Source: Daily_Mail
Vauxhall step up international drive with £5m deal for home nations - CHARLES SALE
British car manufacturer Vauxhall are to demonstrate their commitment to football by becoming team sponsors of all four home nations. [LNB]Vauxhall's £5million-a-year deal with England was revealed by Sports Agenda last month and talks are also near completion with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with a full announcement expected early in the New Year. [LNB]This comprehensive four-year support of international football will give the national associations much-needed revenue and a major lift for the sport in the UK following the crushing World Cup vote defeat in Zurich last week. [LNB] Driving force: Car manufacturers Vauxhall have struck a £5million deal to sponsor England[LNB]Vauxhall have had a previous long-term involvement in football with their 12-year title backing of the Conference. Their team, Vauxhall Motors, play in the Blue Square Bet North. [LNB]England's next competitive game - the Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales in Cardiff on March 26 - will allow Vauxhall to maximise their dual endorsement to the full. [LNB] The FA say the decision to ditch the proposed England friendly against Paraguay in Copenhagen next February was made on football grounds. [LNB]But in the fall-out from the World Cup vote, nobody at the FA wanted to do anything for Paraguay's dodgy FIFA ExCo member Nicolas Leoz, especially after his breakfast with Prince William in Zurich came to nothing. [LNB]It was too little too late, but England's FIFA representative Geoff Thompson raised the subject at yesterday's UEFA ExCo meeting of the world governing body in future telling countries in advance of an £18million bid campaign if they wanted to take the World Cup to new territories. [LNB] Some lucky punters, including a number of professional golfers, took advantage of a delay in the televised feed of virtual greyhound meetings this week to place online bets when the result was known. [LNB]A Paddy Power spokesman said: 'We were done for a few quid before the problem was resolved.' [LNB] There is no obvious replacement for the BBC's Formula One commentator Jonathan Legard (right), who is paying the price for a perceived lack of chemistry in the TV booth with Martin Brundle. [LNB]One possibility being mooted is Brundle and David Coulthard, close friends and former business partners, teaming up in the commentary box. [LNB] Pupils are having a ball Now Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is expected to pay for one of Russia's new stadiums for the 2018 World Cup, he might cut down on some extravagances at the well-heeled club. [LNB]These include pupils of Parkside School, which backs on to Chelsea's Cobham training ground, having a regular supply of footballs - one parent put it at between 30 and 40 a month - because players and coaching staff are not at all bothered about retrieving them once they go over the fence.[LNB] FIFA president Sepp Blatter might prefer to host a World Cup in Russia but his fellow Swiss nationals like to watch football in England judging by their 7,000 allocation for the June 4 Euro qualifier at Wembley already being sold out and the FA having to supply 1,000 more to the away support. [LNB] The Olympic Park Legacy Board will spend the next month on due diligence and crunching numbers before making their finance-based decision whether to recommend Tottenham or West Ham for the Olympic Stadium. [LNB] Fan zone: Tottenham have a bigger waiting list than Olympic Stadium rival bidders West Ham[LNB]And the harsh economic reality for West Ham's more passionate case is that they struggle to fill Upton Park for some matches, let alone a 60,000-seater ground. [LNB]Tottenham have 24,000 season-ticket holders and a further 34,000 paying £10 a year to be on the waiting list. [LNB] Glamorgan, where a pressure group are collecting support to force an EGM no confidence vote on the cricket club hierarchy, will increase the agitation in Wales by proposing a one-day home fixture next season in the Shropshire town of Oswestry.[LNB] CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW CHARLES SALE ON TWITTER Explore more:People: Martin Brundle, Sepp Blatter, David Coulthard, Geoff Thompson, Roman Abramovich Places: Copenhagen, Cardiff, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Paraguay, United Kingdom, Russia, Olympic Stadium
