Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saudi Arabia. Show all posts

Friday, 29 January 2016

Seb Coe Faces More Questions


IAAF president Lord Coe has denied a report he alerted UK Athletics (UKA) to allegations of bribes before the vote for the 2017 World Championships.

UKA boss Ed Warner said he was warned by a "very senior IAAF person" about envelopes of cash being handed out before the vote, which London won.

The Daily Mail claims two witnesses recall Coe warning the bid team.

Coe has repeatedly denied he knew about major corruption within athletics during his time as IAAF vice-president.

Now, following the latest accusations, the IAAF has been forced to issue a statement insisting Coe, who became president in August last year, had "no knowledge of bribes being offered or received".

The IAAF, which governs world athletics, and a number of its key officials have come under fire for their governance of the sport.

An independent World Anti Doping-Agency report recently claimed that "corruption was embedded" within the organisation.

The report's authors also suggested the bidding process for the World Championships should be investigated.

Coe led London's final presentation bid before it beat Doha in a 2011 vote for the right to host the 2017 championships.

The Qatari capital was subsequently awarded the 2019 event.

The Qatar Athletics Federation has always denied any wrongdoing during the voting process, but Warner told British MPS this week that the IAAF's ethics commission is looking into both Doha bids.

French prosecutors are already investigating the decision to award the 2021 World Championships to Eugene, Oregon.

The town, which has strong associations with sportswear giant Nike, for whom Coe was a paid ambassador until last month, appears to have been awarded the rights to stage the event without a full bidding process.


Monday, 4 January 2016

Benitez Nearly Blowing Bubbles - Sullivan


David Sullivan has revealed that Rafael Benítez had agreed a deal to become West Ham United’s manager in the summer before Real Madrid stepped in at the 11th hour.

West Ham’s co-chairman said he approached several high-profile managers as a replacement for Sam Allardyce before capturing Slaven Bilic, but Benítez was the closest to joining.

“We were two hours from getting Benítez and then Real came in. We had agreed a contract and everything,” Sullivan said. 

“He is a top manager whatever anybody says and I think he’d have done a wonderful job for us. We tried [Jürgen] Klopp as well but he wouldn’t come because he said he wanted a break. But I’m glad with the manager we have got.”

West Ham United will make Manuel Lanzini’s season-long loan from Al Jazira Club in the United Arab Emirates a permanent deal two months earlier than planned, said Sullivan. The Argentinian midfielder, who is currently sidelined with a thigh injury, has scored four times in his 12 Premier League appearances for West Ham this season.

“The contract we have is 100% watertight. We have until April to make it permanent but we’ll probably do it before the due date,” said Sullivan. “He is a fantastic player and a fantastic man. By February or March, he will be a permanent West Ham player.

“He could be a top, top, top player. He’s already sensational and he could be as good as any player in the world.”

Sullivan also heaped praise on the injured Dimitri Payet, who has gained many admirers for some eye-catching performances for West Ham, having been directly involved in nine goals in his 12 league appearances. 

“Payet is the signing of the season. He’s the best player I’ve signed in 25 years. He’s a £30m player,” Sullivan said of the 28-year-old signed for an undisclosed eight-figure fee from Marseille.

“He’s a supreme footballer. He makes every player in our side play better. On his day, he’s world class, he’s unstoppable.”