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Football clubs which supply squad members for teams qualifying for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups can look forward to a share of a massively increased pot of $209 million (£140 million/€193 million) per tournament, FIFA disclosed in Zurich today.

The sum represents three times the $70 million (£47 million/€65 million) that was made available to employers of players at last summer's World Cup in Brazil and five times the $40 million (£27 million/€37 million) paid out for those involved in the 2010 competition in South Africa.

If the basic structure of the programme remains otherwise unchanged from prior years, the announcement suggests that clubs could obtain in the region of $8,400 a day for each of their players involved.

In 2014, 396 clubs affiliated to 57 national associations were allocated a share of the benefits - very similar to the 400 clubs from 55 national associations who got money in 2010.

Last year, Bayern Munich, the leading club in world champions Germany, ran out as much the biggest recipient, earning $1,734,367 (£1,160,013/€1,603,029), well over $400,000 (£268,000/€370,000) clear of Spanish giant Real Madrid in second place.

In 2018, the top earning club or clubs can now expect to receive in the region of $5 million (£3.5 million/€4.5 million) in total.

The big increase in club distributions was agreed as part of an extension of a collaboration agreement between FIFA and the European Club Association (ECA) which has been signed by FIFA President Sepp Blatter, secretary general Jérôme Valcke and ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

European clubs, as employers of most of the world's leading players, will assuredly once again receive the biggest payouts.

FIFA said this agreement "includes provisions governing adherence to the international match calendar until 2018, and to the effect that the international match calendar for the following period (2019-2022) will be based on the same principles as the one currently applicable".

The decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in November and December to avoid the searing summer heat in Qatar will necessitate a substantial rejig of the traditional European club season.

FIFA said a working group would meet "in due course" to finalise the international match calendar for the 2019-2022 cycle.

Rummenigge said last month that leagues and clubs could not be expected to bear the costs for such rescheduling and that the clubs "expect to be compensated for the damage" that a break with tradition would cause.

A later meeting between Blatter and Rummenigge was reported to have led to a softening of the clubs' stance.

Clubs would be advised to scrutinise the fine print of eventual 2018 and 2022 undertakings: the application form for the 2014 payments committed prospective recipients to a number of undertakings, besides respecting the international match calendar.

These included: not to be a party to legal proceedings against FIFA as regards the governing body's regulations on the status and transfer of players and the FIFA statutes; to recognise the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as sole competent body to decide on disputes between the club and FIFA; not to be a member of any association or grouping involving clubs from more than one country (with the exception, for Europeans, of the ECA); and to use the payments "at least partly" for youth and development programmes.

According to Valcke, the $209 million figure is the same as the sum paid each four-year cycle to FIFA's 209 member associations under the governing body's basic Financial Assistance Programme.

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ANOC announces composition of 2015 ANOC Commissions and Working Groups

FEMALE BOXERS Lorissa Rivas and Swedish world champion Mikaela Lauren scored convincing knock out victories and exchanged fighting words ahead of their showdown next month for Lauren’s World Boxing Council (WBC) super-welterweight title.
In what served as warm-up bouts for both Lauren and Rivas, at the Jean Pierre Complex Saturday night, the pair stopped their respective opponents.
Rivas (seven wins, three defeats), a US-based fighter with Trinidad and Tobago roots, sent Guyanese Sharon “Iron Jaw” Warde (eight wins, six defeats) to the canvas for the first time in Warde’s career.
Warde had to be attended to by the ringside doctor before she rose from the mat roughly three minutes after the knockout punch in the fifth round.
Rivas then crossed paths with Lauren, who was making her entrance to the ring for her bout against Colombia’s Celia Road Sierra. Rivas and Lauren exchanged barbs. In the main co-feature bout, the 39-year-old Lauren (24 wins, 3 defeats) sent a feisty Sierra to the canvas at 1.13 into the third round.

