YOKOHAMA RUBBER SIGN A £4OM PER YEAR SHIRT DEAL WITH CHELSEA

Chelsea Football Club unveiled The Yokohama Rubber Company Ltd as their new Official Shirt Partner in our largest-ever commercial deal. This places Chelsea right at the top of European football, with one of the biggest shirt sponsorships ever signed.
 Manchester United's seven-year deal with US car brand Chevrolet remains the biggest, worth around £50m per year.
Chelsea are top of the Premier League and are in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Chelsea's partnership with one of the world’s leading tyre manufacturers is for an initial term of five years and begins at the start of the 2015/16 season. It will see the Yokohama brand appearing on all of Chelsea shirts from their first team to youth teams.



The agreement was formally concluded today when the Chairman of Yokohama, Tadanobu Nagumo (pictured second left) and CEO Hideto Katsuragawa (far left), flew in from Tokyo, Japan to appear in an official launch photoshoot with Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho and Captain John Terry.
‘It is an absolute pleasure to welcome Yokohama as our new Official Shirt Partner and we look forward to a successful relationship with them,’ said Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck.
‘Chelsea and Yokohama are a perfect fit. Both are global organisations with a focus on performance and innovation, as well as having huge ambition and an unwavering culture of success.
‘We believe that Yokohama will play a key role in helping us drive our global expansion in international markets such as the US, where they have operated with distinction for many years. Also, of course, Chelsea having such an esteemed and historic Japanese company as our partner enables us to accelerate our development in their home market too.
‘We are also looking forward to working with Yokohama on our community projects around the world through the Chelsea Foundation, when together we can use the power of sport as a force for good.
‘I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Samsung, with whom we have had a successful and rewarding relationship since 2005. Chelsea has demonstrated through that 10-year partnership that we can play a critical role in helping our partners achieve their global growth objectives. We look forward to accomplishing similar success with Yokohama.’
Mr Nagumo, Chairman and CEO of The Yokohama Rubber Company Ltd, said: ‘This shirt partnership with Chelsea will give Yokohama an opportunity to showcase our company to a huge worldwide audience thanks to Chelsea’s ever-growing popularity. We see our partnership with Chelsea as an integral part of our global expansion plans as we enter Phase IV of our Grand Design 100 plan. We look forward to launching our iconic new Chelsea Yokohama shirt this summer.’
Last season Chelsea FC was the most watched Premier League team on television worldwide, with over 31,000 broadcast hours. Chelsea is now one of the most recognised and influential sports brands in the world with more than 500 million fans.
Today's agreement launches the club into a new era of innovative commercial partnerships. This will underpin Chelsea’s strategy to be one of Europe’s leading football clubs with a self-financing model which is fully compliant with the UEFA Financial Fair Play rules.
The Yokohama Rubber Company Ltd is a Tokyo Stock Exchange listed public company. Founded in 1917, Yokohama will soon be celebrating 100 years of experience in tyre manufacturing.
In addition to tyre expertise, Yokohama uses its technology for industrial, construction, marine and aerospace products as well as golf equipment.
Yokohama’s global business employs over 20,000 people in more than 120 countries, working across manufacturing, sales and servicing.
Yokohama’s Grand Design 100 Management Plan was launched in 2006 and covers a 12-year period that includes their corporate centennial in 2017. The plan comprises four three-year segments, each focused on a strategic theme to maximize customer value and expand the company’s global scope. Yokohama are now just entering the fourth and final phase which focuses on growth of annual net sales, annual operating income and operating profit margin.

LIVERPOOL AND TOTTENHAM CRASH OUT OF UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

