FIFA has agreed to pay MasterCard a $90m settlement deal to end the messy legal dispute raging between the two sides.

The financial services firm will receive the payment and scrap its sponsorship of the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.

The row exploded when FIFA offered MasterCard’s arch-rival Visa the sponsorship rights to the two tournaments. MasterCard insisted a first-right of refusal option had not been offered to them and took soccer’s world governing body to court.

At the end of last year a US judge ruled FIFA had not honoured its agreement with the firm which has been a major sponsor since 1994.

The $90m from FIFA – paid in instalments – is compensation for MasterCard for the discontinuation of their sponsorship agreement.

FIFA confirmed last night they are ‘set to implement a contract’ with Visa after the MasterCard deal was finalised.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said: “FIFA has, first of all, resolved a problem and, secondly - much more importantly - has paved the way to a good, new partner that will support it and its manifold activities efficiently all around the world.”

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova held a tennis skills session on a specially made winter court, in the shadow of London’s Tower Bridge, and expressed her support for Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic bid.

Sharapova said that if Sochi 2014 wins the Games it would bring a new world of “opportunity for kids, especially those involved in winter sports. It will give so many youngsters the chance to shine.”

“It is one of the greatest things that we can achieve, to bring an Olympics to Sochi, so that Russian athletes can stay and train to an elite level in our country and develop their dreams.”

Sharapova fell in love with tennis at the age of four while she was living in Sochi. But she was eventually forced to leave for the US in part because of a lack of adequate training facilities.

She said, “With incredible new facilities already being built and major investments in Sochi’s infrastructure set to make a real difference in the region, Sochi 2014 has the power to be the true gateway to the future for millions of Russians.”

Dmitry Chernyshenko, CEO of the Sochi 2014 Bid Committee, who attended the Bid’s winter-themed event, said, “Maria represents millions of athletes and athletes are at the heart of our exceptional bid.”

“Elite athletes such as Maria Sharapova inspire youngsters in Russia and around the world. That is the very essence of Sochi 2014. A chance for a whole generation of young people to be positively affected forever by seeing their sporting heroes compete on home ice and snow, but also be a part of the journey that our Winter Games Bid will begin.

“Sochi 2014 will be the catalyst for incredible social and sporting change in Russia and we are proud that a star like Maria Sharapova is doing her utmost to help us fulfil the dream of millions of Russians and bring the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to the world’s largest winter sports country for the first time.”

German sports marketing agency DSM Sportwerbung is set to be swallowed up by Infront.


Infront chiefs have agreed a deal to acquire 100 per cent of the shares of the Frankfurt firm. The agreement is now being reviewed by Germany’s national merger control authority.

DSM Sportwerbung, founded in 2005, is the former sports advertising unit of DSM Deutsche Städte-Medien. DSM is one of the leading companies in the stadium advertising industry, with a reputation dating back for 30 years.

It currently markets the stadium advertising rights of four clubs of the German Bundesliga, including three of the top eight clubs: Werder Bremen (Weser Stadion), FC Schalke 04 (Veltins Arena), VfL Bochum (rewirenergie Stadion) and Hansa Rostock (Ostseestadion).

Said Philippe Blatter, President and CEO of Infront: “The acquisition of DSM further strengthens the Infront Group’s position in the business of football ground advertising; already an established business for us. We look forward to a long-term partnership with DSM’s client clubs and their commercial partners and we are confident that we will be seen as a valued partner who will continue to deliver innovative solutions and first-class results,”

The acquisition of DSM is part of Infront’s long term strategy to build on its expertise in selected areas – such as soccer – and to become the market leader in key sectors. Germany is already a major market for Infront and this acquisition adds further to its portfolio and service offering.

The company's marketing rights portfolio in football already includes a long-term partnership with the German Football Federation (DFB) and marketing and/or media rights to many other national football associations and clubs in Europe.

The key management of DSM, including managing director Reinhardt Weinberger, will remain in place as part of the integration into the Infront Group.

Track chiefs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have confirmed they are in talks with a view to staging a MotoGP race at the circuit next year.

Conflicting reports in the US suggest talks have taken place and a deal agreed – but track president Joie Chitwood denied claims a race in the autumn of 2008 had already been signed and sealed.

He told reporters: “We’re working hard to get a date agreed, but nothing is signed yet.”

