominees shortlisted for the 2013/14 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. This season marks the fourth edition of the award, which was born from an initiative by UEFA President Michel Platini, in partnership with the European Sports Media (ESM) group.

The three players who received the most points overall from the second round of voting, in alphabetical order, are:

UEFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Manuel Neuer (GER – FC Bayern München),

Arjen Robben (NED – FC Bayern München)

Cristiano Ronaldo (POR – Real Madrid CF).

The jury of 54 journalists from each of UEFA’s member associations will now cast their live votes in Monaco on Thursday 28 August 2014, during a special ceremony on the occasion of the UEFA Champions League group stage draw, using an electronic system to determine the outright winner from the three candidates.

The results for the players voted into positions four to ten can be accessed via the following link: http://uefa.to/1pa86mO

UEFA also announced the names of the three shortlisted nominees who will compete for the title of 2013/14 UEFA Best Women’s Player in Europe, an award launched for the first time last season following also an initiative by UEFA President Michel Platini, in partnership with ESM group. The shortlist of the three players who received the most points overall, in alphabetical order, is:

Nilla Fischer (SWE – VfL Wolfsburg),

Nadine Keßler (GER – VfL Wolfsburg)

Martina Müller (GER – VfL Wolfsburg).

The initial shortlist of the top ten players was provided by the coaches of the clubs which participated in last season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals. A jury composed of 12 journalists, each regularly reporting on women’s football and selected by ESM, have voted for the shortlist of the top three players, and will now cast their votes again live using an electronic system to determine the winner.

The award will also be presented to the winner in Monaco on 28 August during the same ceremony as for the UEFA Best Player in Europe award.

The results for the players voted into positions four to ten can be accessed via the following link: http://uefa.to/1yzNjdJ

2015 AYC Qualifier: LESOTHO U20s FLY INTO ABUJA ON FRIDAY

Lesotho U20 team are due to arrive Abuja on Friday ahead of a 2015 AYC qualifier against their Nigerian counterparts the following day in Kaduna.

Flying Eagles team secretary Aliyu Auwal Ibrahim disclosed the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have received a schedule of the Lesotho team for Saturday’s qualifier in Kaduna.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have reassured Lesotho after they expressed concerns over the Ebola Virus disease in West Africa.

The return leg match of this final AYC qualifier will be played in Maseru a fortnight later with the overall winners advancing to the tournament proper in Senegal in March.

MUSA YAHAYA GOES FOR GOALS VS TANZANIA

Lesotho eliminated Angola in the previous round to reach this stage of the qualifying series.

In the meantime, midfielder Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, who has been nursing a hamstring injury, has regained his fitness and featured for the first team in a test game against the second team on Thursday morning.

The defensive midfielder did not show any signs of distress as the first team fired three unreplied goals past their other colleagues after a tight first half that ended without any goals.

Taiwo Awoniyi and Wilfred Ndidi were among the scorers for what looks likely to be the team that will start on Saturday afternoon at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna.

Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games: Twenty Boys Techno 293 Sailors Out To Impress

The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games Boys Techno 293 fleet will feature 20 hungry athletes aiming to impress, achieve their personal goals and enjoy the YOG experience.

Based on Lake Jinniu in Nanjing the windsurfers, aged 15-16, from 20 nations will fly their flag on the Chinese waters with racing at the second Youth Olympiad scheduled to commence on Monday 18 August at 11:00 local time.

A continental qualification system has ensured that the best windsurfers from Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, North America and the Caribbean and Oceania have got a spot on the start line.

Myanmar’s Set Naing Aung’s has had a two year rapid rise in windsurfing and took the third qualification spot out of three at the Asian Championship in Singapore in January. He finished sixth overall but his journey to the event has been a huge upwards curve that has seen him achieve beyond his dreams, “I began preparations for the 27th [2013] South East Asian [SEA] Games 12 months before the actual event. Prior to that, I had never seen a sail boat in my life nor have I ever been to the beach and seen the open sea / ocean.

“In the sports school, I was training in the sport of diving for six months before the Myanmar Yachting Federation (MYF) selected me to be a part of the sailing program. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but when I first saw the windsurfing videos during the recruitment presentation, I knew that I wanted to do just that.”

Naing Aung took the sport effortlessly and at the SEA Games he claimed top spot overall, “Being a newcomer to the sport, I did not plan to win the gold but rather to achieve a podium position as that was the objective set forth by the MYF. However, I tried my best and managed to secure the gold which is currently my proudest achievement in my sports career. Furthermore, the Sports Ministry also awarded me with the ‘Most Improved Athlete 2014’ Award which is also a very proud achievement for me.”