English Premier League sides Liverpool and Tottenham both crashed out of the Europa League after defeats in their second legs of the round of 32 on Thursday.
Everton won easily to reach the round of 16, while Italian sides had a good day with Fiorentina, Napoli, Roma, Inter and Torino all advancing.
Besiktas defeated Liverpool 5-4 on penalties as Dejan Lovren's spot-kick flared over the bar after their two legs finished 1-1 on aggregate.
The hosts won the second leg 1-0 after extra time, Tolgay Arslan scoring the equaliser in the 73rd minute after Liverpool's 1-0 victory in the first leg.
Besiktas very nearly won in second-half stoppage time but a late strike stayed out after crashing against the underside of the crossbar.
Liverpool's Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Emre Can and Joe Allen all put away their penalties before Lovren's stike missed the net by a good 10 yards.
Tottenham crashed out of the Europa League in the round of 32 with a 2-0 defeat at Fiorentina on Thursday.
Fiorentina held a slim advantage on away goals after a 1-1 draw in the first leg, and second-half goals from Mario Gomez and Mohamed Salah ensured the hosts a spot in the round of 16.
Roberto Soldado had a chance to give Spurs the lead but decided to pass out to Nacer Chadli when through one-on-one, only for the under-hit ball to be easily gathered by Fiorentina goalkeeper Neto.
Milan Badel played through Gomez to fire home the opener after 54 minute. Spurs, who saw goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez sent off, were punished once again as Jan Vertonghen was dispossessed by Salah and the Chelsea loanee lashed home in the 71st minute.
Everton are the only Premier League team remaining in the competition. The Toffees are through to the last 16 with a 3-1 defeat of Young Boys at Goodison Park completing a 7-2 aggregate victory.
Sekou Sanogo opened the scoring for the hosts, but two first-half goals from Romelu Lukaku -- one from the penalty spot -- ended any chance the Swiss side had of overturning their deficit from the first leg.
Kevin Mirallas also scored before the half to complete the rout.
Inter Milan used a late goal from Fredy Guarin to win 1-0 and seal a 4-3 aggregate victory over Celtic at the San Siro.
The Scottish champions were holding their own until defender Virgil van Dijk was dismissed in the 36th minute after picking up two yellow cards.
Celtic never came close to finding the goal they needed and Guarin drilled in a wonderful strike with two minutes remaining.
Roma prevailed with a 2-1 win to advance past Feyenoord 3-2 on aggregate in a second leg that was halted for about 25 minutes after Mitchell te Vrede was sent off for the hosts.
Roma led 1-0 in the 55th minute when Te Vrede was dismissed for a late challenge. As the home fans threw objects on the pitch in protest, French referee Clement Turpin then stopped play and the players returned to their dressing rooms.
Two minutes after play resumed, Elvis Manu equalised for 10-man Feyenoord, but Gervinho then scored to restore Roma's lead.
In the first half, Gervinho was apparently the target as a large inflatable banana was thrown on the pitch. Turpin spoke to Roma's striker and both managers but play continued at that point.
Sevilla prevailed 3-2 in a high-scoring affair at Borussia Moenchengladbach to advance 4-2 on aggregate.
An own goal from Gladbach defender Martin Stranzl in the eighth minute put Sevilla in control.
Granit Xhaka resonded with a goal for the hosts in the 19th minute, only for Vitolo to restore the lead seven minutes later.
Thorgan Hazard scored shortly afterward to bring Glad back in it, but Xhaka was sent off in the second half, and Vitola added his second 10 minutes later to make the lead two on aggregate and put the game away.
Jonathan De Guzman scored in the first half as Napoli defeated Trabzonspor 1-0 to complete a 5-0 aggregate victory.
On 19 minutes, Hakan Arikan saved from Jose Callejon but no one picked up De Guzman on the rebound and the former Swansea man put into an empty net.
Leading PSV through Hulk's first-leg goal, Zenit won the return 3-0 on their home patch with another goal from the Brazilian and two from striker Salomon Rondon to advance 4-0 on aggregate.
Hulk cut in from the left before arrowing an unstoppable right-footed shot into the far top corner from 25 yards.
PSV missed a second-half penalty as they were unable to replicate their form in the domestic arena, where they lead second-placed Ajax by 14 points.
A brace from Luciano Vietto led Villarreal's 3-1 victory at Salzburg as the Spanish side advanced 5-2 on aggregate.
Vietto answered Marco Djuricin's opener for Salzburg to put the visitors in control, and back-to-back strikes from Vietto and Giovani dos Santos in the second half put the match away.
Torino got the better of a back-and-forth battle in torrential rain to eliminate Athletic Bilbao, 3-2 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate.
The Serie A side twice saw their lead pegged back but finally prevailed.
Fabio Quagliarella's penalty, Maxi Lopez's header and Matteo Darmian's eventual winner ensured Andoni Iraola's excellent goal and one from Oscar De Marcos were in vain.
Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik scored twice as Ajax won 3-0 to put away Legia Warsaw 4-0 on aggregate.
After Milik opened the scoring after 11 minutes, Nick Viergever doubled the advantage two minutes later to greatly end the match as a contest.
Dinamo Moscow came from behind to beat Anderlecht 3-1 after a goalless first leg and head into the last 16.
Aleksandar Mitrovic had put the Belgians in front after 28 minutes but a fine strike from Aleksei Kozlov levelled it two minutes into the second half before Artur Yusupov tidied up from Aleksandr Kokorin's penalty miss in the 64th minute.
Kevin Kuranyi then wrapped it up with a strike in the fifth minute of time added on.
Dynamo Kiev rallied from a first leg deficit to beat Guingamp 3-1 in the home leg, prevailing 4-3 on aggregate.
Lukasz Teodorczyk put the hosts ahead in the 31st minute, and Vitaly Buyalsky made the lead comfortable just after half-time.
Though Christophe Mandanne responded for the French side in the 66th minute, Oleg Gusev's penalty sealed the victory in the 75th minute.
Wolfsburg repelled a string of Sporting Lisbon attacks to reach the last 16 with a goalless draw in Portugal.
With a 2-0 aggregate lead from the first leg, Wolfsburg focused their efforts on keeping Sporting at bay and could thank goalkeeper Diego Benaglio for making a string of saves to frustrate the hosts.
Dnipro booked their place in the next round with a 2-2 draw at 10-man Olympiakos, advancing 4-2 on aggregate.
Dnipro had the cushion of a 2-0 home win heading into the match at Karaiskakis Stadium and twice came from behind to ensure parity in the return leg.
First-half goals from Kostas Mitroglou and Artem Fedetskiy cancelled each other out and, after Luka Milivojevic's 51st-minute red card, both sides scored again at the death.
Club Brugge cruised into the last 16 by winning 3-0 on the night and racking up a 6-1 aggregate victory over Aalborg.
Victor Vazquez ensured the reigning Superliga champions had everything to do with an early opener and second-half goals from Obbi Oulare and Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo rubber-stamped a comprehensive 3-0 win on the night.

