DOCSLIB.ORG

Annual Report 2014 Dear Shareholder

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Annual Report 2014 Dear Shareholder FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 34- 30 80 INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS AUDITORS’ AND SENIOR REPORT 81- MANAGEMENT 83 PROFILES SE CRET ARY’S REP 29 ORT 84 OTHER STATUTORY NOTICE DISCLOSURES TO 26- SHARE 27 HOLDERS CON TENTS AUTOMATIC SYSTEMS LTD. ANNUAL REPORT 2014 DEAR SHAREHOLDER, Your Board of Directors is pleased to present the Annual Report of Automatic Systems Ltd for the year ended 31 December 2014. This report was approved by the Board of Directors on 24 March 2015. The financial statements of the Company are set out on page 34 to 80 and the Auditors’ Report is on page 30. As a shareholder, you are invited to attend the Annual Meeting of the Company which will be held as follows: DATE FRIDAY 29 MAY 2015 TIME 15 00HRS VENUE THE MAURITIUS TURF CLUB, CHAMP DE MARS, PORT LOUIS The notice of the Annual Meeting can be viewed on page 84 of the Annual Report. Kind regards, Eric Espitalier Noel Jean Hardy Chairman Director 02 AUTOMATIC SYSTEMS LTD. > ANNUAL REPORT 2014 BOARD AND COMMITTEES MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATION Board OF DIRECTORS REGISTERED OFFICE C/o Box Office Ltd Chairman 2nd Floor, Nautica Commercial Centre, and Independent Director Royal Road, Black River M. A. Eric Espitalier Noël COMPANY SECRETARY Executive Directors Box Office Ltd M. L. Jean Hardy 2nd Floor, Nautica Commercial Centre, J. O. Guillaume Hardy (Managing Director) Royal Road, Black River (appointed as Managing Director on 18/03/2014) REGISTRY Non-Executive Directors AND TRANSFER OFFICE Hervé Henry ECS Secretaries Ltd Michel J. L. Nairac 3rd Floor, Labama House, John A. Stuart Sir William Newton Street, Port Louis Independent Directors AUDITOR Ravindra Chetty PricewaterhouseCoopers O. Farouk Hossen 18 Cybercity, Ebene J. D. Gérard Pascal Arvind Lall Dookun LEGAL ADVISORS Me Hervé Duval, Alternate Directors River Court 6, St Denis Street, Port Louis To O. Farouk Hossen: M. L. Jean Hardy Me Clarel Benoit AUDIT COMMITTEE Benoit Chambers, 9th Floor, Orange Tower, Gérard Pascal (Chairman) Cybercity, Ebene Hervé Henry Farouk Hossen NOTARY Me Didier Maigrot CORPORATE 1st Floor, Labama House, GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE Sir William Newton Street, Port Louis Ravindra Chetty (Chairman) Eric Espitalier Noël BANKERS Jean Hardy The Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd State Bank of Mauritius Ltd MANAGEMENT Robert Ah Yan (Systems Manager) AUTOMATIC SYSTEMS LTD. > ANNUAL REPORT 2014 03 04 AUTOMATIC SYSTEMS LTD. > ANNUAL REPORT 2014 AUTOMATIC SYSTEMS LTD. > ANNUAL REPORT 2014 05 DIRECTORS’ REPORT REVIEW OF THE BUSINESS In 2014 turnover improved from Rs 1,193.1M to Rs 1,244.9M with the totalisator turnover more or less at par with 2013 and an improvement on fixed odd betting on football. Despite the improved turnover, the profits dropped substantially from Rs 41.0M to Rs 15.6M explained by a considerable increase in Government Taxes and licences, from Rs 133.1M to Rs 166.5M. TURNOVER AND PROFIT FOR THE YEAR 2014 2013 Rs(M) Rs(M) HORSE RACING 935.2 937.3 Total Revenue FOOTBALL 309.7 255.8 Profit for the year 15.6 41.0 LEVY With the introduction of this new fixed levy on outlets offering football betting and the increase In 2014 the Government introduced a new levy in the Trade fees to the Local authorities, on football betting of Rs 24,000 per week per payment of licenses and taxes for 2014 increased outlet which, on the basis of the existing 24 by 25% (from Rs 133,117,899 to Rs 166,512,442) outlets, represents an additional expense of while ASL’s profit decreased by 61% (from Rs 41M Rs 26 Million per year for ASL. This has and to Rs 15.6M). This new levy also affected the continues to considerably impact the Company’s gross profit margin which dropped from 17% in financial results and is a major concern regarding 2013 to 14% in 2014. the sustainability of football betting operations. TOTALISATOR TAXES ASL has made numerous representations to the committee set up by the Minister of Finance and The measures announced by the Honourable Economic Development to review the football Minister of Finance in the budget speech of betting tax structure and is hopeful that a less 23 March 2015 with respect to the increases stringent tax structure, more sustainable by the in annual license fees and betting taxes for industry, would be applied in the future, and totalisator operators are not sustainable and linked to the football fixed betting operations, will have a considerable negative impact on the rather than the number of outlets. company’s results in 2015. The Board of Directors of Automatic Systems Ltd hopes that a more reasonable tax structure is applied for the current year and going forward. 06 AUTOMATIC SYSTEMS LTD. > ANNUAL REPORT 2014 DIRECTORS’ REPORT (CONT’D) With the tote system: RS 2014 2013 • All bets are pooled with the final payout (000) calculated by the software at the closure of bets leaving no space for unverifiable 180 declaration whether to the Mauritius Turf club 160 (MTC) or to the Government. All punters on a similar winning combination receive the same 140 dividend no matter at what time the bet is placed. Automatic Systems Ltd only perceives 120 a fixed commission, independent on which horse comes first, and all of the remaining 100 funds, net of taxes levied by government, are divided amongst the winning tickets and paid 80 to the winners. 