Source: Daily_Mail
Charles Sale: Beeb's secret deal to keep ball rolling
Three-year extension: Messers Shearer, Lineker, Hansen and Lawrenson
More from Charles Sale... Charles Sale: The FA back Spain's 2016 Olympics bid to silence racists 26/01/09 CHARLES SALE: Triesman and Gill in World Cup bid pay showdown 26/01/09 CHARLES SALE: Sheepshanks plots inside job at the FA 23/01/09 CHARLES SALE: City's executive chairman Cook in the soup over Milan gaffe 22/01/09 Charles Sale: Wembley debut for new England shirt 22/01/09 Charles Sale: Premier League turn Hero Fund into a cash villain 20/01/09 Charles Sale: Pals give Marland decent run at ECB 19/01/09 CHARLES SALE: FA reject Marland hopes for more luck with the ECB 18/01/09 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE
But a super-quick deal is being negotiated with BBC Sport, whose paltry portfolio of live matches means they cannot afford to lose their flagship MotD programme.
However, the Premier League will have done very well — and the Beeb been profligate with licence fee money — if the price is anywhere near the£171million over three years of the current contract, struck when competition for highlights was fierce between all the terrestrial stations.
This time only the BBC were interested, while ITV — who have shown how poor their highlights programmes can be with their FA Cup coverage — and Channel 4 and Five did not even bid.
Shennan returns to AuntieITV have been hit by Bob Shennan (right) , their first choice to become the new controller of sport, opting instead to return to Broadcasting House to run Radio 2.
Shennan, former boss of 5 Live, had left the BBC to mastermind Channel 4’s move into digital radio, which has been canned.
Capello puts nail in coffin for PGYDG
Fears the Professional Game Youth Development Group would go the same way as the defunct FA Technical Group after England manager Fabio Capello voiced his disapproval have been proved correct.
The football authorities have disbanded the PGYDG after less than a year and are setting up yet another group to oversee youth coaching — an area which is the subject of a conflict highlighted by a spat between Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney and FA director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking.
Brooking’s future at the FA had been uncertain over professional clubs’ opposition to his plans, but it is understood he will stay on to help implement the framework being worked out by the chairmen of the FA, PL, and FL.
Capello had enough of PGYDG meetings after listening to a debate dominated by Sheffield United director Terry Robinson and FL deputy operations director Michael Tattersall.
More LTA money down the drain Bruce Phillips, the Lawn Tennis Association communications chief, arrived in Melbourne shortly after Andy Murray’s defeat in the Australian Open fourth round.
As a result of Murray’s loss, Phillips spent 12 hours in Australia before going home.
This waste of LTA money is even more ridiculous as its chief executive, Roger Draper, was already in Melbourne.
Pascal deal one of a kind
Pascal Chimbonda's return to Tottenham this week was a unique transfer in that it involved a player, a manager (Harry Redknapp) and an agent (Willie McKay) who have been arrested by the City of London Police on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting.
Chimbonda was the first of the trio to have his collar felt on September 10, 2007, although he was released from bail without charge or proper explanation nine months later.
Redknapp and McKay, who were arrested on November 28, 2007 remain on police bail — a scandalous length of time to be under suspicion without charges being brought, especially for the
high-profile Tottenham boss. Spurs describe this wait as a personal matter for Redknapp, who has not asked his club to get involved.
Five others are in a similar situation, waiting for the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision.
They are Leicester owner Milan Mandaric, Birmingham owner David Sullivan and managing director Karren Brady, Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie and Stoke midfielder Amdy Faye.
What's in a name? Derbyshire are holding a committee meeting before deciding who to support as ECB chairman.
But it will not give Lord Marland much encouragement, following the MCC’s support for Giles Clarke, that the press release sent out by Derbyshire called him Lord Hammond.
And Middlesex did not even meet the peer before pledging their vote to Clarke.
