MENA

Bahrain will not have to forfeit its US$40 million staging fee after calling off the opening Formula One grand prix of the season, according to Bernie Ecclestone.

The opening Grand Prix of the Formula One season in Bahrain has been called off after a wave of anti-government protests in the country forced Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to forfeit the hosting rights to the event.

Formula One's season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain could be called off due to worrying instability in the country, according to the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Bahrain Grand Prix officials have pledged to deliver a safe race next month despite fears from Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone about growing unrest in the country.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has performed an apparent u-turn on an earlier suggestion that he expected the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to take place in the winter.

Qatar has further enhanced its sports event portfolio after being awarded the men’s 2015 World Handball Championships.

FIFA has secured its first broadcast partner for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups after extending its existing deal with Al Jazeera Sport.

Manchester United has again been forced to deny that the club is the subject of a takeover approach from Qatar Holding LLC after the Sunday Times reported that the sovereign wealth fund had held talks about a £1.5 billion deal.

FIFA has insisted there are “no concrete plans” to stage the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the winter – a move that would cause huge disruption to the European football calendar.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has asked FIFA to hold talks with the governing body before making any decision on whether to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the winter.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup should be played across the Arabian Gulf rather than just in Qatar, according to UEFA chief Michel Platini.

Football Association general secretary Alex Horne warned on Tuesday that moving the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to the winter would be a “logistical nightmare” and admitted the prospect of staging the tournament in the tiny emirate has left him “in a cold sweat”.

Samsung Electronics, the official sponsor of the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar, has launched a tournament-focused mobile application for fans around the world.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted for the first time that he does “expect” the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be staged in the winter.

English rugby union clubs Wasps and Harlequins have confirmed they will break new ground by staging their forthcoming LV= Cup fixture in Abu Dhabi.

World Sport Group (WSG) has announced that this year’s coverage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Qatar 2011 tournament will feature data graphics developed via STATS’s SportVU player tracking technology.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will provide a significant economic boost for the emirate and its neighbouring countries in the Gulf, according to a new report by the National Bank of Kuwait.

Sepp Blatter, president of football’s world governing body FIFA, said countries near Qatar could host some 2022 World Cup games according to French sports daily L’Equipe.