InsideSport: July 2018

Tuesday, 31 July 2018

Asian Games: Pakistan hockey team announces boycott over pay protest

The Pakistan national hockey team has threatened to boycott the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang over the non-payment of their daily allowance. The team has warned that they will not travel to Indonesia for the Asian Games, scheduled from 18 August to 2 September.

“The players have not yet received the daily allowance for the training camp held for Champions Trophy,” said national side’s skipper Rizwan Senior. “We won’t participate in the Asian Games if we aren’t given our due daily allowance.”

The national side’s training camp was scheduled in Holland for the Champions Trophy, Pakistan’s Geo news has reported. “It’s not a revolt we are asking for our due right,” Rizwan added.

Senior player Imran Butt said that the team has conveyed their decision to the team management.

Pakistan Hockey Federation President Khalid Sajjad Khokar, in his reaction on the developments, said that there is a conspiracy underway against the national hockey team. “We will clear all dues before going to Asian Games. Unfortunately, our grant was stopped due to certain unknown reason,” he said. “If we don’t get the money, I will pay the players through my own means.” He urged the players to focus on their training.

Khokar requested the players to not give any statement to the media regarding the pay issue.

“We have decided that we will not travel to Indonesia if our dues are not paid. Our team has to depart on August 12 and we will wait till 10th. Then only we will decide about our participation,” Rizwan had told Hindi news wire PTI Bhasha from Karachi. “We are training at the national camp in Karachi and will continue. Our preparation is good and we have a good bunch of experienced and young players. You can expect exciting hockey from us,” he said.

The Pakistan hockey team is in Pool B, which include Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Oman and host Indonesia.

Stakeholders are, however, optimistic that the country’s new premier Imran Khan will intervene to resolve the issue. “We have talked to our sponsors and are confident that the issue will be resolved in the coming week. Our players are determined to play and they are not greedy,” said Shahbaz Ahmed, secretary general of PHF and a former captain.

“Sports were not in the priority list of previous government and they have held our grants which is not released yet. We hope that the new government led by former cricket captain Imran Khan will take care of our needs,” he said.

“Imran Khan is a dynamic person and I will personally meet him after his swearing-in as next PM. We will also request for a special allocation for hockey in government’s annual budget. Till now, we have been getting a supplementary grant, which is like peanut,” he added.

https://goo.gl/CWej6w

Cricket South Africa, cricketers’ association complete signing of MoU 2018

Cricket South Africa, cricketersâ€™ association complete signing of MoU 2018

Cricket South Africa and the South African Cricketers’ Association have signed the MOU18, the agreement which covers benefits and conditions of employment for all professional cricketers in South Africa over the next four-year period, CSA has stated in a Press release.

“From our side I would like to emphasize that we remain committed to a revenue share model,” commented CSA Chief Executive Thabang Moroe. “I am also delighted that we have extended the agreement to cover all professional players in South Africa, including senior provincial players and all our women professionals. There are now 317 players covered by this agreement.”

“This document includes for the first time a recognition agreement between ourselves and CSA and also serves the commercial rights necessary for CSA’s commercial partners,” commented SACA Chief Executive Tony Irish. “The agreement is particularly important in the context of where the game is going at international level. We have put the mechanisms and arrangements in place to retain our best players for the Proteas over the next four years.”

The MOU involves three separate comprehensive agreements being a Main Agreement, regulating player contract and related issues, a Commercial Rights Agreement, regulating the use of player commercial rights, and a Recognition Agreement, regulating the ongoing relationship between CSA and SACA.

Conflict prevailed between Cricket South Africa and the players’ association as the national cricket board in April had made the contents of the MoU public without getting a nod from the cricketers’ body.

The players were also upset over the delay in finalising the MoU and rolling out the contracts.

Tensions between officials and players have been apparent since December when CSA acting chief executive Thabang Moroe said he did not see any need to consult SACA on possible changes to domestic competitions because he regarded SACA as a trade union and not a partner in the game.

https://goo.gl/u5AWAT

IOC extends global partnership with Visa until 2032

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has extended its partnership with American multinational financial services company Visa, one of the founding members of top-tier sponsorship structure of the Olympic Games – The Olympic Partner (TOP) Programme.

Visa became one of the founding members of the Worldwide TOP Partner Programme in 1986. The new deal has been extended until 2032.

Under the terms of the extended partnership, Visa will continue to deliver innovative payment solutions to each Olympic Games. It will work with the local Organising Committees to ensure a legacy of digital payment advancement in the host country during and beyond the Olympics Games.