The circuit already hosts the Formula One US Grand Prix, plus the IRL’s Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Allstate 400.

Sochi’s bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games will receive the personal backing of Russian president Vladimir Putin when the IOC meet next month.


Officials have confirmed Putin will travel to Guatemala to lend his support to the city’s efforts to win the right to host the event.

Guatemala is hosting the IOC assembly which will vote on the host city on July 4.

Other candidate cities are South Korea’s Pyeongchang and Austria’s Salzburg.

Putin has already openly supported the bid from the Black Sea resort. Russia has never hosted the Winter Games.

The European Handball Federation (EHF) has extended its marketing partnership with Infront.

The partners agreed an exclusive agreement in Paris to extend their existing, long-term marketing partnership to cover the Men's and Women's European Handball Championships in 2012 and 2014.

Infront has been responsible for both the television distribution and marketing of this event since 1993.

The new agreement between the EHF and Infront also covers a series of additional technical services to further raise the event’s attractiveness and to make it more appealing to viewers, including top speed measurement for goal shots and an improved online scouting service for match statistics.

Infront's president and CEO Philippe Blatter said: "We very much believe in long-term client relationships, built on mutual respect and trust. As the figures prove, our partnership with the EHF has strengthened the European Championship in the international market.

"With this renewal we are looking forward to further developing the property for broadcasters and commercial partners.”

English soccer club Manchester City is on the verge of an $160m takeover by the former Prime Minister of Thailand.

After weeks of speculation Thaksin Shinawatra has lodged an official bid to take over the club which has for so long lived in the shadow of its city neighbour – Manchester United.

Shinawatra, currently facing corruptions charges in Thailand, has the support of the City board. The former Prime Minister is pursuing the bid through his UK Sports Investments vehicle.

Officials in Thailand have also frozen his assets, although he insists it will have no impact on his takeover plans.


The NBA has signed a long-term agreement with e-commerce specialists GSI Commerce.

The deal will see the NBA, WNBA and the NBA Development League provided with full-service, e-commerce operations for their online stores.

GSI will provide the league's online stores with online merchandising, e-commerce technology, order processing, logistics, customer care, and online retail marketing services.

GSI has similar deals in place with Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NHL, and NASCAR.

Global IT giant Computer Sciences Corporation has delivered a major boost to Bjarne Riis’ ProTour team after confirming it would continue its title sponsorship of Team CSC.

The company said it had taken the decision after ‘careful consideration’.

Said Henrik Bo Pedersen, the CSC executive responsible for overseeing the sponsorship: “Needless to say, we are deeply disappointed by Bjarne Riis' recent admission of past doping.

“While we remain steadfast in our condemnation of doping, we accept Bjarne's apologies and believe that his candor - and his commitment to cleaning up the sport -- represents a potential turning point for cycling. We have therefore concluded that we will continue our sponsorship.

“An important factor in our decision is Team CSC's groundbreaking anti-doping programme, which has become a model for clean sports in general. Bjarne has been instrumental in establishing the program, and we believe his continued leadership in Team CSC and the sport is critical to ongoing efforts to clean up cycling.

“Indeed, we strongly encourage all of the ProTour teams to implement anti-doping programmes similar to the one in place at Team CSC."

The former CEO of the Chicago Cubs has been named president of baseball operations at the Baltimore Orioles.

Andy MacPhail is no stranger to the sport. He spent 12 years as president and CEO of the Cubs and prior to that was executive vice president and general manager of the Minnesota Twins for nine seasons.

Most recently he served time with Major League Baseball itself, working on a variety of different projects.

In his new role he will oversee all baseball operations at the club.
 

McLeish's cautious welcome to Celtic Cup idea
ANGUS WRIGHT

ALEX McLeish, the Scotland manager, would like to see the Home Internationals revived, even though they may not include England.

Initial plans are to hold what has been dubbed a Celtic Cup between Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the Republic of Ireland replacing England. The first semi-finals are being sketched in for August 2009, with a final and third-place play-off in February 2010.

McLeish said: "It's still in its infancy and I'd like to hear more details but it sounds like a pretty exciting idea. I used to love the Home Internationals as a kid. I know England probably won't be involved but it sounds like a novel idea. If the market research shows they will get capacity crowds then it doesn't matter."

England are to be offered a last chance to join the new championships but Jim Boyce, president of the Irish FA, is aware there was little enthusiasm within the English FA.

