The English Premier League has sold its broadcasting rights in China for a record sum to online streaming service PPTV.

The Chinese internet broadcaster is paying US$700m for the rights to screen the 2019-20 season, according to an anonymous Associated Press source.

The figure dwarfs the US$145m reportedly paid by Super Sports Media Group for the broadcast rights to the Premier League for six years from the 2012/13 to 2017/2019 seasons.

"We were successful in our bid, but it hasn't formally been signed yet," PPTV spokesman Sun Xiaobo told Reuters.

PPTV is the media division of Suning retail group, which also owns Italian club Inter Milan and the broadcast rights to Spain's La Liga games live in China .

China is investing $850bn in sports by 2025 and is looking for global partners to develop its entertainment and cultural sectors.

The rapid development of sports, entertainment and digital media in China is high on the agenda at Host City 2016, which kicks off in Glasgow on Monday 21^st November.

Speakers from China include Wang Dong, Vice President of Alisports – which has the online broadcasting rights from World Rugby – and Olivier Glauser, CFO and co-founder of Shankai Sports.

Sponsorship will often be a brand marketing director’s first thought when considering a sports-related campaign. Thankfully, the old school "brand slap" model is dying a death and the sponsorships of today tend to be significantly more sophisticated than those we used to see in the "Noughties" and before. Companies seek increased authenticity and better connections with their ever more fickle and savvy target audience. And so the partnerships themselves have become subtler, deeper and more cleverly activated.

 Some brands, rather than seeking an association with someone else's event, bravely decide to run their own. The advantages are clear. Much greater control of the event and the branding associated with it, better access to the data generated and the increased sense of authenticity that comes from running the event rather than linking a brand to it.

But there are also significant challenges. For the most part, the planning and execution of a sporting event requires specialist skills, knowledge and contacts. These can all be hired in but good advice does not come cheap. Even if volunteers can be used to help “on the ground”, they need to be identified, trained, kitted out and managed.

Venue is of course a key issue too. Deals may need to be done with the owner of a stadium or with a host city or local authority. Roads may need to be closed and traffic plans drawn up and implemented. With some events, the police may need to be consulted.

There may be a need to confer with the relevant sports governing body too, for example to secure official sanction for the event.

Away from the operational nitty gritty, there are IP issues to consider too. What will the event be called? Is the name capable of trade mark protection and if so, in what territories should filings be made? Trade mark searches may be necessary to see what prior marks are on the register that may cause problems. Even generic sounding terms like “WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS” or “10K” may be incorporated into third party registrations.

Customer data is likely to be another vital issue. How is the business to go about obtaining the details of new potential customers? With respect to those already on its marketing database, does the business have the necessary freedom under its privacy policies and under electronic marketing laws to promote the event to them?

Any brand running its own sports event will want to maximise media coverage. Some companies may have the facilities and skills in house to arrange their own audio visual production. For many though, it will be necessary to appoint a specialist production company or, if more appropriate, a host broadcaster. The question of distribution must then be tackled. For bigger events, deals may need to be negotiated with broadcasters, potentially internationally as well as locally. Alternatively, the organisers may prefer to stream the event online, either through their own media player and website or potentially through a third party site like YouTube or Facebook.

In a short blog post like this it is hard to do much more than touch on a handful of the key issues a brand must consider and address in order to run its own successful sports event. There is a huge amount to be taken into account and the challenges can be immense for a business whose core focus is in another area, be it selling soft drinks, cars or insurance. Many a wise person, though, has found an eloquent way of making this point: Nothing truly valuable was ever easy.

HOST CITY: Marsh is more than an insurer – the aim of your work is also to analyse risk and to evaluate risk. What sort of risks are you looking for?

Patrick Vajda: We are an insurance broker but we are also a risk manager, and for big sports events our speciality is in fact to analyse risk and propose solutions – not only to place insurance.

As an insurance broker we place insurance. We cannot avoid this, particularly because a lot of event “owners” such as the IOC, FIFA, UEFA and the majority of the international federations are obliged to ask for high levels of insurance included in the host city contract.

But we prefer for example to find solutions to prevent the risk happening, than to settle a claim and to cancel the event. This is the real philosophy we have in sports: to avoid risk and to decrease the global cost of the risk.

