Russian LNG behemoth coming to B.C. in 2015

Gazprom is coming to British Columbia. 

Not to buy liquefied natural gas -- Premier Christy Clark’s much-ballyhooed elixir for the future of the debt-laden province -- but instead to sponsor the biggest sport final in Canada since the 2010 Winter Olympics' men's hockey gold medal match.

On Sept. 14 in the Winter Olympic city of Sochi, as Russian president Vladimir Putin looked-on, the world’s biggest LNG company inked a deal to become the official oil, gas and fuel sponsor of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. 

The agreement runs 2015 to 2018 and is connected to Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup. 

The 2015 Women’s World Cup, FIFA’s second-biggest tournament, is coming to Canada June 6 to July 5, 2015. The championship final will be played at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver. 

That means Gazprom’s logo will be seen on the pitch-level advertising boards and executives of Russia’s largest corporation will have the opportunity to enjoy a level 3 hospitality suite. The 2015 Women’s World Cup will be the biggest yet, with 24 nations represented, and matches in six Canadian cities. 

Gazprom claims 18% of the world's natural gas reserves and to be the producer of 14% of the world’s LNG. Gazprom was once poised to export Russian LNG to the U.S., but the advent of fracking meant the U.S. didn’t need it. The Kremlin-backed company has staked its future on a pipeline to China. Gazprom signed an agreement to supply China National Petroleum Corporation on Sept. 5 at the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg. Witnesses included Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping. Gazprom is also in talks to export Russian LNG to South Korea and Japan.

Clark will lead another trade junket to China, Japan and South Korea to flog B.C. LNG from Nov. 21-Dec. 3. (Academic research shows trade missions don't actually increase trade, but that's another story for another day.)

What happens to the investment of both private and public money in B.C. to develop an LNG industry if Gazprom meets China’s needs and if the Chinese find ample reserves of their own? What happens if Gazprom also finds buyers in South Korea and Japan? 

The word "shutout" comes to mind.

Is this the Women's World Cup Canada 2015 logo?

The eyes of the women's soccer world will be on Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium on Dec. 14 where the logo for the FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 will be unveiled during a live TSN.ca webcast at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern.

B.C. Place is one of six host venues for the expanded 24-nation tournament and is in the running to host the championship final for the planet's biggest women's sport tournament. (That announcement is expected sometime in the spring of 2013.)

A non-coloured logo with the Canada 2015 word mark, however, is already on public view on the website for the Canadian Intellectual Property Office's Trade-marks Database. 

The website says the trademark was filed Nov. 29 by Smart & Biggar of Ottawa on behalf of FIFA. The logo on the CIPO page features a stylized, 11-point maple leaf with feathers, rays of light, trees, and mountains inside. A female figure is in the foreground, with arms raised in victory, above the Canada 2015 word mark. 

To say the list of goods and services to which the logo may be attached is exhaustive would be an understatement. The last items on the list of wares are "cigarettes; tobacco." 

Hey, wait a second, FIFA… 

The FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 logo? 

UPDATE (Dec. 14): Yes, indeed that is the logo. Here it is in better detail and in living colour.

Facts about the logo, from the organizing committee:

• The inspiration or the design comes from Canada's national motto "A Mari Usque Ad Mare", which means "From coast to coast"
• The unmistakable iconic maple leaf forms the basis of the Official Emblem design and in itself transports a strong sense of national pride and heritage. In a way the maple leaf may be seen to represent the country outline
• Three sections contain elements that are open to interpretation but present Canada as a multicultural nation, showcasing both national and urban environments - the ocean, mountains, cityscapes and flora and fauna
• There are eight elements which comprise the Official Look of a multifaceted Canada - Coast; Sky, Ice & Cityscape; Ambition & Mountains; Modernity & Urbanism; Pride & Honour; Water, Ocean & Inspiration; Celebration & Fans; Passion & Innovation
• At the heart of the maple leaf stands a figure, a victory pose. As the stem and vein of leaf, it symbolizes not only the energy of the Canadian nation in hosting this prestigious competition but also awakens a sense of hope, joy and friendship
• The Official Emblem is designed within the FIFA brand architecture

Women's World Cup is coming to Vancouver

Soccer, on the front lawn of Parliament Hill in Ottawa?

