Turkish Ultras accused of government coup attempt have trial delayed

Istanbul protest

By Mark Baber
December 17 – Members of Besiktas’ Carsi supporter group, Turkish opposition groups, human rights campaigners and rival supporters gathered outside an Istanbul court chanting “Stand against fascism” as 35 members of the ultra group went on trial for participating in the demonstrations against the redevelopment of Gezi Park, one of Istanbul’s last areas of greenery.

Read more …

Sky shares plummet as Premier League rights auction sparks investor fear

Premier League TV

By Mark Baber
December 16 – The multi-billion pound auction for Premier League television rights, which kicked off on Friday, has led to a 4.4% fall in the share price of Sky plc on Monday on fears the company could be outbid by BT on a number of packages, and predictions the total bill could be as high as £5 billion, An Ofcom investigation, initiated by Virgin, has added to the lack of stability in the market.

Read more …

Breitner: Arrogance, aggression, or just the plain truth?

By Denis de Haas and Christian Paschwitz
December 16 – In an interview on German sports channel SPORT1’s Doppelpass Talk programme, former playing legend Paul Breitner who is now an advisor to the Bayern Munich board, said that the success of Bayern has much to do with the incompetence of their opponents. His comments have sparked rage and debate in Germany. Click on the video link to watch the excerpt from Doppelpass Talk.

Read more …