MENA

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted that hosting the 2022 World Cup in the heat of a Qatari summer is not “rational or reasonable”.

In the sports broadcasting industry, you never have to wait too long before one of the world’s biggest sports properties announces a mega multi-million dollar TV deal.

FIFA has suspended eight Estonian footballers and has handed a lifetime ban to a Lebanese player following their involvement in match-fixing.

PepsiCo has extended a sponsorship deal with the Jordan Football Association in a three-year deal, from 2013-14 to 2015-16.

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl shot by extremists whilst defending the right for education of women, has teamed up with international footballer Kashif Siddiqi to launch a football for peace match between the UAE and Pakistan.

Rising costs may lead to Qatar reducing the number of stadiums it plans to develop for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

TSE Consulting has expanded into three new markets by opening national offices in Turkey, Peru and the United Arab Emirates.

Clifford Chance has been appointed by the Supreme Committee for Qatar 2022 as an adviser to its technical programme, with the international law firm set to offer its expertise gained on a number of projects in the lead-up to the country’s staging of the FIFA World Cup.

A new high-profile voice has come out in favour of Qatar staging the 2022 World Cup in the winter, with the chairman of FIFA’s Medical Committee, Michel D’Hooghe, stating that he is against holding the tournament in the searing summer heat of the Middle Eastern country.

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has announced four new speakers for Securing Sport 2013, headlined by Asian Football Confederation (AFC) vice-president and FIFA Executive Committee nominee Moya Dodd.

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has announced that John Abbott, chair of the Interpol Integrity in Sport Steering Group, will speak at Securing Sport 2013, the leading international sport security and integrity conference.

Abu Dhabi is set to feature heavily in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race after it was announced that the capital of the United Arab Emirates will be included as a stopover in the event, while the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team will also return.

The English Premier League has announced that MP & Silva has been awarded its live broadcast rights in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region until the 2015-16 campaign, while Canal Plus has also extended its deal for the League’s rights in France.

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has announced that Juliette Kayyem, a lecturer in public policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and national security and foreign policy columnist for the Boston Globe plus Sylvia Schenk, senior advisor for sport at Transparency International, will speak at the Securing Sport 2013 event.

The International Paralympic Committee has announced that the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar.

The International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) has announced that Denis Oswald, president of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the International Rowing Federation (FISA), will speak at Securing Sport 2013, which will be held from March 18-19 in Doha.