BOMB FOUND AT BORUSSIA DORTMUND STADIUM

An unexploded Second World War bomb has been discovered close to Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park ground. 

The 550lb device, reported by Germany's international broadcaster DW as being of British origin, was found on Thursday.
The discovery came just hours before Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp was due to give a news conference ahead of Saturday's derby against Schalke.
The 80,720-capacity stadium and the surrounding area was evacuated.
"It is not yet known how long the stadium area will remain off limits," Dortmund, who shut their Fan World space and club museum, said in a brief statement.
The bomb was found at a parking area to the west of the Signal Iduna Park and was discovered after viewing aerial photographs.
Unexploded World War II ordnance is a relatively common occurrence in Germany where several million tonnes of bombs were dropped during the war by Allied and Soviet forces.
The city of Dortmund suffered extensive destruction during bombing raids.

REAL MADRID HAVE 450 MILLION FANS

News from Spanish capital Madrid says that Real Madrid have 450 million fans across the globe. 
More visitors to Real Madrid's website come from the United States than any other country, according to the club's director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno.

 

Madrid have focused much of their global marketing efforts on the United States in recent years, with the first team visiting various American cities for preseason training and games in each of the last six summers, most recently playing in California, Texas and Michigan in the 2014 International Champions Cup.
Such work on the ground appears to be paying off, with the former Madrid striker -- one of the club's greatest ever players -- telling a publicity event in the Spanish capital that the U.S. topped the list when it came to international visitors to its official club site.
"The first country for visits to our website is the USA," Butragueno said. "Then Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia and India."
Butragueno said Madrid were also huge on social networks, with Indonesia having the most Facebook fans and Colombia the most Twitter followers.
"173 million of our fans follow us [on social media]," Butragueno said. "On Facebook we have 108 million -- Indonesia is the leader with eight million. On Twitter, the countries which follow Madrid most are Colombia, Mexico and Indonesia."
It was claimed that the club's own research showed that around six percent of the world's current population were supporters of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Iker Casillas and company, with Madrid fans in 186 of the world's 193 countries.
"According to our research, we can speak about 450 million fans throughout the world," Butragueno said.
The comments were made at an event in the Spanish capital headlined "Madrid without borders." Mariano Lopez, director of Spanish magazine Viajar (Travel), told those present that no matter where he went in the world he saw evidence of Madrid's global reach.
"In the Burmese jungle, in a dispensary run by Buddhist monks, I go in and I see [Madrid midfielder Toni] Kroos on the television," Lopez recalled. "It turned out they were showing the Spanish Supercopa and the monk had been watching a repeat."