Results

Lt. Heavyweight (4 rounds)
Sheldon Lawrence (T&T)  vs. Romeo Norville (Guy.)
Lawrence scored 1st round TKO victory over Norville

Super-middleweight (6 rounds)
Joel McRae (Guy) vs. Carlos Leal (Ven.)
McRae scored 1st round KO over Norville

Catch weight (6 rounds)
Prince-Lee Isidore (T&T) vs. Ian Blue (T&T)
Isidore scored third round TKO over Blue

(Women) Super-middleweight (6 rounds)
Lorissa Rivas (USA) vs. Sharon Warde (Guy)
Rivas scored fifth round TKO over Warde

(Women) Super-welter
weight (6 rounds)
Mikaela Lauren (Sweden) vs. Celia Road Sierra (Colombia)
Lauren scored third round TKO over Sierra

Heavyweight (4 rounds)
Dwayne Hinds (T&T) vs. Kenneth ‘Iron Man” Bishop (T&T)
Bishop won by a unanimous decision

Mixed Martial Arts

(Bout 1 - 150 lbs)
Ande Lackhan (Bio Mel Boxing Gym) vs. Randy Sooknarine (Rough House)
— Sooknarine won by submission

(Bout 2 - 170 lbs)
Brandon La Croix vs. Sion Elder — La Croix scored first round TKO over Elder

Abilene Wildcats’ Kyle Greaux stole the spotlight at the 2015 Southern Games when he captured gold in the men’s 200 metres and 400 metres events at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella, yesterday.
In the half-lap event, Memphis Pioneers’ Emmanuel Callender was quickest out of the blocks and led the field entering the homestretch, but Greaux would change gears to surge past his rival and pull away to win in a time of 20.84 seconds. Callender held second in 21.15 while Kevin Haynes of Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force was third in 21.32.
Earlier on the programme, Greaux powered to victory in the 400 metres event from Haynes and Kern Alexis of Memphis Pioneers. He stopped the clock in 47.73 seconds with Haynes and Alexis returning times of 48.19 and 48.24, respectively.
Kamaria Durant of Simplex was also a double gold medallist when she copped the women’s sprint double. She opened with gold in the 100 metres in a time of 11.78 seconds, from her club mate Onika Murray, 12.09, and Point Fortin’s Mauricia Prieto, also in 12.09.
In the 200 metres event, Durant took command of the race at the top of the homestretch to win easing down in 23.66 seconds, despite getting a late challenge from Prieto, who returned in 23.89. Murray bagged bronze in a time of 24.44 seconds.
And UTT Fast Track’s Josh Hamilton took the blue riband event with a golden 10.64 run in the men’s 100 metres. Hamilton was pressed all the way be his club mate Le Sean Noel and Joel Dillon of Simplex but maintained enough top end speed to get home. Noel returned in 10.66 for silver while Dillon collected bronze in 10.70.
Trinidad and Tobago’s World 400-metre hurdles champion, Jehue Gordon and Clifton Sylvester of the Defence Force turned the men’s invitational 800 metres into a two-man affair when they treated patrons to a prolonged stretch duel. Sylvester took up the running at the bell with Gordon in close attendance before drawing level coming off the final bend.
However, the Defence Force athlete dug deep to surge back in front over the final 40 metres to stop the clock at one minute, 54:71 seconds. Gordon had to settle for silver in 1:54:83 with George Smith, also of Defence Force, third in 1:55:32.
In the women’s invitational 800 metres, Memphis Pioneers’ Alena Brooks made amends for her second place finish in the 400 metres when she repelled the challenge of her club mate Dawnell Collymore to win in a time of two minutes, 11:68 seconds.
Similar to the men’s version, the two pulled away from the field to fight it out among themselves as Collymore would throw down her challenge entering the top of the homestretch. However, Brooks had enough left in her tank and held on gamely for the win. Collymore returned in 2:12:11 and Guyana’s Andrea Foster, third in 2:14:76.
And in the Boy’s U20 800 metres, Ashton Gill of Cougars romped to victory in one minute, 58:14 seconds. Abilene Wildcats’ Jeremiah Hamilton was second in 1:59:93 with Petrotrin Palo Seco’s Kriston Yahkarhim third in 2:00:82.
Ramona Modeste won gold in the women’s 400 metres event when she home ahead of Brooks and Danielle David of Point Fortin. The Abilene Wildcats’ quarter-miler stopped the clock at 55.12 seconds with Brooks returning in 55.77 and David, 57.86.
Cuba’s Livan Reyes was a facile winner of the men’s open invitational 5,000 metres event. Reyes took up the running on the second lap and would lead a group of five; Kirk Brown of Jamaica, St Lucia’s Jason Sayers, Pamenos Ballantyne of St Vincent and Jules La Rode, which separated themselves from the rest of the field.
At the bell he held a 40-metre advantage on Brown but would lengthen his strides to come home well clear in a time of 15 minutes, 29:73 seconds. Brown held second in 15:40:22 from Ballantyne, who was third in 15:43:14.
In the men’s invitational 1,500 metres event, Smith of Defence Force defied a spirited challenge from Guyana’s Cleveland Forde to prevail in four minutes, 02:62 seconds.
Forde returned in 4:02:90 with Sylvester third in 4:03:54. And Collymore emerged victorious in the women’s version in four minutes, 41:55 seconds. Linda Mc Dowel of St Vincent was second in 4:44:15 and Jamaica’s Danielle James, third in 4:48:47.