Visa will continue to support the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Paralympic Games through the IOC-IPC long-term collaboration agreement.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “We are particularly happy with this extension of our partnership because Visa is one of the founding members of our TOP Programme. Our partnership with Visa demonstrates a shared commitment to the legacy of the Olympic Games and the global Olympic Movement.”

“Visa has always been a driving force for innovation on the world’s stage. On behalf of the IOC, the National Olympic Committees around the world, and the athletes themselves, I would like to thank Visa, its clients and partners for their commitment through to the 2032 Olympic Games.”

Al Kelly, CEO of Visa Inc., said, “Since 1986, Visa has brought the latest payment innovations and digital experiences to the Olympic Games, all while helping athletes in their quest to achieve greatness.”

“By continuing our support of the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games through 2032, we will ensure the next generation of athletes, fans, cardholders and clients are able to get more out of their Olympic experience, and be part of a movement that inspires and unites us all to do great things.”

Tsunekazu Takeda, the IOC’s Marketing Commission Chairman, said “Today’s announcement demonstrates both the strength of our enduring partnership with Visa, one of the original founding members of the global TOP programme, as well as the long-term appeal of the Olympic Movement for the world’s leading companies.”

Lynne Biggar, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Visa Inc., said, “Visa provides a secure and fast way to pay across merchants, borders and currencies, and the Olympic Games provides an unparalleled opportunity to promote the Visa brand at both a local market level and globally.”

https://goo.gl/1HXy4p

KFC Mini-Cricket Kids on Tour with the Proteas this season!

KFC, in association with Cricket South Africa, has launched a unique national competition where three lucky KFC Mini-Cricket teams stand a chance to join their Protea heroes on Tour for their next KFC T20 Internationals in South Africa.

“The KFC Mini-Cricket Kids Join the Proteas On Tour competition” will be shaking up the cricket calendar and giving the KFC Mini-Cricket kids yet another reason to play their favourite game, their way, Cricket South Africa has stated in a Press release.

Building on the success of the KFC Mini-Cricket Kids vs Proteas Tour the last 5 years, this competition sees the winning 3 KFC Mini-Cricket teams joining the Proteas for a fun two days; leading up to the match and on match day.

KFC Public Affairs Director, Thabisa Mkhwanazi said, “Through the KFC Mini-Cricket programme, we have created a tour platform that brings kids closer to their cricketing heroes. This season, we sought to create a new experience for the kids – one that is memorable and once again, life-changing by giving them an opportunity to rub shoulders with their Proteas heroes when they take on Zimbabwe. With the help of our valued partners, Cricket South Africa, this year’s KFC Mini-Cricket programme will continue to uplift and inspire kids around South Africa.”

The winning teams will be part of many awesome moments with the Proteas. Day one will involve an intense warm-up session ahead of the KFC T20 International match, seeing the Proteas behind the scenes in a personal locker room experience and then running onto the pitch with them. There will be many chances to take selfie’s, sign autographs and high five your favourite cricketing hero while on Tour. After a fun-filled day one, the match day will be having the young fans very excited. The kids will also be part of the formal proceedings such as throwing the coin toss which starts the day, singing the national anthem and the main highlight being the kids getting active on the boundaries as ball boys or girls.

We wondered what the Proteas thought about the thought of having KFC Mini-Cricket kids on Tour for the first time and a fan of the programme said; “Thinking back to when I was a little KFC Mini-Cricket kid, I know I would have loved to get closer to my favourite players, so this experience will definitely be a life-changing one for the winning KFC Mini-Cricket teams. We look forward to taking them behind the scenes and getting to know them through the various experiences during this tour, and we hope it continues to ignite the passion for the beautiful game of cricket,” shared Proteas all-rounder, Andile Phehlukwayo.

https://goo.gl/vQaVgH

Premier League clubs grossed £313.6 mn via shirt sponsorships, Man Utd top chart

Premier League clubs have generated a record £313.6 million ($412.59 m) from combined shirt sponsorship deals for the 2018/19 season, representing an impressive 212.2% growth since the 2010/11 season. The amount shows an increase of £31.8m (41.84 m) from last year.

The figure includes only the main/principal sponsor of the club visible on the front of the shirt. Sleeve sponsors, which began for the first time with 2017/18 season, that add £46m ($60.52m) to the 20 clubs combined are not included in the above figure.

According to a report revealed by Sportingintelligence, Manchester United holds the top spot for its £47 million p.a. deal with Chevrolet, marking the most expensive shirt sponsorship deal ever signed in the history of English club football.

