Italy

Victoria Premier Ted Baillieu has refused to rule out scrapping Melbourne's Formula One grand prix when the contract expires in four years’ time after the city’s Mayor, Robert Doyle, called for the state to dump the race because of rising costs and lack of local interest.

Rome’s hopes of hosting Formula One in the near future appear to have faded after the city’s Mayor revealed he had been told Italy would only be able to stage one Formula One grand prix.

The Mayor of Rome has admitted that the city would withdraw its bid for a Formula One grand prix if there is the possibility that it could threaten Monza’s spot on the calendar.

European football’s governing body has confirmed that Mediaset will replace Rai as the free-to-air broadcaster of UEFA Champions League action in Italy in 2012.

UEFA, European football's governing body, announced yesterday the award of four of the five media rights packages for the 2012-15 UEFA Champions League in Italy to News-owned pay-TV operator Sky Italia.

Italian Serie A players are to go on strike in this season's 16th round of games at the weekend of December 11 and 12.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has renewed its exclusive advisory contract with RCS Sport to handle the sponsorship rights of all Italian national football teams for the next four years.

Formula One team Ferrari has signed two-year sponsorship deal anti-virus software brand Kaspersky Lab. The deal will see the Kaspersky Lab logo feature on the Italian constructor’s cars for the 2011 and 2012 Formula One seasons.

The English Premier League is this season's leader in shirt sponsorship revenue amongst the top six European leagues. The EPL's €128 million revenue leapfrogged the German Bundesliga with a €45 million increase.

Digital sport specialist PERFORM yesterday announced it will offer its sports news service, OMNISPORT, in five new languages. All video content, from January next year, will be available in Arabic, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

UEFA president Michel Platini has welcomed the decrease in player spending in Europe during the past transfer window. According to a study by Barcelona-based marketing company Prime Time Sport, the amount spent by clubs in the top five European leagues fell 29 per cent to €1.32 billion.

Italian shoemaker Geox, shirt sponsor of this year’s Lampre cycling team, is looking to sponsor a Formula One team next season. It is understood Geox has had preliminary talks with Formula One teams including Red Bull.

Motorcycle icon Valentino Rossi caused big excitement on the MotoGP circuit this week after announcing he would switch to Ducati from Yamaha next season.

Ferrari was fined $100,000 yesterday for bringing the sport into disrepute by ordering Felipe Massa to move aside and let teammate Fernando Alonso win the German Formula One Grand Prix. The matter has also been referred to the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council under Article 151c of its Sporting Code, which gives the governing body carte blanche to sanction Ferrari as it sees fit.

Former Formula One champion, the Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, and his Villeneuve racing has linked up with Italian team Durango to bid for a 13th slot on the Formula One grid next year.

Italy’s second-tier football division, Serie B, is to be rebranded Serie bwin from the start of the 2010-11 season following a two-year title sponsorship agreement with the betting company.