Japan Football Association General Secretary KOHZO TASHIMA will join FIFA VP HRH Prince ALI BIN AL-HUSSEIN to debate about the future of football in Asia at the Leaders in Football conference at Chelsea FC on October 10 and 11. Other high profile attendees include: PSG CEO JEAN CLAUDE BLANC, FA Non-Exec Dir HEATHER RABBATTS, Sky Sports Managing Dir BARNEY FRANCIS, MLS Commissioner DON GARBER, Seattle Sounders owner ADRIAN HANAUER, Portland Timbers owner MERRITT PAULSON, CONCACAF President JEFFREY WEBB, AC Milan Organizing Dir UMBERTO GANDINI, UEFA Exec Committee member KAREN ESPELUND (AROUNDTHERINGS.com, 8/1). ... Doping Control Review Board member Dr. BRIAN SANDO died on Aug. 4 at the age of 76. Sando was one of the most respected and experienced sports medicine doctors in Australia and a well-known expert in the area of anti-doping programs (FINA). ... A slew of British celebrities took to Twitter to congratulate ANDY MURRAY on his victory over ROGER FEDERER to claim the Gold Medal in singles tennis. Actor EWAN MCGREGOR wrote, "Gold Gold Gold Gold! Beautifully play Andy Murray!" Star Trek actor SIMON PEGG tweeted, "Andy Murray wins Gold!!!!! Oh good god could this nation's pride gland swell to a greater tumescence than that with which it throbs now?!!!" CNN host PIERS MORGAN added, "Booooo!!!! Fantastic! Gold for Murray. Team GB." Actress EMMA WATSON, comedians EDDIE IZZARD and DAVID WALLIAMS and singer ALEXANDRA BURKE also tweeted their "excitement and pride at Murray's victory" (CONTACTMUSIC.com, 8/5). ... Former Smiths singer MORRISSEY sent an open letter to members of his fan club attacking the "blustering jingoism" of the London Games. This comes "just a week after he criticised the Olympics on stage in Manchester" because they failed to include the Smiths in the Opening Ceremony music. Morrissey said the Games have created a situation in which "the spirit of 1939 Germany now pervades throughout media-brand Britain" (London GUARDIAN, 8/6). ... During an interview with Izaskun Ruiz of TVE following his 100m Gold Medal, USAIN BOLT "interrupted the reporter" to give respect to the U.S. national anthem that was playing in the background in honor of the 400m champion SANYA RICHARDS-ROSS (MARCA, 8/6).