The reigning Premier League champions Manchester City sit at the second spot for third £45 million ($59.20m) deal with Etihad Airways, an increase of £10m from the last season. The city is followed by Arsenal with £40m ($52.63m) Fly Emirates deal extension signed this year that too shows a £10m ($13.16 m) increase in value from 2017/18 season.

Liverpool’s deal extension with Standard Chartered has seen the value of that deal leap to £40 million ($52.63 m), which is on par with Arsenal’s extended contract with Fly Emirates and Chelsea’s five-year partnership with Yokohama.

The top clubs continue to rake in far more than teams in the bottom half of the table, with both Huddersfield and Brighton and Hove Albion netting just UK£1.5 million a year from their deals with Ope Sports and American Express respectively.

Premier League’s global appeal has once again been demonstrated with 17 clubs having sponsors with overseas headquarters based in countries as diverse as the USA, China, Japan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, Kenya and The Philippines. Only Liverpool, Southampton and Watford boast British-based sponsors, states the report.

Despite a blanket ban on gambling by Football Association’s (FA) last year, nine Premier League teams will carry sponsorship from gambling companies this coming season.

https://goo.gl/DCTeM4

Harbhajan’s noble gesture persuades Minister to release funds for ailing athlete Bhattal

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has released an aid of ₹ 10 lakh for the treatment of ailing athlete Hakam Bhattal, an Asian Games gold medallist and Major Dhyan Chand national sports award winner. Harbhajan Singh with his benevolent gesture had echoed the voice of the family in dire need for support.

Harbhajan Singh, cricket icon and crusader for all good cause, has offered help to ailing athlete Hakam Bhattal much before the authorities could take the note of a tweet by news agency ANI. The Asian Games gold medallist and Major Dhyan Chand Award winner is hospitalised at Sangrur, in Punjab, with kidney and liver ailment. His wife had pleaded for the Government assistance for the treatment of an achiever who had brought laurels to the nation.

Harbhajan Singh, a brave heart who always walks the talk, had immediately responded to the tweet from London where he is a panellists on Sky Sports for the England-India cricket series broadcast, had come forward to support the fellow athlete. Harbhajan had immediately asked for the contact details of the Bhattal family so that he could silently extend the best possible help in his own way.

With Harbhajan stepping in, the tweet went viral. Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, himself a champion athlete, immediately took the note of the tweet that became viral after Harbhajan Singh had stepped in with an offer to extend help to the ailing athlete. The Minister acted promptly to ensure a grant of ₹ 10 lakh for treatment of Hakam Bhattal.

Bhattal’s wife had said the family has spent all their saving on his treatment. Since they were not able to bear the cost of treatment for the former Army havildar, the hospital had asked the family to take Bhattal home, with his kidney and liver ailments.

The 62-year-old Bhattal had won the 20 km walk gold at the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games. He was decorated with the Major Dhyan Chand Award in 2008 by then President Pratibha Patil.

https://goo.gl/zFpP1h

India eye perfect start to English summer in home team”s 1000th Test

India would be driven by the desire to shed the poor travellers’ tag, while England would be desperate to arrest the recent slide at home when the two teams clash in a five-match Test series, starting here tomorrow.

The English side will be celebrating its 1000th Test at Edgbaston, and it will be up to world No.1 India to spoil the home party.

India last won a Test series in England in 2007 under Rahul Dravid, and it will be no easy task ahead of the Virat Kohli-led side to duplicate that feat.

Under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India failed in 2011 and 2014, losing by heavy 4-0 and 3-1 margins, respectively. In fact, India have only won six out of the 57 matches on English soil.

England’s Test form coming into this series is also a cause of concern. Since September 2017, England have only won one out of nine Tests against Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan.

They have been beaten twice in their last five home Tests by West Indies and Pakistan, with both sides’ pace attack exploiting the weaknesses in a batting line-up heavily dependent on Root, Jonny Bairstow and seasoned opener Alastair Cook.

The visitors, meanwhile, will be buoyed by the fact that three out of their six wins here have come since 2002. India’s assistant coach Sanjay Bangar was part of the Test squad as Sourav Ganguly’s team won at Leeds.

Wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik was part of the 2007 series-winning squad. Skipper Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma toured here in 2011 and 2014 and seven other players in the current side have also featured during that last trip.

But India’s record at Edgbaston is exceptionally poor with five losses in six Tests here stretching back to 1967.