60 • Exotic bets have been introduced, giving punters the possibility to choose among 40 different types of bets, starting with the Swinger being the easiest to the Pick 8 which 20 is more difficult but yields obviously a much 0 more interesting dividend. In 1991 operations were only on course and were Government licences and taxes extended to telephone betting in 1994. Later on, in 2004 the Off Course betting was permitted Net Profit by the GRA, not with a view to encourage betting but to offer an alternative to an existing illegal betting activity off the Champ De Mars HORSE RACING AND racecourse. THE TOTALISATOR SYSTEM ASL, with the support of the MTC negotiated Horse racing is present in Mauritius since 1812. live racing TV broadcast on the MBC and this More than 200 years later this noble sport obviously benefitted the promotion of the racing remains without contest, part of the Mauritian industry and turnover. folklore. On the international side, ASL successfully In 2014, the horse racing industry benefitted from negotiated with Phumelela Gold Enterprises in 2 additional race meetings, from 41 to 43 but South Africa and the P.M.U in Reunion Island to the attendance at Champ de Mars continued to take bets on Mauritian races on which the MTC decrease, from 86,790 in 2013 to 77,066 in 2014. receives a percentage. Unfortunately ASL cannot benefit from these negotiated agreements until Automatic Systems Ltd introduced the tote the authorisation for the commingling of pools is system in Mauritius in 1991 with the objective granted by the Mauritian government. to offer an alternative betting system that would be totally transparent and auditable. It is a known fact that in countries (Singapore, Hong Kong, France, Japan and the US) where there is a monopoly of the totalisator, racing is in a much better financial situation. AUTOMATIC SYSTEMS LTD. > ANNUAL REPORT 2014 07 DIRECTORS’ REPORT The board is aware of the difficulties in which OFF COURSE BETTING the horse racing industry is operating and is constantly looking for opportunities. As a The increase in race meetings contributed to the diversification to its tote activities, the fixed 1% increase in Off Course Betting turnover which odd betting on International Football has been reached Rs 559.5 Million in 2014. launched in 2008. The turnover on this new activity has been growing steadily with an After lengthy administrative and legal interesting gross profit. procedures, the Company managed to open its Flacq outlet for the 5th race meeting, bringing the YEAR IN REVIEW number of operational outlets to 24. Pending approval from the Authorities the Despite two additional meetings, the Totalisator company will maintain its strategy to relocate turnover remained more or less at par with less performing outlets to more appropriate sites 2013 (2014: Rs 935 Million; 2013: Rs 937 Million) with the objective to maximize revenues. while the average turnover per meeting decreased by 5%. TELETOTE The turnover per race meeting has been The Teletote turnover dropped by 6%; from declining since 2008 and can be explained by Rs 220.0 Million in 2013 to Rs 207.5 Million in the competitive trading environment with many 2014. Despite the shift to SMS betting the drop other operators like the Lotto, football betting, was considered as high and well above the Off Course Bookmakers and Bookmakers average decrease. As regards the number of bets offering SMS betting and telephone betting. The registered, the drop was less substantial, from Horse Racing industry is also going through a 1,494,310 to 1,479,488 (1%). rough patch with numerous scandals that tainted its image during the 2014 season. The majority On a positive note, the company registered of the betting operators noted a decline in their an increase of 20% in the number of accounts turnover during the year under review. opened to reach 1,137 compared to 950 in 2013. ASL believes that efforts should be made to A new website has been launched in 2014 establish a clear strategy for the horse racing offering more convenient ways to register new industry that will bring back public confidence Teletote accounts online. An encouraging 678 and enthusiasm. accounts were opened online as compared to 386 in 2013. The number of calls treated in 2014 reached 772k (785k in 2013) representing a decrease of 2%.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Debate No 23 of 2009