2014 Techno 293 Worlds Tom Monnet. photo credit Patrik Pollak

Nine nations were aiming for one of three qualification spots at the Asian Championship. Japan and Thailand picked up the first two with Naing Aung taking the final spot for Myanmar, “Qualifying for YOG was also quite unexpected since the competition was very strong. I simply sailed as fast as I could, trying to win one race at a time. Finally, when I was told by Manager and Coach that we managed to qualify, I was so happy and satisfied. I do not plan to win the YOG but I will certainly do my best to get the best results. I am just happy I qualified and get a chance to participate in such a prestigious event.

“This is my first International event and I am very excited. It is already a privilege to be competing with the world’s best youth sailors and I hope I can make my country, team and family proud. I hope it will be fun to visit a new country and also to experience what it feels like to be in the Youth Olympics.”

Like Naing Aung, the Netherlands’ Lars van Someren has also tasted windsurfing success with a Junior Formula Windsurfing World Championship title under his belt. The Dutch sailor qualified his nation on Lake Garda, Italy at the European Championship in April and is pleased with his build up physically and tactically, “There are a lot of things that I can take from Formula to Bic Techno as the course and the tactics are very similar. Technically, there are some differences so I don’t really have a big advantage from that.

“To prepare myself for the YOG I have spent a lot of time on the water to fine tune my technical skills. I have done a lot of mountain biking as well as doing core and strength exercises in the gym.”

At the European Championship France’s Tom Monnet took the title convincingly and the French sailor was also the highest placed YOG athlete at the 2014 Techno 293 Worlds and van Someren marked him out as one to watch, “I think that Francisco [Saubidet Birkner] from Argentina, Tom [Monnet] from France and Yoav [Omer] from Israel are the top favourites and it is going to be very hard to beat them.”

With 155 2014 Worlds entrants Monnet was the top YOG sailor finishing second overall, Russia’s Maxim Tokarev was the next best placed in fourth with Japan’s Kensei Ikeda in fifth. All will be in contention for the top honours in Nanjing and Monnet is upbeat and well rested going into racing, “To prepare for this test I have not done any special preparation. I have just taken a break,” said the Frenchman. When asked if the podium finish puts him in a good place going into YOG, Monnet replied, “Yes, it always gives confidence for Nanjing.”

The remaining sailors in the fleet includes Mack Van den Eerenbeemt (ARU), Daniel Pereira (BRA), Ting-Yu Wang (TPE), Chan Tsz Kit (HKG), Ruggero Lo Maura (ITA), Finn Croft (NZL), Lucas Miranda Martinez (PUR), Martin Berenek (SVK), Toni Vrscaj (SLO), Thanatip Suebyubon (THA), Safouane Mami (TUN), Maximo Nores (USA) and Manuel de la Rosa (VEN).

The Opening Ceremony on Saturday 16 August will officially kick off the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games. The sailing competition begins on 18 August at 11:00 local time and will conclude on 23
August.

2014 Techno 293 Worlds Boys Fleet. photo credit Patrik Pollak

The four YOG Sailing events are:

Boy’s Windsurfer – Techno 293
Girl’s Windsurfer – Techno 293
Boy’s One Person Dinghy – Byte CII
Girl’s One Persona Dinghy – Byte CII

The YOG Sailing Competition will consist of an opening series and final race. The format will be fleet racing but slalom racing may be run for the Boy’s and Girl’s Windsurfers if the weather conditions are suitable.

LATEST FIFA/COCA-COLA WORLD RANKING (TOP 20)

One month after the thrilling and exciting FIFA World cup in Brazil,there hasn’t been a lot of football activity in many parts of the world. As a result,there is been only little changes within the FIFA/Coca-cola World rankings.

* Biggest move by points and rank this month is Lesotho, The Southern African nation moved up 26 ranks to become 150th in the world.

* Sierra Leone moves up 15 ranks to enter the top 50 teams in the world for the first time since the introduction of the world rankings in 1993.

* Panama are the biggest drop by points and ranks this month. Panama drops 30 ranks down and had a minus of 210 points.

1. Germany 1724 points

2. Argentina 1606 points

3. Netherlands 1496 points

4. Colombia 1492 points

5. Belgium 1401 points

6. Uruguay 1330 points

7. Brazil 1241 points

8. Spain 1229 points

9. Switzerland 1216 points

10. France 1202 points

11.Portugal 1148 points

12. Chile 1098 points

13. Greece 1091 points

14. Italy 1051 points

15. USA 989 points

16. Costa Rica 986 points

17. Croatia 955 points

18. Mexico 930 points

19. Bosnia and Herzegovina 917 points

20. England 901 points

Africa top 10 in July’s FIFA Rankings- World Ranking In Brackets

1. Algeria (24)

2. Cote d’Ivorie (25)

3. Nigeria(33)

4. Ghana(36)

5. Egypt(38)

6. Tunisia(42)

7.Sierra Leone(50)

8. Cameroon(54)

9. Burkina Faso(58)

10. Senegal(59)

* No African team in the top 20

* Algeria is the number 1 team in Africa and no 24 in the world rankings with 872 points,while Cote d’Ivorie is the number 2 team in Africa and no 25 in the world rankings with 850 points.