We have developed a unique risk management especially for mega events which we have implemented for several Olympic Games and World Cups. We also have expertise on the ground on more than 300 events.

HOST CITY: What is your view of the current level of instability in world cities today?

Patrick Vajda: The risks are always moving – it’s not a new story. Now they are moving faster because of the internet and the quality and speed of information. Some risks are totally new. When you spoke about the cyber risk five years ago it was more or less a joke; now it’s not a joke, it’s a serious matter. If you take drones for example: five years ago nobody knew anything about drones, now it’s a risk and a real one.

Therefore, on the one side we have some new risks and on the other side, old risks but with a higher level than 20 years ago. If you take the example of terrorism, the security budget of Salt Lake City has increased by almost 10 times as a result of September 11.

In the past you allocated U$30m or US$35m for security; now you need several hundred USD. This is completely crazy, but we need to expend those amounts – we have no other solution to be able to protect the public, the athletes and to protect the event.

HOST CITY: What is the aim of risk management in major events?

Patrick Vajda: When managing risk for sport events, you have three targets. We try to protect the life of human beings; to protect the finances of the organising committee, and to protect the time schedule. Terrorism is a risk that can impact on all three.

With regard to security, there is not only a question of security in the field. With modern means, one can easily detect upstream specific movements of someone who you would perhaps prefer not to see at the event. Security is not only a question of “heavy muscle” on site, but also carrying out studies long before the event and cooperating closely with the world’s different police forces.

We have fewer problems with counterfeit tickets or credentials and increasingly more problems with fan zones, because they are free. I heard recently that if you want to go to a fan zone, you go on the internet and get a free ticket by filling in your name, credit card number and so on. It is a very good protection and prevention system since you need to complete a form giving your personal information.

You register your data and it is therefore possible to know who is at the venue which is very important for security reasons. We can also check to see if somebody has a false or stolen credit card – it’s an interesting system. Though it does not provide 100 per cent protection, all the same it is a good system.

HOST CITY: Have you been working with fan zones for the 2016 European Football Championships?

Patrick Vajda: Yes, we have done several risk analyses for this particular area. It was clear that this is particularly dangerous and to protect it correctly, it will require heavy expenditure and a large security team.

HOST CITY: What if the worst case scenario happens and an event has to be moved or cancelled?

In terms of cancellation, it’s becoming an incredible problem for several reasons. The first is the pricing of the cancellation policy, which before September 11 was around 1.5 per cent of the sum insured. Just after September 11 it was 3 per cent without terrorism, and now is between 2.8 and 3.8 per cent with terrorism.

Imagine, if you have an event which costs 600 million, the price of the cancellation policy is the price of a small stadium. So perhaps you will hesitate to buy this policy; it’s very costly and does not cover 100 per cent of the risk. Nevertheless it is useful. Insurance is always expensive…..before the claim.

HOST CITY: So there is no legal obligation for organisers to buy a policy?

Patrick Vajda: In substance, no, except for FIFA and UEFA who ask for a compulsory cancellation policy.

Take the example of the Olympics. The price of the Olympics – what we call the internal budget, of US$2.6 billion – it’s impossible to find this on the insurance market. The total capacity worldwide is perhaps US$1.5bn– if you took all the insurance companies in the world, you couldn’t find more than this.

Even if you could find it, the price of the policy would be a little less than $100 million just to insure cancellation. So you wouldn’t spend US$100m to insure cancellation, it is incredibly costly. The fact that the capacity is extremely rare has a very high impact on the pricing of this policy.

Capacity is very low and is often taken by the owners of the event. Therefore the organiser is often faced with a predicament: buying insufficient cover at a very high cost. In other words cover that will not protect you 100 percent.

Knowing this, the question is whether to insure cancellation? The answer is not simple. And a risk analysis is compulsory before making any decision. For example do we need to insure the total cancellation of the event? Or do we need to insure just ticketing? Or just TV rights? As you can see the answer is not automatic and the risk analysis will give us the answer.

I personally feel it is much more useful to spend money on risk management, to find the best possible solution, to eliminate the risk and to decrease the global cost of the risk.