    MAURITIUS FOURTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FIRST SESSION Debate No. 23 of 2009 Sitting of Tuesday 21 July 2009 The Assembly met in the Assembly House, Port Louis at 11.30 a.m. The National Anthem was played (Mr Speaker in the Chair) CONTENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS PAPERS LAID QUESTIONS (Oral) MOTION STATEMENT BY MINISTER BILLS (Public) ADJOURNMENT QUESTIONS (Written) MAURITIUS -------------- Fourth National Assembly --------------- First Session Debate No. 23 of 2009 Sitting of Tuesday 21 July 2009 ANNOUNCEMENTS CARDINAL JEAN MARGÉOT - DEATH Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, before we start with the business of the day, I will kindly invite you to stand up to observe one minute of silence in memory of the late Cardinal Jean Margéot who passed away on Friday 17 July 2009. Members observed a minute of silence. THE FINANCE (MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS) BILL – POINT OF ORDER - RULING Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, at the sitting of the House last Tuesday, the hon. Leader of the Opposition, following the introduction of the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill at First Reading raised a point of order. The point of order may be summarised as follows – (a) the Parliamentary Practice so far has been that the Minister of Finance presents the Bill, that is, the Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill in the House and, after listening to him, the Leader of the Opposition stands up and replies in the light of what he has said; (b) in this Finance Bill, there are issues that have nothing to do with the Ministry of Finance; (c) he made specific reference to the proposed amendments to the Bail Act, the Certificate of Morality Act, the Law Reform Commission Act, Tourism and so on, and (d) the hon.
    [Show full text]
  • Governance Relationships in Football Between Management and Labour Roitman - Governance Relationships Marston, C
    Building on the two prior CIES governance studies, this is the third FIFA-mandated research analysing governance relationships in football. This book focuses on those Editions CIES between football’s employers (clubs, leagues and even NAs) and its labour force. Based on a sample of forty countries across all six confederations and questionnaires from players’ associations, leagues and national associations, this research surveys and compares the diverse ‘management-labour’ approaches and scenarios in both men and women’s professional football worldwide. GOVERNANCE RELATIONSHIPS The authors place a special focus on players’ associations and highlight the variety of IN FOOTBALL BETWEEN structures found world-wide. The findings here contribute to a better understanding MANAGEMENT AND LABOUR of the systems, models and relationships in place around the globe when it comes to PLAYERS, CLUBS, LEAGUES & NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ‘management’ and ‘labour’. This book explores the representation of Kevin Tallec Marston, Camille Boillat & Fernando Roitman players within decision-making structures at club, league and national association level as well as the regulatory contexts and negotiation instruments linking players and management - such as collaborative agreements/MoUs, CBAs, minimum contract requirements and dispute resolution. In addition, this study provides a first ever global exploration of some of the inner workings of players’ associations and an overview of the key issues in professional football from the player’s perspective. The final chapter offers several models and frameworks illustrating the governance relationships between players and management. All three authors work at the International Centre for Sport Studies (CIES). Kevin Tallec Marston earned his PhD in history and works as research fellow and academic projects manager.
    [Show full text]
  • Cabinet Decisions Taken on 11 December
    Page 1 of 5 CABINET DECISIONS – 11 DECEMBER 2009 1. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of Dr the Hon Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, FRCP, Prime Minister, from 27 to 29 November 2009, to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago where he attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). He was accompanied, amongst others, by Dr the Hon Arvin Boolell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade. The special theme of CHOGM 2009 was “Partnering for a more Equitable and Sustainable Future”. CHOGM adopted The Port of Spain Communiqué which encompasses the promotion of Tolerance, Respect and Understanding, Disarmament and Arms Control, Terrorism, Combating Piracy and Corruption, Human Rights, World Economic Situation, Reform of International Institutions, Trade and Investment Issues, Sustainable Development, Energy and Food Security, Challenges facing Small States, Health, Education, Gender and Youth Issues and Bridging the Digital Divide. The Meeting also adopted the Port of Spain Climate Change Consensus: The Commonwealth Climate Change Declaration. Mauritius played a leading role in the debates, as well as in the drafting of the Declaration on Climate Change. In his intervention on the issue of Climate Change, the Prime Minister brought out the high vulnerability and specificities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the need for urgent action to enable them to build their resilience to be able to withstand the inevitable impacts of climate change and pursue sustainable development. He also highlighted that local initiatives could be nullified and achievements swept out if proper attention was not given to food, water, land and energy security.