*Nigeria is third on the African rankings and number 34 in the world with 644 points

Paul Ayorinde

UEFA EURO 2020: Thirteen Final Venues To Be Named On 19 September

Thirteen final venues to be named on 19 September in Geneva

The UEFA Executive Committee will select the 13 host associations for UEFA EURO 2020 on Friday 19 September 2014. The announcement ceremony will take place at the Espace Hippomène, Avenue de Châtelaine 7, 1203 Geneva, Switzerland at 13.00CET.

The decision to stage a “EURO for Europe” in various major cities throughout the continent follows an initial idea presented by the UEFA President Michel Platini in consultation with UEFA’s member
associations, and it was ratified by the UEFA Executive Committee at its meeting in Lausanne in December 2012.

The matches have been split into 13 different packages.

There are 12 standard packages, including three group matches and one knockout round match (round of 16 or quarter-finals), and one package for the semi-finals and the final.

The 19 member associations/cities that have submitted bid dossiers for the standard package, in alphabetical order, are:

Azerbaijan/Baku,

Belarus/Minsk,

Belgium/Brussels,

Bulgaria/Sofia,

Denmark/Copenhagen,

England/London,

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia/Skopje,

Germany/Munich, Hungary/Budapest,

Israel/Jerusalem, Italy/Rome,

Netherlands/Amsterdam,

Republic of Ireland/Dublin,

Romania/Bucharest,

Russia/Saint Petersburg,

Scotland/Glasgow,

Spain/Bilbao,

Sweden/Stockholm

and Wales/Cardiff.

The member associations/cities that have submitted bid dossiers for the semi-finals/final package, in alphabetical order, are: England/London and Germany/Munich.

The programme for the day of the UEFA EURO 2020 hosts announcement ceremony is as follows:
 09.00-13.00 – Deliberation and voting by the UEFA Executive Committee
 13.00 – Announcement of the host associations of UEFA EURO 2020
 13.30 – Press conference, interviews with winning associations and bidding delegations

Voting procedure

The distribution of the bids into between six and eight geographical zones will be approved prior to the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on Thursday 18 September, by members of the UEFA Executive Committee whose member association is not among the 19 bidders.

Regional zoning, each comprising at least two venues, will ensure that matches take place throughout Europe.

The voting process itself will comprise four successive phases.

The first voting phase will determine the association/city that will host the final and semi-finals.

The second phase will determine the four associations/cities that will each host one quarter-final and three group matches.

The third phase will determine one association/city (to host one round of 16 match and three group matches) in each geographical zone that has not yet been selected in the first two phases.

And the fourth phase will determine the remaining associations/cities that will each host one round of 16 match and three group matches.

The full bid regulations of UEFA EURO 2020, including the detailed voting process, can be found here: http://uefa.to/1hIRlIt.

Want To Watch The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games? Here’s how!

International Olympic Committee

The second edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games will take place from 16 to 28 August in Nanjing, China. You don’t have to be in Nanjing to catch all the action, however, as live and on-demand footage of the 3,800 young athletes participating in the Games can be viewed in a variety of ways.

The official Olympic broadcast partners in over 160 countries and territories around the world will provide the most comprehensive Youth Olympic Games coverage ever. For example, in the host country China, CCTV will provide over 600 hours of live, delayed and highlights coverage of the sports action. To see who is broadcasting the Games in your country, visit: http://www.olympic.tv.

Live and on-demand coverage of the action can also be watched through the IOC’s global digital platforms: http://www.olympic.tv, http://www.olympic.org and http://www.youtube.com/olympics. For anyone in China, tune in to http://sports.cntv.cn/special/nanjing2014/index.shtml, which will be broadcasting the competition extensively.

Not near a TV or computer? Not a problem – the Olympic TV app has you covered. Download the Olympic TV app for your iOS and Android handhelds so you won’t miss a minute of the competition.

As the Youth Olympic Games also offer a comprehensive Culture and Education Programme, you will also be able to check out the “Chat with Champions” sessions featuring a number of Olympic and world champions, as well as some of the interactive workshops designed to help the young athletes become champions on and off the field of play.