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Sebastian Coe says he is self-funding trips to about 100 countries all over the world as part of his bid to become the boss of world athletics.

In an interview with Stuff.co.nz, Coe said his short stop in New Zealand was part of about 100 nations he has visited so far in preparation for the presidential election for the International Association of Athletics Federations in August.

Coe refused to say how much his flight, accommodation and expense costs for the trips had run up to but when asked how they would be covered, he said: "I've got a very understanding wife.

"I've been to many, many countries. It's certainly must be getting on for nearly one hundred," Coe said.

"A couple of weeks ago I was in Brazil, meeting with the 13 South American federation presidents, a few weeks before that I was in Egypt, in Sharm el-Sheikh, just before Christmas I met with 22 Arab-speaking nations, so yes, I'm travelling a lot.

"Today I fly off to the Gold Coast, to the Oceania track and field convention, and in a couple of weekends I'm in the Caribbean.

"I have a very understanding wife.

"That [self-funding] is how the campaign is being run at the moment.

"It's important, I think if you have the temerity to offer yourself up as president, I think it's incumbent upon you to understand the challenges of those federations you're wanting support from.

"Athletics is probably the most global of sports out there."

Coe, who is an IAAF vice-president, said his personal financial sacrifice was a reflection of how seriously he was taking his bid to go one chair higher in the organisation.

"I think it's something you have to do, I don't think you can pretend a campaign is only about listening to people that are in your own continent or in your own back yard.

"It's a global sport, there are global challenges and it's important someone stepping up to the plate understands what those challenges are."

Double Olympic champion Coe, who is also the chairman of the British Olympic Association and the man who ran London's 2012 Olympic Games, and Ukrainian pole vault icon Sergey Bubka are the front-runners in the race to be made IAAF boss in August.

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The 33rd annual Special Olympics Trinidad and Tobago (SOTT) National Games will be officially declared open today by President Anthony Carmona. The opening ceremony, which starts at 8am, will be held at the Jean Pierre Complex, Mucurapo with action in the various sports taking place until Sunday.

Today, athletics, football and bocce will be held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium while basketball bounces off at the Woodbrook Youth Facility. Powerlifting will be held at the Long Circular Fitness Centre with volleyball serving off at the Jean Pierre Complex.

Action continues tomorrow with aquatics at the Diego Martin Community Pool, equestrian (TT Police Service Mounted Branch), bocce and football (Hasely Crawford Stadium) also scheduled.

There will be a gala concert at 5.30pm today which has been organised in association with the Digicel Foundation.

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Fifa has confirmed that the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar will take place on 18 December.

A Fifa taskforce recommended last month that the tournament should be switched from summer to winter.

The decision to hold the final on 18 December means Britain's traditional Boxing Day club matches on 26 December can still take place.

In another key decision, Fifa has chosen France to host the 2019 women's World Cup ahead of South Korea.

France will also stage the Under-20 women's tournament in 2018.

Walter De Gregorio, Fifa's director of communications, confirmed the 2022 World Cup would begin in November and finish on 18 December.

"Yes, we are going to play in November and December," he said. "And yes, the final is going to be played on 18 December. It's a Sunday and it's also the national day of Qatar."

How will a winter World Cup affect clubs?

Stoke City chairman Peter Coates told BBC Radio 5 live: "It's going to be very messy. We have to make the best of a bad job. The only saving grace is there's a long time to prepare for it."

The decision to move the 2022 World Cup from its traditional June and July slot was taken because of health concerns for players.

Summer temperatures in Qatar can exceed 40C.

Fifa also indicated that the 2022 World Cup could be shortened to 28 days. It normally lasts for 31 or 32 days.

Uefa, the body that governs European football, had pushed for the final to be as late as 23 December.

However, that option attracted opposition from Fifa members, who feared it would cause problems for fans and players getting home in time for Christmas, as well as affecting club football's festive programme.

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