This article first appeared in the Summer 2016 issue of Host City. Patrick Vajda is speaking at Host City 2016 conference and exhibition in Glasgow on 21st November on the panel "How Cities Can Be Secure Hosts"

Football coaching legend Sir Alex Ferguson helped kick-off Glasgow’s UEFA EURO 2020 preparations at the official launch of the Host City branding in the Science Centre on the banks of the River Clyde on Tuesday.

"I was fortunate enough to play on that famous Hampden Park pitch as a young player, to watch the legendary Real Madrid side that came to Glasgow in 1960, and can look back fondly at cup final successes there as manager of Aberdeen," said Sir Alex. "I look forward to Hampden being a key part of a historic UEFA EURO 2020."

Glasgow is one of 13 cities that will play host to matches at UEFA EURO 2020 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the championship.

The Scottish Football Association, Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council, Hampden Park Ltd and EventScotland are working in partnership to plan and deliver Glasgow and Scotland’s part in UEFA EURO 2020.

Stewart Regan, chief executive of the Scottish FA, said "People make Glasgow and Glasgow will make EURO 2020. Now as a UEFA EURO 2020 host city venue, Hampden Park will welcome new heroes to Glasgow and help create the next chapter in the long and illustrious history of our game."

Hampden Park will play host to a Group Stage and a Round of 16 match for the championships.

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Scotland has demonstrated its capacity as the perfect stage for events on numerous magnificent occasions in recent years, and hosting these crucial UEFA EURO 2020 matches will build upon our sterling reputation as a world-leading host nation.

“We are delighted Hampden Park is set to play such a pivotal role during this landmark tournament, and look forward to further footballing history being made here in Scotland in 2020.”

Glasgow joins London, Rome, Baku and Bucharest in having revealed their host city logos, and ceremonies are scheduled to take place in the remaining cities – Amsterdam, Bilbao, Brussels, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Munich and St Petersburg – in the weeks to come.

"Glasgow enjoys a proud reputation as one of the world's great footballing cities," said Glasgow city council leader Frank McAveety. "The 'Hampden Roar' is legendary among visiting football fans from every nation. As a city, we recognise the value of football and major sporting events."

The UEFA EURO 2020 visual identity sees each of the 13 city logos feature a single iconic bridge from the city in question – acting as a symbol of connection between the various venues. Glasgow's logo incorporates the impressive Clyde Arc – affectionately known to Glaswegians as the Squinty Bridge – which spans the River Clyde.

In a message to Glasgow, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin underlined the widely-held view that UEFA EURO 2020 would be "a unique and memorable tournament in a variety of different ways."

"What better way could there be to celebrate football," he added, "than to take the EURO final tournament for one single occasion to all four corners of the continent?"

Hampden Park hosted the classic 1960 European Cup final which saw Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3, and was the setting in 2002 for a wonder goal by Zinédine Zidane that gave Madrid UEFA Champions League success in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.

"This is a unique opportunity for Glasgow and Scotland to host matches as part of this prestigious championship," said the Scottish government's secretary for culture, tourism and external affairs, Fiona Hyslop. "It is likely to have a significant economic impact, not just for Glasgow, but for Scotland as a whole."

Host City 2016 conference and exhibition takes place in Glasgow on the 21 and 22^nd November 2016, drawing together the owners, organisers, hosts and enablers of sports, business and cultural events.

Sarah Lewis, Secretary General of FIS and the Association of Winter Olympic International Federations, is speaking at the conference, the theme of which is “Creating Safe and Engaging Events”.

In this exclusive interview, she talks about how Host City can help to create safe and engaging event experiences in a competitive world.

Host City: What do you see as the most important issues facing the events industry today and why?

Sarah Lewis: Guaranteeing a safe event is becoming increasingly complex and yet something every organiser must ensure, regardless of the costs and logistics.

The market has become so competitive to gain media attention and fan support with such a wide array of different events on offer for consumers to choose from.

As far as our FIS sport of Alpine and Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Ski and Snowboard are concerned, today it is not enough for the organisers to simply stage a competition to attract visitors and fans, there must be a complete experience and this is also an excellent opportunity for sponsor engagement.

How do you think public perception of Winter Olympic Games changed since Sochi 2014 and what are your expectations of the future for the Games?

