European and Irish Boxing officials arrested in Rio

by Sonja Nikcevic, AIPS Media

RIO DE JANEIRO, August 17, 2016 – Brazilian police have arrested European Olympic Committees president and president of the Olympic Council of Ireland Patrick Hickey due to speculation of his involvement in ticketing controversy at the Rio Olympic Games.
It has since been confirmed that Hickey, an IOC member since 2012, has been formally charged with “ticket-touting, forming a cartel and illicit marketing”. Hickey could face a maximum sentence of seven years in jail.

Patrick Hickey was arrested early Wednesday night at the Windsor Marapendi Hotel in the Olympic neighborhood of Barra de Tijouca where the majority of IOC members are staying during the Games.

A warrant was issued for the EOC president’s arrest following 1000 tickets allotted to the Olympic Council of Ireland for executives, athletes, families and sponsors where found to have been sold at heightened prices to fans.

Brazilian police had detained a director of international sports hospitality company THG Sports and a woman working as an interpreter at Games on charges of fraudulent marketing of tickets.

It is reported that Hickey became unwell after his arrest and was transferred to Samaritano hospital in the Barra de Tijouca neighborhood.

The ongoing ticketing drama involving the Olympic Council of Ireland has seen local police seizing the tickets last week, before Irishman Kevin Mallon, a director of a sports hospitality company THG Sports, and an interpreter was arrested on August 5th, on charges of fraudulent marketing of tickets for the Games that were traced back to THG. Mallon has been held under arrest since.

The Olympic Council of Ireland said in a statement that it was aware of the Hickey arrest and “are seeking total clarity on the situation before we comment further”.

It is illegal for tickets allotted to a National Olympic Committee to be redistributed and sold to fans without informing the International Olympic Committee. The Authorised Ticket Reseller for the Olympic Council of Ireland is company Pro10, who had initially stated when the tickets were seized that THG’s Mallone was acting on their behalf. Brazilian police have since detained four THG directors, and have confirmed that warrants have been issued for the arrest of three directors of Pro 10.

The IOC has refused to comment further on the fact that one of it members has been arrested, for the first time during an Olympic Games, adding that Mr. Hickey has a right to be assumed innocent until evidence proved otherwise and that it has made itself fully available to cooperation with the police.

The Brazilian police held a press conference regarding the issue earlier this morning.
Rio police said in the press conference that they went to Mr Hickey’s hotel in the Barra district of the city this morning, but Mr Hickey was not present in his room.

Police were allegedly told by Mr. Hickey’s wife that he had left for Ireland, but police discovered Mr Hickey in another room at the hotel – believed to be his son’s.

According to Ireland’s Independent, Ireland’s Sports Minister Shane Ross flew to Brazil on Tuesday to discuss the situation with Hickey, but ended up fiercely criticizing him.

‘Mr Hickey absolutely refused point blank to share any information with us about this situation at all,’ Ross said.

Courtesy AIPS

Euro 2016-Griezmann make sure final birth for France

Football Soccer – Germany v France – EURO 2016 – Semi Final – Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France – 7/7/16 Germany’s Manuel Neuer attempts to claim the ball leading to France’s Antoine Griezmann scoring their second goal REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Livepic

Stade Velodrome  Marseille, France 7th July 2016: Two-goal Antoine Griezmann fired France into the Euro 2016 final on Thursday when a smash and grab 2-0 victory over a territorially dominant Germany ended 58 years of tournament suffering at the hands of their neighbours.

Griezmann drove in a penalty at the end of the first half after a needless handball by German captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and poked home in the 72nd minute following a blunder by goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to set up a final against Portugal in Paris on Sunday.

“We are as happy as kids, the whole country is behind us,” Griezmann said.

“This is the result of a group and of a lot of hard work from the staff. Now we’re in the final and we want to lift that trophy. Playing a final is great but it’s winning it that counts.”

World champions Germany dominated the match in terms of possession but their lack of a deadly finisher cost them and razor-sharp Griezmann, whose double took his tournament-leading tally to six, was the difference.

It was the first time France had beaten Germany in a competitive match since the 1958 World Cup, including defeats in the semi-finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups and the quarter-finals two years ago.

The hosts will go into the final as strong favourites to emulate the teams of 1984 and 1998, who won the European and world titles on home soil.

Germany will wonder how they failed to score but, after Jerome Boateng’s handball gaveItaly a lifeline in the quarter-finals, their captain’s similarly inexplicable high hand swung the game France’s way when they most needed it.

France, roared on in a fantastic atmosphere, had torn forward in the opening exchanges.

Brexit: Sports in limbo, Lineker blasts ‘selfish’ 50-somethings

London’

England football great Gary Lineker led a host of sports stars expressing their anger at Britain’s shock vote to leave the European Union on Friday.

On a practical level there was confusion over what the EU exit would mean for foreign players, not only in the lucrative English Premier League, but also in cricket and rugby union.

Sports lawyers say it is crucial that Britain negotiates successfully to remain part of Europe’s single market, which enshrines freedom of movement.

Failure to do so could lead to an exodus of foreign talent and also restrictions on buying players.

Clubs could also lose the right to sign young players under the age of 18. At the moment, they can carry out such deals under a special arrangement between football world governing body FIFA and the EU.

Lineker, though, was more concerned about what impact the vote would have on his four sons.

• ‘Ashamed of my generation’ –

The 55-year-old former Barcelona and England striker blasted the 50+ generation — the majority of whom voted to leave — for letting down the young.

“Feel ashamed of my generation,” tweeted Lineker, whose middle name is Winston in honour of World War II leader Winston Churchill and whose birthday he shares.

“We’ve let down our children and their children,” said Lineker.

“It’s not a time for triumphalism. Not a time for division. Not a time for hatred. It’s a time for change. A time for calm. A time in history.”

Former Liverpool and England defender, and father of two, Jamie Carragher, a Champions League winner in 2005, also aimed his vitriol at the 50+ generation.

“A vote for (UKIP leader Nigel) Farage, (Leave figurehead) Boris (Johnson) & a recession, well done to the over 50s for thinking of the future!,” tweeted the 38-year-old, who since retiring splits his time between TV punditry and charity work.

Northern Irish golf superstar Rory McIlroy cheekily suggested going back to January 1 and starting the whole year over again.

Northern Ireland was one of the few geographical regions — London and Scotland being the other two — where a majority of voters wished to remain.

“With #Brexit and the way the US presidential race is going…. Can we take a mulligan on 2016??,” tweeted the 27-year-old four-time major champion, using the golfing term to retake a shot.

• Foreign talent question mark –

In terms of the effect on foreign playing talent in English football, Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Dyke — a pro-Remain campaigner — said it would take a while to assess the impact.

“It could take two years to really know, but there could be quite an impact on English football because of Brexit,” he said.

“It would be a shame if some of the great European players can’t come here but I don’t think that will happen. Whether the total number reduces will depend on the terms of the exit.”

Dan Lowen, a partner at a leading specialist sports law firm, said staying in the single market was essential to ensure the Premier League remained competitive in the transfer market for foreign talent.

However, if at the end of the future negotiations over exiting the EU Britain did not succeed in remaining a member then all bets were off.

The extent of the impact “will be dependent in part on the terms of the renegotiated relationship with the EU. If we remain within the single market and accept freedom of movement as a result, the position may not change significantly.

“On the other hand, if there is no freedom of movement, it will be left to the UK government to determine the work permit rules that apply to players with EU citizenship.”

 

AFP