Argentina's "Fútbol para Todos" ("Football for All") program, which provides Argentine citizens with free TV viewing of football, "keeps giving people something to discuss." Commentator MARCELO ARAUJO has left the program. Araujo: "There is no turning back" (LOS ANDES, 3/26). ... News Corp. Chair & CEO RUPERT MURDOCH "has taken a big step in the succession planning of his media empire by appointing his sons LACHLAN and JAMES to top roles." Lachlan, 42, will be Non-Exec co-Chair of 21st Century Fox and News Corp, and James, 41, will become co-COO of 21st Century Fox, reporting to company President & COO CHASE CAREY, but "sharing many responsibilities with him." The brothers "were already directors of both companies." There "is no new role" for daughter ELISABETH MURDOCH (FINANCIAL TIMES, 3/26). ... SEBASTIAN VETTEL and MISSY FRANKLIN were "the big winners" at the Laureus World Sport Awards, picking up the World Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards, respectively. Vettel, at only 26, "became the youngest four-time Formula One world champion last year." He beat out USAIN BOLT, MO FARAH (athletics), LEBRON JAMES (basketball), RAFAEL NADAL (tennis) and CRISTIANO RONALDO (football) for the top prize. Franklin, meanwhile, picked up the Sportswoman of the Year award, beating off the challenge of SHELLY-ANN-FRASER-PRYCE, YELENA ISINBAYEVA (athletics), TINA MAZE (skiing), NADINE ANGERER (football) and SERENA WILLIAMS (THE STAR, 3/27). ... Wasserman Media Group announced that British Super Middleweight boxer GEORGE GROVES has joined the agency. Groves will rematch CARL FROCH for the WBA and IBF world titles at a sold-out Wembley stadium on May 31. Wasserman "will be responsible for developing his commercial & PR opportunities." He joins unbeaten ANTHONY OGOGO, whose management was shortlisted for the BT Sport Industry Awards, in the agency's boxing division (BOXING NEWS, 3/26). ... Dynamo Moscow's OLEG ZNAROK "has been appointed head coach of the Russian national hockey team after the country's quarterfinal exit at the Sochi Olympics." Former Russia coach ZINETULA BILYALETDINOV was fired in the wake of the defeat to Finland on home ice, which President Vladimir Putin this week called a "serious disappointment" (R-SPORT, 3/26). ... Former F1 chief doctor GARY HARTSTEIN said there have been “serious lapses of judgment” in MICHAEL SCHUMACHER’s care and that the former world champion "will never recover." Hartstein, F1 sport’s chief doctor between '05-12, said he had information from “usually impeccable sources” that Schumacher’s care had been mismanaged. He did not reveal what the "medical mismanagement was" (London DAILY MAIL, 3/26). ... Former India captain JUDE FELIX "has been appointed" as coach of the senior men's national field hockey team. He "is appointed on a probationary period of three months with the senior men hockey team" (PTI, 3/26).