Leading into the Sochi 2014 Games many of the headlines concerned the huge expenditure that was made for construction, but the reality is that this investment was related to building logistical infrastructure for developing tourism in the area including the roads, railway and airport as well as three ski areas and many hotels.

Recently the image of Sochi 2014 suffered another blow with revelations and allegations about corruption and doping that have further damaged the perception of these Games. But the extraordinary performances of the athletes captured the public’s imagination and hearts which is the fundamental mission of the Games.

The IOC has taken many steps to address the future of the Games in a proactive manner through measures adopted in Agenda 2020 and specifically for the Winter Edition through an expert working group that has looked into adapting the model to make them more accessible for more candidates. Looking at the number of countries that are presently studying potential bids for 2026, the new model appears to be making steps in achieving this objective. 

What has been the highlight of 2016 for you so far in the event hosting world?

The two major events with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and European Football Championships have had the biggest global impact and produced many memorable sporting accomplishments.

In the winter sport world, back in February the Winter Youth Olympic Games was on a different scale, but it successfully engaged youngsters and uncovered some future champions.

The ski and snowsport world is just gearing up for the main winter season and we have many highlights ahead, led by our FIS World Championships in Alpine Skiing (St. Moritz - Switzerland), Nordic Events (Lahti - Finland), Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding (Sierra Nevada - Spain).

Before these begin in early February, the FIS World Cups will be in full swing, including Olympic Test Events in PyeongChang, Korea as part of the tours.

 

As a speaker at Host City 2016, what are your expectations of this important event – what do you hope to share and learn?

Host City provides a great platform to communicate and promote our sports and events to a knowledgeable audience, and also gain valuable information from other important events. It is particularly interesting to encounter new and different events, who we are not generally meeting up with in the Olympic Movement.

Why is it important for cities, rights holders and their partners to have the opportunity to connect at Host City 2016?

Host City offers a convergence of the various stakeholders involved in staging events and it is always helpful to learn of the challenges and opportunities from other angles of event organisation and participation.

 

What can the organisers of sports, business, culture and entertainment events learn from one another?

Transfer of knowledge is important in every area of business, but perhaps none more so than the event industry. There is so much experience among those that hosts events, and so many excellent best practices out there, that it can only benefit organisers – and ultimately those that attend the events – to provide the most compelling consumer experience possible.

Sarah Lewis, the Secretary General of FIS and the Association of Winter Olympic International Federations, is speaking at Host City 2016. Register your attendance here.

Sports Data Industry

The big reason for the fast development of the sports data industry is enabling technology, which creates opportunities to use live data during games and training. This was not possible in the past, when data was collected with papers and pencils. Videos are also used for post-match analysis.

This change is driven by three major forces:

1: Consumers

The under 30s spend significant time online daily. The age pyramid globally shows most of us belongs into this group. The same people are likely to spend the most amount of money on sports during coming years – and they are online. To attract the fast paced mobile world, the sports data must be online in real time. Sports Digitized is a must.

2: Technology development

Manual data capture has mostly led to three issues so far: inaccuracy, slow availability and lots of data being out of reach. Technology development is fast and enables new possibilities for Sports Digitized services.

3: Competition

Only those being globally recognised are making big money. One should win on continuous bases to build a recognised brand. Doing so requires knowledge of sport, players, coaching and sports development. The key word is analysis; analysis based on automatic data capture. Winning teams are constantly improving their analytics skills and equipment.

Data Driven Player Management

Data driven player management is about coaching and scouting, where traditional manoeuvers are enhanced with technology enabled analytics.

Fast developing technology gives opportunities for teams, federations and businesses to stand out. It is important to understand that there are several ways to operate with sports data and there is no single right solution. Every organisation must choose the best solutions for them.

The next big thing is to include data capture for off-field (and off-season) training as well – all in the same database as team training. Technology enabling this is already there; databases are built ready for those setting the trends. While hunting the big wins or developing the players, it is necessary to have all useful data available.

When a player enters an academy and develops further to join the main team, it would be useful to have data from training and games from the whole journey. Data capture can be started even before joining the academy. We call this data driven player management.