The visitors must pick an optimal playing eleven and avoid the mistakes made on their previous overseas trip to South Africa. There, the team management had backed an in-form Rohit Sharma over Ajinkya Rahane.

This time around, an in-form KL Rahul is bidding for a spot. Both Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri have maintained that as third-choice opener, Rahul must wait for his chance. But the fit-again batsman’s fine form might just compel them.

Rahul scored a fluent 58 in the first innings against Essex followed by a second innings 36 not out off 64 balls.

In contrast, Shikhar Dhawan faced a total of four balls in two innings and scored a pair. Four years ago, the left-hander was unable to come to terms with the moving Duke ball and scored 122 runs in three Tests before being dropped.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s form is a worry too.

He is yet to get a half-century in this first-class summer and managed only 172 runs in six matches at 14.33 for Yorkshire. He scored a mere 35 against Afghanistan in Bengaluru and in the practice game at Chelmsford, he managed 1 and 23.

In 2014 too, Pujara had endured a poor series scoring 222 runs in five matches at 22.20. It didn’t grab much attention because of Kohli’s own struggles (134 runs in 10 innings in 2014) as well.

For India to win the series this time around both batsmen will have to turn a corner in form and application. While the team management is singing praises for Pujara, it is believed that Rahul could bat at number three, if the Dhawan-Vijay opening combination is retained.

In bowling, with R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma also having county experience, the general feeling is that this Indian squad is better prepared to face the English challenge this time around.

India’s other selection conundrum pertains to Ashwin and the number of spinners will define the visitors’ bowling strategy in this first Test. The heat wave seems to be over and there is a chill in the Birmingham air.

The city has received heavy rainfall from Saturday through Tuesday, and the outfield was quite wet on Monday.

But the ground should be dry enough at toss time tomorrow. However, the pitch isn’t a dry one and there is an underlying hint of moisture beneath the surface.

The ground staff heavily watered the outfield and rain has further allowed moisture to be retained. On Monday, the ground staff were seen using a pitch comb to brush up the fine green grass.

It should mean that Kohli will pick only one spinner and in terms of seniority and experience, Ashwin is expected to make the cut ahead of Kuldeep Yadav, with Ravindra Jadeja relegated to a third choice.

Yesterday, the two were seen practising on an adjacent wicket to the match strip. Three pacers, Hardik Pandya and Ashwin should also allow for a deeper batting line-up.

England continue to prepare for the eventuality of Kuldeep playing in the first Test. Unlike in the ODIs, their current top order — barring Joe Root — hasn’t faced the left-arm spinner and they are wary of the surprise factor.

It remains to be seen if Adil Rashid, whose selection has sparked massive debate, will make the cut ahead of Moeen Ali, who picked up 19 wickets against India in 2014. Essex pacer Jamie Porter could be in line for a debut if England decide to field an all-pace attack.

Teams:

India: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant, Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

England: Joe Root (c), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Dawid Malan, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Jamie Porter, Sam Curran, James Anderson, Stuart Broad.

https://goo.gl/dds9Ua

Odisha State plans massive campaign for the Men’s Hockey World Cup

The Odisha State government has decided on a massive publicity campaign ahead of the Men’s Hockey World Cup to be held at Bhubaneswar later this year.

Bhubaneswar will also witness a massive publicity campaign and cover government offices and the airport.

Fifty city buses plying on major routes in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Puri will also be used to promote the hockey tourney.

“Hoardings will be installed at all major places in Bhubaneswar, Puri and Cuttack, as well as along national highways connecting Bhubaneswar with Cuttack and Puri. Flags of participating countries will be displayed at the airport, Janpath and the road to the venue,” said a sports department official.

The Odisha Government has also unveiled an advertisement campaign on buses in London, venue for the ongoing Women’s Hockey World Cup. The State, also the official sponsor of the Indian national hockey teams, is leaving no stone unturned to promote the Men’s Hockey World Cup, to be hosted by the Odisha State Government at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

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The State Government had also set up kiosks at an event at the India International Travel Mart in Bangalore that concluded on Sunday.

Sports and youth services department secretary Vishal Dev said the campaign would be a mix of sports and tourism. “The state is known for its tourism potential and we want to showcase that through the world cup. We will hold road shows across the country to attract people to the event,” he said.

Sports minister Chandra Sarathi Behera said they were in touch with Hockey India to promote the event in other countries. “Beautification of the stadium and other infrastructure work are being executed alongside promotional events. We hope that thousands of foreign tourists will congregate her for the event,” the minister said.