Falconets Defeat England 2-1 At FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup, Top Group C

Nigeria U-20 Women Team the Falconets, have beaten their opponents from England 2-1 in their world cup last round match to set up a quarter final duel with New Zealand.

The Falconets top their Group C of the FIFA Women’s Under 20 World cup in Canada, with seven points.

The Nigerian Ladies drew their first group game 1-1 against Mexico, then went on to win Korea Republic by 2-1.

Nigeria’s goals in the match versus the English ladies came through Loveth Ayinla in the 24th minutes and Asisat oshoala who scored the decisive goal through a penalty kick.

The English side had earlier opened scoring four minutes into the match through Parris Nikita.

This spurred the Falconets to put up fearless approach which eventually yielded the first goal.

And the first half ended all square.

The second half saw the Nigerian girls fighting hard in an attempt to win the game after the break, but this only resulted in referee Qin Liang awarding a penalty in favour of England.

The Nigerian team and supporters at the Commonwealth Stadium Edmonton were surprised, but when the kick went over the bar, a collective groan rose up in the stadium.

Referee Qin Liang later awarded Nigeria a penalty in the 54th minute, which was converted by Asisat Oshoala, this kick turned out to be the fatal blow that sent England parking and Nigeria celebrating.

Falconets React:

Loveth Ayinla, Yetunde Adeboyejo and Courtney Dike say the mistakes in the game served as a momentum builder.

“We are very happy to have beaten England, we will intensify our training as we set our eyes on the trophy.

When they scored first we felt bad, but later we played as a team like one that has not conceded a goal, and it paid off”.

Head coach, Peter Dedevbo speaks:

Peter Dedevbo, Coach Nigeria Womens Under 20 team. photo credit FIFA

“The girls played their best in the match, am so happy and i must commended them. At first i was like what is happening, but knowing my team’s performance i knew they will come from behind to win. What lies ahead now is the quarter finals and i will continue to focus on goal scoring “.

Leader of delegation: chief Felix Anyansi Agwu says the Federation is happy with the team.

“The NFF has provided the team with all that is needed to make them comfortable. We shall continue to support you. They have made Nigeria proud”.

Nigerians in Edmonton later treated the team to diner where there was so much to eat.

The Falconets will take on New Zealand in the quarter final at Moncton on sunday 17th by 5pm, 9pm Nigerian time.

This is the third time the Nigerian team as played against the English side with the two previous meetings ending in a draw and today’s game ended in favour of the Nigerians

South-West League: Friends Of Rugby Commends CMB Building Maintenance And Investment Co Ltd.

South-West League: Friends Of Rugby Commends CMB Building Maintenance And Investment Co Ltd.

As the first phase of South West League comes to an end on Saturday 16th of August, The league administrators, “Friends of Rugby” commends CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Co Ltd for its continual support towards the development of rugby in Nigeria.

CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Co Ltd, a leading real estate firm has been behind the promotion and sponsorship of rugby in Nigeria for over ten years.

They have helped clubs grow, supported female rugby and grassroots development.

According to the president of NRFF; Sir Edward Fom CMB’s sponsorship is essential and provides opportunities for teams to participate in all three regional leagues in the country.

They also work closely with the NRFF in supporting our National team “The Black Stallions”.

NIGERIA’S NATIONAL RUGBY TEAM-THE BLACK STALLIONS

The last games of the first phase of the South West League matches will hold at the main bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, on Saturday 16th August 2014.

Lagos RFC will take on The Police Machine in the first game; Racing RFC who disposed Police Machines to claim second spot on the league table will play against Royal Stallions of Ilorin in a bid to retain their spot.

The whooping boys, Eco II RFC will pitch up against Hawkster Athletics while the defending champions Cowrie RFC will defend their 7 years 15s unbeaten run in West Africa against the most improved side in the league Gosar RFC in the last game of the day.

Cowrie RFC still maintains its position at the top of the Table with 30 points; they are being trailed by Racing RFC who defeated Police Machine to claim the spot by 21 points; Eco II RFC sits at the bottom of the log with no point.

Northern League

Zaria RFC Remains Unbeaten After 4 Games

AS the northern league progresses to week four, two games were played last weekend , Zaria RFC registered a home win against Kaduna RFC by 21 to 7 points, Barewa RFC also defeated Kano RFC by 53 to 3 points while the game between Sabongari RFC and Jos RFC was postponed due to security reasons.

Considering the fact that Jos RFC and Sabongari RFC have two outstanding matches each while Kaduna RFC and Kano RFC have one outstanding match each. Zaria RFC remains at the top of the table after four games with 18 points; they are being trailed by Barewa RFC who have also played
four games with 15 points while Kano RFC sit at the bottom of the table after three games with no points.