Boyce said: "It is at a very advanced stage and we are very hopeful it will go ahead. I personally would love England to come into it as well and they will be invited to do so again but if not then we will press ahead with the Celtic Cup idea.

"It would be a shame if England will not resurrect the old British championship - all we are asking for is two friendly dates every two years, it's not an awful lot to ask for."

The FA is very unlikely to respond positively - it is understood they are more keen to keep the friendly dates open to play a variety of major European and non-European nations.

Boyce said the new tournament would have its own sponsors and television rights revenue, but George Peat, the new SFA president was cautious about the prospects of a TV windfall. "I believe the Welsh are making this out to be a cash bonanza," Peat said. "But we are tied to a TV deal and wouldn't make any more money out of it."

And Craig Brown, the former Scotland manager, believes the tournament would be a flop without England. "Without England the Home Internationals would be a dead duck," he said.


Malofeev's back
COLLEEN PATERSON

CONTROVERSIAL former Hearts coach Eduard Malofeev will jet out to Austria next week to be part of Hearts' pre-season training camp.

However it is understood that Malofeev, who failed to win a single game while in interim control of team matters at Tynecastle, is not in line for a permanent return to the club.

Malofeev took just three points from a possible 15 during his time in charge as Hearts endured their worst run of results in 40 years, before taking over as head coach of MTZ Ripo in January.

Kaunas coach Angel Chervenkov will also accompany Malofeev on the trip as Hearts begin their build-up to the new season with a week-long training camp in Austria, which will culminate in a friendly match against Austria Vienna.

While the two men will have an input into the players' training regime, they are expected to return to their respective clubs, who are both currently in the middle of their league seasons, at the end of the camp.

The Minsk outfit are heavily financed by Romanov's Ukio Bankas Investment Group, similar to Lithuanian side FBK Kaunas.

Russian-born Malofeev was head of Ripo's youth academy during 2005 before becoming head coach at Kaunas two years ago. He arrived at Tynecastle in June last year as an "advisor to the board on sporting matters" and was then placed in control of team affairs for a period between October and November after Valdas Ivanauskas was granted temporary leave due to ill health.

Meanwhile doctors who operated on Barcelona star Carlos Puyol have revealed that the player will be out of action for at least 12 weeks.

The defender had surgery on torn ligaments in his left knee on Thursday night, and doctor Ramon Cugat warned that the player's recovery period "will be no less than three months as it is a treacherous and problematic tear."

Puyol had been expected to travel to Scotland next month for friendly matches against Hearts and Dundee United.

Scotland shouldn't kid itself

SCOTLAND'S recent climb to an all-time high of 14th in the FIFA rankings demonstrated the resurgence that has taken place at the top level of the game in this country.

Although the national side have subsequently slipped down to a more modest 23rd, despite victories against Austria and the Faroe Islands, public confidence in football at international level is as high as it has been for a number of years.

The return to form since the dark days of Berti Vogts has again given the Tartan Army a reason to feel proud of those who don the dark blue jersey, following a period when many went into every game fearing the worst.

There is a feel-good factor around the international set-up with Scotland playing their way into the mix to qualify from a European Championship group rightly dubbed "the group of death". But, while enormous credit must go to Walter Smith and his successor Alex McLeish, the plaudits being lavished on them have masked more fundamental problems within our game.

During the ill-fated reign of Vogts, newspapers dedicated their column inches to debates over the depths which our game was plumbing and discussed ways to turn the tide and get the country on an upwards spiral again.

Time and again the conclusion was the same - we are failing at youth level to provide the coaching and facilities our youngsters require to compete with many of our European counterparts.

However, plans are afoot to change this.

The SFA, the Scottish Executive and sportscotland are currently working together to drive improvements in the game through a number of projects being delivered as part of the "The Youth Action Plan".

Former Hibs hero Keith Wright is part of implementing the plan in his Role as a Football Development Officer for Midlothian although his boss, Michael Sharp, the SFA's South East Regional Development Manager, acknowledged there is still much work to be done.

"Unfortunately, we are still very far behind a lot of other countries in Europe," said Sharp.

"In other countries, the political landscape is different and sport is seen as a high priority whereas that's not always the case here.