Coaching

Anyone who follows sports knows that gut feeling of momentum – which team has it, or did it just turn. The home team may be pushing hard but after couple of scoring opportunities missed, the game starts to slide slowly more often into the home defence zone. Something changed, we all know it, but we just not always see what it is and – boom, suddenly we are running behind.

As in sport, delivery companies must standardise their drivers’ performance. If drivers are slowly starting to slip below the company standard level of driving behaviour, it causes lost money for the company in terms of increased fuel and vehicle maintenance cost. So these companies monitor their drivers’ performance continuously in real time with intelligent tools.

Data capture and analysis enable these companies to develop their operations, ensure quality and enable better management based on facts. With the facts, management is focused on the right things carefully and quickly. Managing the fleet and drivers has become data driven.

In sports there are many studies and known facts about performance, but systems able to gather real-time data from all practices is rare. This is especially so in team sports. Teams turning their coaching into a data driven process are travelling the same path that has been done in many industries. Gather the data, analyse it in real time and coach and manage the team based on facts, not just gut feeling.

Scouting

Player scouts watch and talk to prospects and people working with them daily. They should have objective data from the players in and outside of their prospect list. They are looking for players and their performance information beyond the 200 games they see live every year.

They should have performance history with enhanced data points, not just games played with goals and assists. Most likely they will recognise players outside the original list. They should be able to reach the players they never saw, with objective data to enhance the scouting.

There are millions of talented football players globally. There are no means to reach even a small proportion of interesting players. Scouts should do everything in their power to enable teams or sponsors to finance data collection solutions globally. Supporting locals and finding the best talent for the best teams is enabled by Data Enhanced Player Scouting by AiScreen Sports Digitized.

For more information visit http://www.aiscreen.co/

[Source: IOC] The International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Coordination Commission for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 wrapped up its seventh visit well pleased with the progress of venue construction.

The Commission, led by IOC member Gunilla Lindberg, assessed every aspect of Games preparations during three days of venue visits and collaborative discussions with the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee.

The Games organisers reported that, on average, the new venues in PyeongChang and nearby Gangneung are 90 per cent complete in advance of 26 test events scheduled between this November and April 2017. PyeongChang will host the mountain events; Gangneung will host the ice sports.

“We saw first hand the progress of the construction projects,” Chair Lindberg said at a closing news conference with PyeongChang 2018 President Hee-beom Lee on Friday. “There is no doubt that the venues will be ready for the upcoming test events.”

President Lee also expressed satisfaction with the visit, calling it “a productive three days”.

He added: “With the Rio Games now behind us, it is time for PyeongChang. Based on thorough preparation, we will strive to provide the best of service to all participants and realise our goal of making the PyeongChang 2018 Games Cultural Olympics, Environmental Olympics, Olympics for Peace and Economic Olympics, and pleasantly surprise the world with our performance.”

President Lee also announced that PyeongChang 2018 will launch ticket sales in conjunction with the one-year-to-go milestone celebration in February 2017.

Representatives from all seven winter International Federations (IFs) joined the discussions in PyeongChang, which focused on 10 areas: test events, sport, venues, legacy, Games services, full stadiums, finance, accessibility, governance, and communications and engagement. The Commission and POCOG held two plenary sessions and a series of side meetings devoted to specific topics, such as athletes and National Olympic Committees; sport and IFs; and spectators.

The IFs were particularly focused on preparations for test events involving their sports. The first test event, scheduled for 23-26 November, will be the FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup. Snowboard Big Air will make its Olympic debut at PyeongChang 2018.

“PyeongChang 2018 is entering the last stages of preparations,” Chair Lindberg said in her closing remarks. “My colleagues and I leave here more confident than ever that PyeongChang 2018 will deliver great Games.”

Source: IOC

Host City: What do you see as the most important issue facing major events today and why?

Prof. Dr. Ugur Erdener: Unpredictable international political situations, which result in security and economic issues, are much more in focus in the modern world. Then there is doping and match fixing – both serious issues that cannot be overlooked. Protecting clean athletes is a particular priority of mine.

How is World Archery leading the fight against doping?

As a lower risk sport our emphasis has progressively shifted towards education. However, we increased the number of in- and out-of-competition tests taking place in 2016 following two cases at the start of the year.