FABIO CANNAVARO APPEALS JAIL SENTENCE

Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro has appealed a 10-month jail sentence for entering a villa of his after it had been seized by authorities.

Fabio Cannavaro retired in 2011 but is a giant of the Italian game. 

Cannavaro, 41, had the residence in Posillipo taken back in 2009 amid an investigation into fraudulent activity involving the former Juventus and Real Madrid defender and his partner.
The Guardia di Finanza (fiscal police) in Naples had ordered the villa be seized due to the investigation that has barred the current head coach of Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande from accessing the property and also saw a yacht worth 180,000 euros taken by the authorities.
According to reports in Italy, including I1 Giornale, Cannavaro gained access to the villa without permission and spent time bathing in its swimming pool.
His partner, Daniela Arenoso, has also been sentenced to four months behind bars with Cannavaro's brother Paolo, a defender for Serie A side Sassuolo, given a six-month jail sentence. All three have appealed and will have their sentences suspended until the appeal is heard.
A separate investigation into the building of the villa without the necessary planning permission was archived several years ago.
Cannavaro retired in 2011 and worked as a pundit for ITV at the World Cup. He won the 2006 Ballon d'Or trophy after helping Italy to win the World Cup and also claimed two La Liga titles in a career that took in time at Napoli, Parma, Internazionale, Juventus and Dubai-based Al-Ahli.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN PIPS ATLETICO MADRID

Hakan Calhanoglu gave Bayer Leverkusen victory in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against last year's finalists Atletico Madrid. 

 

Hakan Calhanoglu scored his second Champions League goal this season  

Calhanoglu scored the only goal on 57 minutes, firing into the top of the net after Karim Bellarabi's backheel.
Atletico had midfielder Tiago sent off for a foul on Bellarabi - his second booking - and had a goal ruled out.
Fernando Torres thought he had scored with a header following a corner, but the ball had already gone out of play. 
The result means the tie remains in the balance ahead of the second leg at Atletico's Vicente Calderon on 17 March.
Leverkusen have won just one of their past five Bundesliga matches and none of their previous seven Champions League knockout games.
But the German side, who finished second to Monaco in Group C, started well and nearly took the lead on 14 minutes when Emir Spahic's header was hacked off the line by Mario Mandzukic.
Spahic, who replaced suspended Turkey international Omer Toprak in Leverkusen's defence, beat Miguel Moya again 11 minutes later, but his 25-yard drive struck the woodwork.
Atletico, who had lost just one of their previous nine away games in the competition, were outfought for much of the first half.
But Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno was forced to tip a cross off Antoine Griezmann's head and then pull off a wonderful save from Tiago's volley as the interval approached. 
It was the hosts who took the lead, though, as Bellarabi drove into the area and backheeled the ball into the path of Calhanoglu, who smashed home.
Atletico boss Diego Simeone, who had to make two substitutions in the first half, responded by replacing Arda Turan with former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Torres.
The Spaniard had the ball in the Leverkusen net on 74 minutes, only for his close-range header to be ruled out.
And the Spanish champions' hopes of a comeback were all but ended when they were reduced to 10 men moments later, with Tiago shown his second yellow card after sliding in on Bellarabi.

MONACO STUNS ARSENAL AT EMIRATES STADIUM

The hopes of English Premier League side Arsenal of reaching the quarter-finals of the Uefa Champions League for the first time since 2010 suffered a stunning blow as they slumped to a shock 3-1 home defeat by Monaco. 