"They have sports-specific facilities rather than multi-surface facilities and invest a lot of money. They have football pitches as well as surfaces for other individual sports. Yes, you can have some multi-surface facilities as we do here, and they are a benefit, but you must also have facilities that address the individual needs of each sport.

"As well as the quality, we are lacking venues for children to learn and play the game. As well as improving existing facilities, we need to create new ones and this is what we need to try and work on in partnership with the South East Sports Facilities project."

The common perception among many people these days seems to be that children are more interested in playing with the latest computer consoles or being stuck in front of a television screen rather than being outdoors participating in sport.

Harking back to these halcyon days and blaming modern technology for the dwindling number of top-class sports people being produced seems to be a convenient answer for many when searching questions are posed.

It is, however, simply not true, according to Sharp.

"We are very successful at promoting the sport but then not having enough or adequate facilities is a serious problem," he said.

"You have children travelling from Edinburgh to Midlothian and spending time in a car that could be spent on the pitch.

"At a time when the government are trying to encourage kids to keep healthy, we need the facilities that can manage the demand. Our plans have been very successful at encouraging people to take part but we are hamstrung by the facilities not being able to cope.

"This year the Bank of Scotland gave us money to send coaches into schools to create boys and girls' teams. The problem is that the facilities couldn't cope as we didn't have changing facilities and pitches to accommodate both at the one time.

"There are a lot of people wanting to try and improve things and we just need places to do this and make a difference. Schools like Boroughmuir and James Gillespie's don't have enough facilities yet have a lot of people pupils wanting to take part. They end up having to travel to central venues which, if you are only getting a couple of hours with kids, wastes a lot of time."

And, having identified one of the main problems to the progression of talented footballers through the age groups, the Youth Action Plan is pressing forward with proposals to try and improve facilities.

Sharp added: "One way forward is to look at spots of land that might be sold for houses etc, why can't they be turned into sporting facilities?

"We also need floodlight provisions as too many venues don't have this. If we had those that would extend the hours that we could use the pitches from, say, October after school.

"I think all sports need to come together with one voice and show the council and government how many people want facilities improved. The school holidays are just around the corner and what we would like to see is council facilities, that are often locked up and unusable during the summer months, opened up as that is when kids will want to get out there and play sport.

"The council have been quite receptive and they say they want to work with us but, as you gradually go forward, there are a few areas where they won't open up. On the whole they have worked well, though.

"I'm in charge of implementing a regional development plan and lobbying the council to invest more funds in facilities.

"But, while new facilities would be great, even opening up current facilities for longer hours would be a big help. The money you could generate from using them more often would, in many cases, cover all the costs."

Alan Miller, a senior consultant for PMR Leisure - a community sport and leisure consultancy firm which has been working as an adviser to the South East Sports Facilities Project (SESFP)- also realises the importance of opening up schools access.

The SESFP is working with City of Edinburgh Council to improve sports facilities in the city and both sides recognise that, although some progress has been made, more needs to be done to deliver quality pavilions and pitches that will drive sports participation.

The SESFP originally concentrated on the needs of football but has expanded to include other sports such as rugby and hockey.

"As well as improving pavilions and pitches, opening up schools for community use is key to delivering the capacity required to cope with increased participation in football and other sports," stressed Miller, who is also manager of Junior outfit Edinburgh United.

"We really need to make sure that school sports facilities are not lying dormant at a time when concern is being expressed about the level of inactivity and obesity amongst kids.

The work that the SFA is pushing through the Youth Action Plan, funded by the Scottish Executive through sportscotland, is making a real difference and the appointment of six Regional Development Managers and forty six Football Development Officers is having an impact. Although there has been some recent criticism in the press about the Youth Action Plan the infrastructure is now in place and we are now beginning to see the benefits.

"If the plan to encourage participation continues to be successful we will need new and improved facilities that can cope with the demand and that can only be to the benefit of the national agendas on sporting activity and improved health."

With record numbers of children now taking up the game, the race is on to ensure we have the facilities to keep up.

Honours even as season draws to a close in wonderful style
IAN MACKAY

SADLY, for me, the season in the so-called "minor grade" football finally came to an end at Olive Bank in Musselburgh where two brilliant under-17 squads of players representing Musselburgh Windsor and Hutchison Vale fought out a classic 1-1 draw in their league decider in the Lothian Buses plc-sponsored Eastern Region Youth FA.