Both were rooted in a lack of knowledge and attributed to accidental use rather than performance-enhancing doping. These cases are very sad, as they are not intentional and are completely avoidable.

In the lead up to Rio 2016, World Archery actively targeted Russian athletes for doping control, which – in the end – allowed us to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they were not implicated in any doping activities. That allowed them to compete in Rio at the Olympic Games. I believe that we had to protect clean athletes' rights for participating in the Rio Games.

What was the highlight of Rio 2016 for you?

The archery competition at the Olympic Games in Rio was great success. Our broadcast hit record numbers in Germany, France and Korea, and received excellent viewing figures in the USA and other major markets.

The quality of the competition on the field of play was excellent, featured athletes from 56 countries, and we ended with medals going to four of the five continents.

What for you will be the greatest legacy of Rio 2016?

Seven years ago, Brazil did not have a fully-formed archery team. Now, the nation has several professional archery athletes, and a good coaching and judging structure. If progress continues, Brazil will soon be challenging for medals.

World Archery substantially increased its worldwide exposure across all kinds of media. There was a 52 per cent rise in the number of Facebook fans during the Games period.

In general, we can say there is a huge transformation in the city, a big legacy related to many high level sports facilities – and of course their management and maintenance will be important going forwards.

As a speaker at Host City 2016, what are your expectations of this important event – what do you hope to share and learn?

Host cities are critical partners in the success of any event. As a sport federation, we are constantly working to see how to better exchange expectations and expertise with our host cities, to ensure our events are a win for both parties.

Hopefully, this event promotes and nurtures this positive collaboration.

Why is it important for cities and rights holders of sports, business and cultural events to have the opportunity to connect at Host City 2016?

Successful events only take place when stakeholders truly collaborate.

Not only is it important for sports – or event rights holders – and cities to find the correct fits, for both parties, but be able to define common objectives that allow them to work together to deliver results for both parties in a true partnership.

Prof. Dr. Ugur Erdener is delivering a keynote address at Host City 2016, the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. For more information visit http://www.hostcity.com/events/host-city-2016

FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura on Monday acknowledged that FIFA is a damaged brand that it has not focused enough on grass roots or women’s football, but insisted that the new leadership will be stronger on discrimination, despite the closure of the anti-racism task force.

Samoura joined FIFA from the United Nations in June. “There were many surprises, good and bad,” she said at Soccerex Global Convention, citing FIFA’s “incredibly committed and highly educated staff” as a positive revelation.

“On the bad side, there were some habits that needed changing. There are some cultural behaviours that we have already started acting on, for example: not really focussing on the development of football at the grass roots level; putting women’s football at the centre of our core business.

“Through the FIFA Forward programme we are really trying to prioritise those two things.”

She began her first major public speech as FIFA Secretary General by admitting she was “new to the administration side of football,” and that attending such events will be important for her in “establishing relationships”.

“I bring another perspective derived from 25 years in the UN system, mostly in crisis and complex emergency situations,” she said.

“In the midst of turmoil, gunfire and confrontation, the only time people would stop warfare was when it was raining or when there was a football game – including during Ramadan and Christmas.

But despite this power, football is still not universally accessible, she said.

“This has given me a desire for an even bigger women’s game and for women to play a greater role in administration. Men and women, young and old, well off and not so well off, have a role in the game.”

“Stronger on discrimination”

FIFA has been widely criticised for closing down its anti-racism task force, with Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, President of the Jordanian Football Association calling the move "incredibly worrying".

Pressure group Kick it Out said in a statement “This comes at a time when there is clear evidence that discrimination, prejudice and hate are on the rise in developed societies, particularly in Europe but also in different forms across the world.”

Samoura’s speech at Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester followed a welcome address from Andrew Burnham, the frontrunner to become the first Mayor of Greater Manchester, in which he challenged her justify the closure of the anti-racism task force.

“It had a very specific mandate, which it has fully fulfilled” Samoura responded. “Its recommendations have now turned into a programme and a strong one.”

Asked by host David Davies if the problem is one of perception, she replied “We can live with perception, but what I can tell you that we are taking very seriously our role as the governing body to fight discrimination.

“As an example, we have a monitoring tool and we act when this comes to bullying and facing strange and extreme behaviours in the stadiums.