Geoffrey Kondogbia gained possession 13 times in the match, more often than any other player on the pitch

The Gunners looked to have been handed a favourable draw but a display that plumbed the depths of incompetence and naivety leaves them facing a last-16 exit once more.
Monaco, resilient at the back and capable of punishing Arsenal's shoddy defence, took the lead in the first half through Geoffrey Kondogbia's deflected shot.
To add insult to injury, former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov added the second just after the break. There was even time for Arsenal to cast away the lifeline substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's stoppage-time goal had given them as they were caught hopelessly on the counter once more as Yannick Ferreira Carrasco added a third goal.
As Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim did a Jose Mourinho-style celebration sprint down the touchline,  Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger looked crestfallen and no wonder.
This stage has become Arsenal's perennial stumbling block but Wenger would have had high hopes of clearing the hurdle against his former club, even though they had lost only once in their last 17 games. 
But Arsenal were devoid of ideas and when they did create chances they fell to the hapless, and on this night hopeless, Olivier Giroud, who missed every one that came his way.
The eternal optimist Wenger will still believe they can escape from this hazardous position - but they will need to produce something on a different level from this dreadful performance to complete the salvage job.
After a bright opening in which Danny Welbeck threatened and Arsenal had a penalty claim ignored when Wallace appeared to handle, Monaco kept the Gunners at bay in relative comfort.
As Arsenal's frustration grew, Monaco felt confident enough to move forward with increased ambition and the away goal they would have craved came seven minutes before the break.
Welbeck conceded possession and as Joao Moutinho moved forward he found the impressive Kondogbia, whose 25-yard shot took a decisive deflection off Per Mertesacker to leave keeper David Ospina helpless.
Giroud had been presented with Arsenal's best opportunities but time and again the striker failed to hit the target. In the first half he scooped Hector Bellerin's cross over then he turned Alexis Sanchez's cross wide from six yards.
And how Arsenal paid the price for his profligacy and their own defensive naivety as Monaco doubled their lead after 53 minutes. From their own attack, Mertesacker in particular deserted his defensive post leaving Anthony Martial free to set up the unmarked Berbatov, who steadied himself before thumping a finish high past Ospina.
Giroud's night got worse when he somehow tapped a simple finish over the top after keeper Danijel Subasic fumbled Sanchez's shot - and with the fury of Arsenal's fans ringing in his ears, it was a merciful release when he was replaced by Theo Walcott on the hour.
As Emirates Stadium emptied, Oxlade-Chamberlain, on for Francis Coquelin, curled in a goal from 20 yards that at least offered Arsenal some sort of hope for the second leg.
It was typical of how poor they were, however, that they somehow found themselves caught upfield once more to allow the speedy Ferreira-Carrasco to race clear and beat Ospina for what could be the decisive blow.

FIFA RULES OUT COMPENSATION TO UNHAPPY CLUBS FOR 2022 WINTER WORLD CUP

Fifa says it will not pay compensation to clubs and leagues unhappy about plans to play the 2022 Qatar World Cup in November and December. 

                

It also said no apology was necessary for the scheduling of the tournament, which will disrupt a number of leagues.
 A Fifa taskforce has recommended the 2022 World Cup take place in winter to avoid Qatar's hot summer temperatures. 
"There will be no compensation," said Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke. "There are seven years to reorganise."  
seven years to reorganise."
Fifa's executive committee will meet in Zurich next month to ratify the taskforce's recommendation.
Valcke also suggested that a 2022 World Cup final on 23 December was looking increasingly likely.
 Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore says a final that close to Christmas will cause havoc with the traditional festive club programme, while Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce wants it played a week earlier.
But Valcke says European governing body Uefa and other confederations are keen on Friday, 23 December, although 18 December is also a possibility.
Valcke also confirmed the 2022 World Cup will be four days shorter as a "concession" to leagues and clubs - 28 days instead of the usual 31 or 32 - and that the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will move to June from January.

UEFA PURNISH ROMANIA'S STEAUA BUCHAREST FOR RACISM

Romanian club, Steaua Bucharest have been told by Uefa to play their next two home European matches behind closed doors following the racist behaviour of their fans. 

Steaua's fans unveiled a racist banner at their Europa League match against Dynamo Kiev in Bucharest in December. 
Uefa purnished the Romanian club for what was the third instance of racism from their supporters this season.
They were also fined €20,000 (£14,668) for two further offences: setting off fireworks and use of a laser pointer.
Steaua were knocked out of this season's Europa League at the group stage and the stadium ban will therefore come into effect next season.
The first racist incidents were at a Champions League qualifying round match against Stromsgodset of Norway.
They were then purnished for racism and other offenses in a Champions League playoff against Ludogorets Razgrad, and supporters were subsequently banned from attending their match against Aalborg on 18 September last year.