You bet. A girls youth friendly match is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time May 4. before Canadian Soccer Association president Dominic Maestracci and FIFA president Sepp Blatter unveil the list of cities to host matches for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

One of the cities will be Vancouver. But you'll have to wait a bit longer to find out whether it hosts a semi-final, bronze medal match and/or the championship final.

"The schedule will be released in the second half of 2012," said CSA communications manager Michele Dion.

B.C. Place Stadium's only serious competition for the final is Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. Olympic Stadium in Montreal is a darkhorse. Toronto will be hosting the 2015 Pan American Games, so BMO Field and Rogers Centre will be off limits. The British Columbia government committed $2 million of taxpayers funds to the CSA to bring matches to Vancouver. We do not know the full cost to taxpayers for the tournament. The federal government has promised at least $15 million.

B.C. Soccer Association executive director Bjorn Osieck will be there, as part of a delegation of seven from the west coast for the weekend's annual general meeting. Maestracci faces a leadership challenge, as Canada's four professional clubs are backing candidate Rob Newman in the May 5 election. The SBC Insurance CEO, formerly from Saskatchewan, has been a CSA vice-president since 2006 and chairs the governance committee.

The CSA will be patting itself on the back all weekend over so-called governance reforms. It's still an organization that has not met the challenge of transparency. If it really wants the public to believe in reform, the best, first step would be to release a financial report. Until then, it'll be up to us in the media to pay $5 to the government under the Access to Information Act to get a copy.

Dion said Blatter will stay for the Saturday AGM and banquet. Will it be his last visit to Canada? Blatter is serving his third and final term as FIFA president after his 2011 re-election. The world's soccer governing body is under fire for allegations of widespread corruption.

Exclusive: Transparency 1 Canadian soccer secrecy 0

The FIFA Independent Governance Committee tabled its first report March 30 to FIFA at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Read a Forbes summary here. The full report, by Mark Pieth (with input from Canadians Alexandra Wrage and James Klotz), is here. FIFA's procedures are diplomatically described as "insufficient."

FIFA's response is best described as "baby steps." Transparency International issued this statement slamming FIFA for not immediately accepting and acting on all the recommendations. We're still no closer to finding out the story behind the ISL bribery scandal, despite well-respected Pieth urging FIFA publish the documents.

FIFA's 2011 financial report shows a $36 million profit based on revenue of $1.07 billion and expenses of $1.034 billion.

Meanwhile, closer to home, CONCACAF has announced that there is only one candidate to become the organization's next president. Jeffrey Webb, a banker from the Cayman Islands, will fill the post left vacant when bribery suspect Jack Warner quit in disgrace last year to avoid a FIFA investigation. The Canadian Soccer Association did not field a candidate and general secretary Peter Montopoli did not respond to my interview request.

Webb appears to be reform-minded, but he will have to take demonstrative action to introduce transparency to overcome his stigma. At a time when the world of soccer is under pressure to root out any hint of corruption, CONCACAF appears close to rubber-stamping the presidency of a banker from a notorious tax haven. The optics aren't good.

Speaking of the CSA, the governing body for the game in the biggest country (by land area) in CONCACAF does not publish its financial information -- even for its members! It publishes an annual report without financial statements. But it does submit audited statements to the Government of Canada annually to qualify for taxpayer funds via Sport Canada.

I have exclusively obtained the CSA's 2010 financial statements, which show an $807,944 profit based on $16.163 million revenue and $15.355 million expenses. The biggest sources of income were membership fees ($6.617 million), sponsorships and donations ($3.479 million) and taxpayer grants ($3.145 million). Read the full report below.

Here's hoping the CSA does the right thing and proactively publishes its 2011 financial statements, instead of forcing a reporter to send a $5 cheque to the government.

CSA 2010 Report Mackin