Europe

Motorsport
Business

The Munich state court confirmed today (Thursday) that Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone will face charges over payments to a German banker when the motor-racing series was sold to private equity group CVC Capital Partners in 2005.

Motorsport

Formula One team Lotus has confirmed that talks have ended with potential investor Quantum Motorsport, but chairman Gerard Lopez has maintained the motor racing outfit’s financial future is secure.
Business

International Olympic Committee member Gian-Franco Kasper has been told by one of Russia’s most powerful men to back up his claims of corruption during the construction phase ahead of the Sochi 2014 winter Olympic Games or face legal consequences.

Football

The main creditor of financially-embattled Spanish Liga team Valencia, Bankia, has received “multiple offers” for the top-tier football club after the expiry of yesterday’s deadline for bids.

Toronto should wait until it has hosted the 2015 Pan American Games before deciding whether it wants to bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games, according to the city’s Mayor, Rob Ford.

Football

Leading Spanish Liga football club Barcelona has revealed that it paid €40m ($54.4m) to a company owned by the parents of Neymar as part of the transfer deal to acquire the Brazilian forward in June 2013.

Havas Sports & Entertainment (HS&E), the brand engagement network of the Havas Group, has announced the relocation of its president and global chief executive, Lucien Boyer, from Paris to London as part of efforts to situate senior management closer to key clients.

Winter Sports
Business

Snowboarding ace Shaun White has acquired a controlling stake in the sport’s Austrian Air & Style series.

Martial Arts
Events

The International Judo Federation (IJF) has agreed a three-year deal with the Hungarian Judo Association for Budapest to host a Judo Grand Prix from 2014 to 2016.

Football
Events

Lega Serie A president Maurizio Beretta has said the organisation is considering returning to an 18-team format in the top division of Italian football.

Football
Events

The Spanish Football League (LFP) has announced that it will commemorate the 85th anniversary of professional football in Spain by launching a World Challenge friendly competition.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak has revealed that a small town 12 kilometres from the nearest winter Olympic Games venues will serve as a ‘protest zone’ during Sochi 2014.

Football

Energy industry executive Dariusz Mioduski has taken over leading Polish football club Legia Warsaw after striking a deal with media conglomerate ITI Group.

Tennis

Men’s world No.2 tennis star Novak Djokovic has entered into a three-year global partnership with Japanese watch manufacturer Seiko.

Football
Business

Michel Platini, the president of football’s European governing body Uefa, has hit out at Jérôme Valcke after the secretary general of the sport’s world governing body Fifa claimed yesterday that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar would not take place in the summer.

Cycling

Tour de France organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) is in talks to establish a three-day cycling race in Yorkshire in a bid to gain a foothold in the UK market.

Equestrian
Events

The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has announced that Barcelona will once again host the finale of its Nations Cup Jumping series, but the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany will not be part of the 2014 calendar due to commercial reasons.

Tennis

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has signed a three-year agreement to become an international ambassador for French automobile manufacturer Peugeot.