On a glorious morning at the home of the local Junior club, this was a fantastic game of football to bring down the curtain on an exceptional season in these massive youth leagues.

I described the decider in a preview as being akin to the shootout at the OK Corral, and, yes, the kick-off was at high noon!

The shoo-tout at Olive Bank had its own famous "lawman" too, in top-class referee Bill Crombie who sent out the clear "I'll do the talking and you'll do the listening" to any of the young 'smoking guns' on the pitch.

Once authority was established the players accepted it and got on with playing football.

Following their recent 5-0 trouncing from Hutchison Vale at Wardie, Windsor made a tentative start to the decider and Vale looked much more confident.

That confident approach by the team from Edinburgh was highlighted when Robbie Dunn swept home the first goal from the edge of the 18-yard line in the 14th minute.

The goal came after a super move up the right and it gave Vale a deserved lead, but going 1-0 down produced a great response from Musselburgh Windsor. Their confidence increased and they began to show just how good a team they can be - starting to find each other with passes and they put Hutchison Vale under pressure.

Daryll Curran sliced a shot wide of the Vale goal from a good position after being set up by the hard-working Darren Flynn.

Vale's brilliant young keeper, Ryan Law, was much more involved and he was relieved when a great effort from Windsor midfielder, Danny Taylor, was deflected for a corner.

Flynn sent over a great cross into the Vale goalmouth, but Curran could not get enough on his header and the ball went over Law's crossbar.

The pressure by the Musselburgh combine paid off when Curran played a great pass to the left of the 18-yard box and Flynn came in to power the ball past Law to make it 1-1. Vale hit back, playing their trademark passing football game and Dunn was crowded out by the hard-working Windsor defence, with Keir Anderson in magnificent form. Jordan Lauder went close to restoring Vale's lead and the half-time whistle came as Vale launched another assault on the Windsor goal. The sides were still locked at 1-1 at the close of play, too, but what a great second half it was from these two cracking young sides. In a good opening spell from Vale, Omar Ali and Johnny Kelly were prominent but a massive roar went up when Sean Patterson forced the ball past Law to put Windsor 2-1 ahead - only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.

Windsor hit back again at the Vale goal and Richard Millar sent over the most perfect cross from the right, but Patterson sent a great header just over the top of the bar.

The game was more like a cup final from then on and Scott McNaughton and Dunn combined brilliantly to cause panic in the Windsor goalmouth.

The Musselburgh side then played glorious football to set up another assault on the Vale goal and the tension increased as time ran out, with both sets of players determined not to make the mistake that would have allowed their opponents to snatch a winner.

The game ended all square at 1-1, with everyone still standing, possibly bruised, at the end of a wonderful game.

The players, club officials and, I think everyone else lucky enough to be at Olive Bank to see the two teams in action, shook hands with each other in appreciation of the effort and sportsmanship from both squads representing two of the biggest and best youth football clubs in this region on Scotland.

The players did not have to play extra time or have to go through the anguish of taking part in a penalty shoot-out on this occasion - I thought it quite fitting to hear they were going to share the title.

Musselburgh Windsor: Steven Greens, Michael Fruish, Mark Moncrieff, Danny Taylor, Keith Anderson, Richard Millar, Bobby Gay, Alistair Stewart, Darren Flynn, Daryll Curran, Bradley Carnie, Lewis Mein, David Boyle, Craig Edwards, Chris Smith, Sean Paterson.

Hutchison Vale: Ryan Law, Christopher Baillie, Paul Robertson, Scott McIntosh, Jonathan Fairbairn, Scott Maxwell, Gary Ward, Callum Saffery, Jamie Blair, Omar Ali, Robbie Dunn, Jordan Lauder, Scott McNaughton, Jonathan Kelly, Daryll Fraser.

IN our Local Heroes report last week on Dalkeith CYP under-16 Eastern Region Youth FA League Cup win over Leith Athletic it was stated that Derek Curran scored the winning goal. We are happy to confirm that the scorer was, in fact, Andrew Louden.

O'Connor joy as he secures his move to Birmingham
BEN RUMSBY

GARRY O'Connor believes he has been handed the chance of a lifetime after agreeing a move to Birmingham City from Lokomotiv Moscow.

The Russian club yesterday revealed that they had sold the Scotland striker to the Barclays Premier League new boys for £2.65million, subject to a medical.

