Africa

The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ricardo Teixeira, has joined the list of high-profile delegates attending the Soccerex ’09 conference in Johannesburg at the end of the month.

Harold Mayne-Nicholls, president of the Chilean Football Association, will present a commercial guide to Chilean football at Soccerex 2009, it has been announced.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has confirmed he will give the opening address at this year’s Soccerex event, held from November 28 - December 2 in Gauteng Province, South Africa.

The German football federation (DFB) plans to increase the number of security staff looking after the national team at next year’s World Cup due to concerns about South Africa’s crime rate.

The organisers of the Super 15 rugby union tournament have sent the decision on where the 15th team will come from to arbitration after the executive committee of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby (SANZAR), failed to vote on the matter.

The European PGA Tour has added two African tournaments to its 2010 schedule, but dropped two Asian and one Australian event from this year.

Soccerex, the football business event organiser, has had clubs including Ajax, Aston Villa, Benfica, Celtic, Liverpool, Newcastle and Stuttgart sign up for its new SoccerMatch networking concept.

SANZAR, the body representing the rugby unions of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, has announced the appointment of sports marketing agency Essentially to secure a title sponsor for its Super Rugby competition.

FIFA Television Director Niclas Ericson, TV Globo Sports Director Luiz Fernando Lima and CEO of the African Union of Broadcasting Larry Atiase will feature in this media-focused session on the delivery of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and future FIFA tournaments at Soccerex 2009, it has been announced.

Sven-Goran Eriksson, David Dein and Gérard Houllier will take part in a session at the Soccerex 2009 convention discussing major issues facing football, including player and club ownership.

UEFA marketing director Philippe Le Floc’h will give an exclusive presentation at the 2009 Soccerex Convention in Johannesburg, South Africa, from November 30 to December 2.

South Africa is facing a funding shortfall of 2.3 billion rand (£188 million) for the new stadia built for next year's football World Cup, according to Reuters.

Germany’s top-tier football league the Bundesliga has signed as an event sponsor for global football business convention Soccerex 09, taking place in Johannesburg later this year.

Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and São Paulo have confirmed their participation in an exclusive session bringing together the key host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup at the Soccerex 09 conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has warned the South African football federation that a bitter presidential election campaign must not get in the way of preparations for the 2010 World Cup.

Fininvest, the company which owns AC Milan, has denied an Italian newspaper report that company owner, the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, is considering selling the club to Libyan sovereign funds.