Sixteen teams will play 36 matches during the tournament. Belgium and Canada will kick off the event on November 28, while hosts India will take on South Africa later that same day.

India’s other two matches in the pool against Belgium and Canada will be played on December 2 and December 8, respectively.

https://goo.gl/Bho6Cj

Xylem appoints Lagardère Plus for Manchester City partnership activation

Global partnership marketing agency Lagardère Plus has been selected to activate the water technology company Xylem’s multiyear partnership with the Premier League Champions.

Lagardère Plus, the global partnership marketing agency of Lagardère Sports and Entertainment, has been appointed by to activate a multiyear partnership with Premier League champions, Manchester City FC.

Xylem is now the Official Water Technology Partner of Manchester United in a first of its kind deal between an English Premier League (EPL) club and a water technology brand. Xylem is one of the world’s leading water technology companies who operate in 150 countries across six continents.

The Xylem-Manchester City partnership, brokered by Lagardère Sports, was announced at a launch event during the Singapore International Water week – one of the water industry’s largest trade shows. As part of the new relationship, Lagardère Plus will use its expertise in creating impactful marketing platforms to further position Xylem as a leader in the water industry and one that creates both economic and social value as it helps its customers to successfully address the world’s water challenges.

Tim Frith Director of Consulting at Lagardère Plus in UK, said: “Since we began working with Xylem, it’s been fascinating to gain an understanding of the breadth of their business. In particular, seeing how much of a leading role they play in addressing major water challenges across the world through their commitment and investment in innovation, creativity and sustainability. We are really excited to be working with Xylem on activating this unique partnership with Manchester City to develop a meaningful campaign by leveraging the power of football to help elevate the water story to a global audience.”

Lagardère Plus will work with its London-based creative agency, Brave, which it acquired last year, to develop the sponsorship strategy including the development of content, creative and digital assets to engage fans and global audiences through Xylem’s partnership with Manchester City Group.

A film created by Brave was also released to launch the partnership.

Carl Woodman, Managing Director UK, Lagadère Sports and Entertainment said: “I’m delighted with this project as its a perfect demonstration of the strength and breadth of the business that we have built. To see our global football experts at Lagardère Sports deliver this exciting new partnership between Xylem and City Football Group, which will now be brought to life through activation excellence from Lagardère Plus, and creative and strategic drive from Brave is a real validation of our vision.

Xylem will also partner with City’s sister club New York City FC and the Manchester City women’s team.

Joe Vesey, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Xylem said: “The team at Lagardère Plus demonstrated a strong understanding of our brand values and how football and technology can come together to change the world. We believe they have the expertise to bring fresh, new ideas to help us to elevate our message to fans of football and beyond.”

As well as raising awareness about pressing global water challenges and solutions, Xylem will also work with Manchester City on Xylem Watermark projects, such as building water towers in communities around the world without access to clean water. Xylem Watermark is the company’s social investment platform.

https://goo.gl/zLsxBX

BT Sport to part with UFC and NBA TV rights

BT Sport have relinquished their rights to broadcast National Basketball Association (NBA) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The news comes a week after the company lost the Italian Serie A rights to Eleven Sports for the rights to Italian Serie A.

According to the reports, the British subscription TV network was put off by the rights package valuation and decided to walk away from the bidding process. “We won’t bid any more than the rights are worth to us,” a spokesperson from BT told the BBC.

BT sports channels will continue to show NBA until the end of October and UFC until December.

BT Sport currently holds exclusive Champions League rights as well as the secondary Premier League package. It is reportedly spending around $1.31 billion (£1bn) annually on these packages, a move that has drawn flak from the investors and also led to the departure of chief executive Gavin Patterson last month.

Patterson, in his five-year tenure, led BT to become a major player in the sport broadcast industry, with the rights to screen a significant number of Premier League games. But the firm was criticised for spending money in this way, and not on improving both the breadth and speed of its broadband coverage.

BT Sport has said that the move is aimed to fix its focus on its most valuable rights instead of diversifying its portfolio. A spokesperson from the company has said that it was focusing on gaining more subscribers for its offering as well as “investing in more broadcast innovations.”

It further added that they had “long-term deals in place for our core content” including “great football, rugby and boxing next season”.

Marc Allera, head of BT Consumer, told the Financial Times that the strategy for BT Sport – which launched five years ago – had moved on from its initial “emotionally driven start-up mentality. “It’s like a big football club in the transfer window. If a striker is worth £50m I won’t pay £70m for him. At the wrong price, everything is expendable,” he said.

https://goo.gl/JA4qDK