The 24-year-old, who left Hibernian for Lokomotiv in March last year, is set to sign a two-year contract, making him Birmingham manager Steve Bruce's third summer signing.

Addressing the Moscow club's fans on Lokomotiv's official website, O'Connor thanked them for their support, adding: "I also hope you understand the reason why I am leaving.

"There is only one chance in our life to play in the English Premier League - the best league in the world. It's a great opportunity for me which I would like to use."

Lokomotiv added in a statement: "Lokomotiv Moscow have come to an agreement with Birmingham City about the transfer of Lokomotiv attacker Garry O'Connor to the English club. The total fee for O'Connor is £2.65m. It is expected that after O'Connor passes his medical tests, he will sign a two-year contract with the Birmingham club."

Bruce has been desperate for new firepower to bolster his side's chances of staying in the Barclays Premier League following the return of loan forward Nicklas Bendtner to Arsenal.

He also has Cameron Jerome, DJ Campbell and Rowan Vine at his disposal but all lack top-flight experience, while Mikael Forssell has been dogged by injury problems for the past three years and a doubt remains over his future. Birmingham were unsuccessful with a bid for West Ham's Marlon Harewood earlier in the week but have been more fortunate in their attempts to sign O'Connor.

Fulham, Portsmouth and Everton were also linked with the player who scored 58 goals in 164 appearances for Hibs.

O'Connor made his debut for the Edinburgh club as a substitute in an SPL match away to Dundee in April 2000 and scored his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Celtic at Easter Road in February 2002.

He made his Scotland debut later that season under Berti Vogts, coming on for the last 15 minutes in a 2-1 defeat to Nigeria at Pittodrie, and has now scored four goals in 11 appearances for his country.

It was a lack of goals which proved to be Birmingham's Achilles heel when they were last in the Premier League two years ago. On the international front, O'Connor has been in good form recently, scoring the only goal in Scotland's friendly victory over Austria and finding the target in the 2-0 victory away to the Faroe Islands.

That followed a period of exile, which began when he was axed by former Scotland manager Walter Smith for failing to rejoin the squad after the party were given a night off ahead of a European Championship qualifier against Ukraine.

He had struggled to settle in Moscow, but signed off from Lokomotiv with the winning goal in the Russian Cup final last month. The club statement adds: "Lokomotiv FC wishes to thank the striker for his high professionalism, hard work on the field and for the goal in the Russian Cup final."

O'Connor told fans he hoped to one day return to play in front of Lokomotiv's fans. "I'll never forget the times I spent at our beautiful stadium, the support that I received on and off the field. You have all been great towards me," he said. "I'll support Lokomotiv forever and I hope that some day I'll come back to Russia to play at this beautiful stadium and see all my friends."

Hibs windfall
HIBS are set to reap the benefits of Garry O'Connor's imminent move from Lokomotiv Moscow to Birmingham City with the Easter Road club entitled to a £135,000 windfall triggered by a sell-on clause.

Lokomotiv have agreed a fee of £2.7 million for the striker with the newly-promoted Premiership outfit and senior officials at the Russian club revealed that Hibs are due five percent of the fee.

The Easter Road outfit sold O'Connor to Lokomotiv in February last year for £1.6million.

O'Connor signed a five-year deal worth around £16,000-per-week in wages.

But the striker flew to Britain last night to complete his move to Steve Bruce's team.

Henry close to quitting Arsenal for Barcelona in reported £16m deal
MASSIMO MARZOCCHI

THIERRY Henry's eight-year Arsenal career appeared over last night amid reports he has agreed to sign for Barcelona in a £16million deal.

Sources close to the Spanish club declared the Gunners captain and French World Cup winner was close to finalising a four-year contract.

Henry, Arsenal's all-time record goalscorer, admitted the shock departure of vice-chairman David Dein last season had been unsettling for everyone at the club. Manager Arsene Wenger will have no doubt tried to convince his talisman to remain at the club, confident they could again compete for honours both at home and abroad. His departure appears certain to cast further doubt on Wenger's own future at Emirates Stadium.

Henry, who succeeded Patrick Vieira as Gunners skipper two years ago, has long been linked with a move to the Nou Camp - and speculation about a move grew after Arsenal were beaten by Barca in last year's Champions League final. The 29-year-old then penned a new four-year contract and revealed he planned to spend the rest of his career with the north Londoners.