“We have several cases of disciplinary measures against several clubs and teams which have been accused, and based on solid legal grounding we have taken them through this disciplinary committee, which has taken very strong sanction against them.”

Despite the closure of the task force, she said “the new leadership will be stronger, not only on racism but any kind of discrimination – including any violation of human rights.

“We need to be firm. The zero tolerance policy is at the top of the new FIFA administration’s agenda.”

“Reputational damage”

Assuring stakeholders of the integrity of the organisation will be crucial to its continued success under the leadership of new president Gianni Infantino.

“It’s clear to me that fans and our member associations have all great expectations for FIFA,” said Samoura. “They are counting on Infantino to fundamentally change the way we do business.”

She cited the creation a Chief Compliance Officer position within FIFA, as “an example that is now being replicated by all the confederations.”

The development of the game at grass roots level will be driven by the new FIFA Forward programme, which consists of investments via member associations.

“The goal of FIFA Forward is to have a high impact programme with broader participation, better teams and leagues and a more attractive sport.

“In the end, this is all about making the difference and reducing the gap between dreaming about the World Cup and participating in the World Cup.”

Historically, investments intended for grass roots development have not always reached their intended recipients.

“We really want to put in place a monitoring and controlling tool, because the Forward programme is about a lot of money to national associations. It’s about US$5m – for clubs in England that’s nothing, but where I come from that’s a lot of money and we need to ensure that those resources are really well channelled,” the Senegalese diplomat said.

“I had a very comfortable position at the UN. I was convinced by Infantino that it is time for change. Yes, our brand has suffered a lot of reputational damage.

“My appearance here today is testimony to how we would like to restore trust and confidence. We have already started really working with commercial affiliates who still believe in the brand of FIFA, giving certainty that we are the partner of choice.

She insisted that the worst is over for FIFA, despite ongoing criminal investigations into several senior figures that led the organisation.

“We are putting the past behind us.” she said. “Let’s get the investigation done while not repeating the mistakes of the past.”

“We want to have the best administration by recruiting the best people we can find. In terms of governance and accountability, we have to reach the highest standard.

“I am ready to take these challenges. I count on everyone’s support to make the FIFA mission a successful one.”

Host City 2016: Two months to go and CGF, Red Bull, Feld (Disney) and European Commission join as speakers

With two months to go until Host City 2016, a new wave of international event brands has joined an already impressive line-up of speakers.

The largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events will open on 21 November with a Keynote Address by Sir Craig Reedie CBE, President, World Anti-Doping Agency.

David Grevemberg OBE, CEO, Commonwealth Games Federation makes a welcome return to Host City to speak on “Transformations in Multi-City and Multi-Sports Events”.

Erich Wolf, Managing Director, Red Bull Air Race and Claire Ballard, Regional Marketing Manager, Feld Entertainment (Disney Live) will join Wang Dong, Vice President, Alisports in a panel on “Building Sports and Entertainment Brands; China’s Investment Strategy”.

Also recently confirmed to speak at Host City 2016 are Bridget McConnell CBE, Chief Executive, Glasgow Life; Yves Le Lostecque, Head of Sport Unit at the European Commission and Risto Nieminen, President, Finnish Olympic Committee.

These new speakers join a star-studded cast that includes city leaders from New Zealand, Odense, Rotterdam and Paris, as well as: Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events, Visit Scotland; Ugur Erdener, Vice President, IOC; Dimitri Kerkentzes, deputy Secretary General, BIE (World Expos); Simon Clegg, Chief Operating Officer, World Expo Dubai 2020; Michel D’Hooghe, FIFA Council Member and Chairman of the Medical Committee, FIFA; Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy CEO, Messe Munich; Sooad Islam, Associate, Populous; John Langford, Vice President and General Manager, The O2, AEG Facilities and more international experts.

Host City 2016 is firmly established as the largest meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events. View the full speaker line-up on the Host City website.

Host City 2016 is an event that you don't want to miss! Get your pass today to attend the leading meeting of cities and sports, business and cultural events in Glasgow on 21-22 November. Register online

A very limited number of speaking opportunities remain. For opportunities please contact Ben Avison on +44 (0) 7876 682072 or ben.avison@hostcity.net