The new TV deal with Rupert Murdoch’s satellite television company BSkyB means that the 20 clubs in the English Premier League pocket £40 million each every season yet outside of the top flight the future has never looked worse.

Betting agencies are calling for a new organisation much like the World Anti-Doping Agency, to be established so that governments and sports federations can cooperate across borders to investigate betting irregularities and put an end to match fixing.

American media giant CBS has filed a lawsuit against the NFL Players’ Association, in response to threats by the Association that it would bring legal action unless CBS agreed to pay licence fees for use of player statistics in its NFL Fantasy Football tournament. The lawsuit marks another flashpoint in the debate over the limits of a free press in the world of sport.

In March this year, a Swiss court produced evidence that in the period from 1989 to 2001, the now defunct International Sport and Leisure company (ISL) paid officials from a number of sports federations 87.5 million euros to obtain profitable broadcasting rights. Yet, when the court’s verdict was published last week, six former ISL executives indicted in the case were cleared of most of the charges against them.

Knowledge bank: Sport and exercise professionals generally have a deep, even romantic attachment to sport. While the field of sport, exercise and physical education has much to commend it, it is important that professionals in this division of the ‘body industry’ have a complete and unsentimental grasp of it.

Knowledge bank: Rafael Maranhao speaks at Play the Game 2005 about corruption and money laundering in Brazilian football.

Knowledge bank: Marie-Hélène Pedneau speaks at Play the Game 2005 about the thirld world muscle drain, also known as ‘brawn drain’. 

Knowledge bank: Joe Phelan speaks at Play the Game 2005 about the role of business in developmental issues related to sport.