But the rumours refused to go away, growing in intensity after Henry revealed his disappointment at Dein's departure. He recently admitted he was flattered to be linked with European champions AC Milan but poured scorn on reports he had already agreed a deal with Barca.

Henry, who missed the final two months of last season through injury, said less than a fortnight ago: "Last season, people were announcing all over the place that I was leaving. Some people wrote that it would happen for sure but at the end of the day I stayed at Arsenal. It could be the same this year.

"I've not taken any decision and my name is not up on any departures board. If something happens, I will tell everybody. Nothing is done. I repeat, nothing. At this moment, I am an Arsenal player and in the same situation as I was last year."

One particular report in France prompted his agent Jerome Anderson to order legal action against the publication. Anderson refused to comment on tonight's developments, while there was also no word from Arsenal.

The news about Henry came on top of further speculation about Wenger's Gunners future, with Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon claiming the Frenchman was on their shortlist of targets should Fabio Capello leave the Bernabeu.

Wenger still has a season left of his current contract, and the board are naturally keen to agree an extension as soon as possible. However, with continued speculation over whether the 57-year-old will look to finish the work he started back at Highbury a decade ago, Real again seem ready to try to tempt Wenger to Spain. Capello - who still has two years on his contract - led Madrid to their first title in four years, but that has not stopped speculation he could leave the club.

Calderon said: "Sporting director [Predrag] Mijatovic has spoken to me about [Michael] Laudrup, [Ronald] Koeman and Wenger, among others."

Mijatovic will be central to any decision, with the club likely to announce early next week whether there will be a change in the dugout.

"We are waiting on the report from the club's sporting department," Calderon continued. "They will make recommendations as to whether Capello should continue as coach. We will decide on Monday or Tuesday."

Wenger, meanwhile, was hoping to soon be able to appoint a new director of football to share the workload of transfer dealings, which have increased on the Arsenal manager since the shock departure of Dein.

Reading's Nicky Hammond had been linked with the position, but former Arsenal player Gilles Grimandi, currently working as a scout for the Gunners in France, was understood to be a front runner

Arsenal announce Henry departure

Henry has scored a club record 226 goals in 364 games for Arsenal
Arsenal have confirmed they have reached an agreement with Barcelona for the transfer of striker Thierry Henry.
The deal, thought to be worth about £16m to the Gunners, is subject to the Frenchman, 29, passing a medical.

Barca announced on their website that they expect Henry, who joined Arsenal from Juventus in 1999, to agree terms on a four-year deal within hours.

"I still must pass a medical on Monday but yes, I have chosen Barcelona," he told French sports daily L'Equipe.


Interview: Former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira
Interview: Former Arsenal star Nigel Winterburn
Interview: Former Arsenal star Frank Stapleton

Earlier, Barcelona revealed that they were close to bringing Henry to the Nou Camp, with vice-president Ferran Soriano telling Spanish sports newspaper Marca that talks were at an "advanced" stage.

Soriano added it was "the wish of all parties" for an agreement to be reached for the transfer of Henry.

This is solely my decision, no-one has forced me to do anything

Thierry Henry

He also insisted that Barcelona waited for the green light from Arsenal before making a move for the France international, who is the club's all-time record goalscorer.

"We don't want to point a gun at anybody," said Soriano. "We have good relationships with the European clubs."

Henry, who only agreed a lucrative new deal with Arsenal 12 months ago, also confirmed his exit in The Sun newspaper.

In an open letter, he blamed the shock departure of Gunners vice-chairman David Dein and continuing doubts over the future of manager Arsene Wenger as the main reasons for his decision to leave.

"Arsene has been part of my life for as long as I can remember," he wrote.

"Unfortunately and understandably, he has said that at this moment he will not commit to the club past the expiration of his current deal, which finishes at the end of the coming season.

"I respect his decision and his honesty but I will be 31 at the end of next season and I cannot take the chance to be there without Arsene Wenger and David Dein.

Do you think this is a good deal for Arsenal?

"This is solely my decision, no-one has forced me to do anything and I will represent myself in this transaction. I feel it is something I just had to do."

Henry, who has also been linked with European champions AC Milan, has also revealed why he decided to move to the Nou Camp ahead of other possible destinations.

"Barcelona are a wonderful club steeped in tradition and play beautiful football. I'm sure I will be very happy there," he continued.

"But I will miss the Arsenal fans dearly, they have supported me through thick and thin.

"They will always be in my heart, as will all the fans who make the game here so special. I will always have a special bond with Arsenal Football Club."

Arsenal's 1971 League and FA Cup winning captain Frank McLintock was surprised Henry cited former vice-chairman Dein as a reason for leaving.

He said: "I can't see the relevance of David Dein's departure. I don't know how a player can get caught up with a director's departure and that making a difference to a player's performance.

"I'm sure he was a great ally to Arsene Wenger but I don't see how a player comes into contact with a director day after day.

"I've never heard such talk in my life before."

The Scot, however, was lavish in his praise of Henry's performances throughout his Arsenal career.

He added: "He's probably been the finest player Arsenal have ever had so you can't dismiss five or six great seasons that he gave us.

"I think the fans should leave with a warm feeling for Thierry Henry. He deserves it - he has been magnificent."


Frenchman Henry has been linked to Barcelona for some time

Henry began his career as a winger with Monaco in 1994 - under the supervision of current Arsenal boss Wenger.

He was in France's 1998 World Cup-winning squad and went on to join Juventus the following season.

But his time in Turin was a largely unsuccessful one and the player was soon heading to north London, with Wenger keen to get the best out of the prodigious talent.

The France international has since blossomed into one of the greatest talents in world football.

He helped Arsenal to two league titles and three FA Cups and led the Gunners to the finals of the 2000 Uefa Cup and 2006 Champions League.

In February 2006, he became the first Arsenal player to score over 200 goals for the club, with a strike against Birmingham, and has bagged a club record 226 goals in 364 appearances for the Gunners.

His consistency in front of goal ensured he finished as the Premier League's top scorer on four occasions.

He has won the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year title on two occasions and the football writers' player of the year three times. He has also twice finished runner-up in the Fifa world player of the year.

Tantrums and technology
By Nick Crowther

Paul Hawkins hopes not to make the headlines at Wimbledon

Changing the persona of a tennis player - it's not something Paul Hawkins probably considered when he first came up with the idea for Hawk-Eye.

But, as his invention prepares to be used in an official capacity at Wimbledon for the first time, could we be witnessing another example of technology bringing about social change?

Tennis has certainly moved on since 1981, when John McEnroe had his infamous tantrums in SW19 with cries of "You cannot be serious!"

But to some it is exactly those personalities that make sport special and it has revived the question: Is technology taking the fun out of the sport?

"I think most people who air those views these days are people that haven't watched Hawk-Eye in action," insists Hawkins.


I like the use of Hawk-Eye because simply it brings justice to tennis

"Because what you tend to see is players still expressing their personalities, but you actually just see a nicer side.

"You often get a joke at the end of a challenge and that's the side of the players that, I think, fans want to see."

Hawk-Eye have been preparing in SW19 for over two weeks

Hawk-Eye has been used to challenge calls at tournaments, including the US and Australian Open, for 15 months.

At its grass-court debut at Queen's, players were allowed an extra challenge per set (three instead of two).

But Hawkins, who was told of the change by the International Tennis Federation a few days beforehand, is confident the system won't be abused.

"I don't think the fact it's grass and they've got an extra challenge has really changed things much at all.

"Even when we've done Davis Cup matches, when it's unlimited, the players kind of govern themselves - they don't want to challenge when they know the call was correct."

What Hawkins has noticed is the tactical use of the challenges.

"Generally you find there's more towards the end of a set because it matters more then and you don't need to worry about saving some for later in the set - use them now or don't have them," he added.

Fans pay their money because they're the best players in the world, not the best arguers in the world

Paul Hawkins

And there are factors to take into account on grass courts rather than hard courts.

"The part of the ball which touches the ground on a grass court is a fair bit wider than on other courts because the ball sinks into the grass before there's any force back up against it," Hawkins explained.

"Grass is eight millimetres long so you end up with wider marks and the system takes that into account. But, unlike clay and hard courts, there isn't really a mark that players can go and have a look at."

In the end, it is quite simple for Hawkins.

"Our role is to stop line-calling ever being a story, so the papers are writing about the quality of the play rather than about the officiating," he said.

"For most people who watch tennis, they want to see tennis, they don't want to see players arguing with umpires and line judges.

"The fans pay their money because they're the best players in the world, not the best arguers in the world."