    [Show full text]
  • Our Elite Group of Players Gear up for 1 Week's Training with FC Barcelon
    AfrAsia Barcelona Club – From 1,850 to a final 24! Our elite group of players gear up for 1 week’s training with FC Barcelona in Spain! Saturday 28th June AfrAsia Bank, Football First and McDonald’s today announced the names of the top 24 players selected from last week’s final trial at the New George V Stadium, ending the suspense of our young footballers from across the nation. Hon. Satyaprakash (Devanand) Ritoo, Minister of Youth & Sports was present to personally congratulate the players and their parents. With a total of 1,850 participants having been evaluated in Mauritius and Rodrigues, both organisers and partners are proud of the success of this event, a first on the island and a stepping stone for the future phases of this pioneering football program. “The last month has been hard work but very rewarding for us all to see the talented young Mauritian footballers. It would have not been possible without the involvement of our sponsors, coaches, and registration staff, plus the student volunteers from Le Bocage International School. It motivates all of the staff to see the skills and commitment the boys and parents have to improve the football in Mauritius. I would also like to thank all the boys who took part in this first national selection process, they should not feel that they failed as to us at Football First they were all winners for participating. There will be more options in the very near future to improve their skills when we open the doors for the Football First coaching courses starting in September.
    [Show full text]
  • The Worldwide Diffusion of Football: Temporal and Spatial Perspectives
    1 The Worldwide Diffusion of Football: Temporal and Spatial Perspectives John S. Hill, John Vincent, & Matthew Curtner-Smith, University of Alabama Abstract The purpose of this study is to evaluate how football evolved from a village activity in rural England to become the world’s premier sport played in 208 countries. First, its diffusion in England is evaluated over time as well as how it spread spatially across the nation. Second, soccer’s diffusion worldwide is analyzed both temporally and geographically to assess the rate at which the sport spread and how its adoption moved from nation to nation across the major regions of the world. Principal findings were that 40 years was the time taken for soccer to take root nationally and regionally; and that spatially, east-west diffusion occurred first across regions before its spread northwards and southwards. The principal reasons for its adoption worldwide were the game’s simplicity, flexibility, and its appeal to common global values of teamwork, fair play, and equality. Globalization synergies are key factors accounting for the sport’s worldwide popularity. Introduction Globalization became dominant in the 20th century as world nations began to interact economically with greater frequency, exchanging commodities, goods, and technologies. But while commercial transactions were its driving force, there were also cultural exchanges as Western influences infiltrated to foreign countries to affect country cultures (Hill, 2009). One of these influences was sport, and of all Western cultural exports, sport has perhaps become the most significant for three reasons. First, in a world characterized by increasing industrialization and competition, sport has emerged as a key safety valve for relieving the social and economic stress induced by increasingly competitive societies (Madeiro, 2007).
    [Show full text]
  • Who Wins in the World Economy and English Football?
    Who Wins in the World Economy and English Football? And is it possible for lower tier participants to ‘catch up’ Matt Andrews CID Faculty Working Paper No. 345 January 2019 Copyright 2019 Andrews, Matt; and the President and Fellows of Harvard College Working Papers Center for International Development at Harvard University Who Wins in the World Economy and English Football? And is it possible for lower tier participants to ‘catch up’ Matt Andrews Harvard Kennedy School Abstract Globalization has fed significant economic gains across the world. The gains lead some policymakers in developing countries to believe in the potential of ‘catch up’—where they leverage the gains of an open world economy to foster rapid progress and compete with more developed nations. This belief is particularly evident in countries like Rwanda, where policymakers aspire to turn the country into ‘Africa’s Singapore’. This paper asks if such aspiration is realistic: Do developing countries really gain enough from globalization to catch up to more developed countries? The paper examines the world economy as a league in which countries compete for winnings (manifest in higher income and production). Wealthier countries are in the top tiers of this league and poorer countries are in the lower tiers. The paper asks if gains from the last generation of growth have been distributed in such a way to foster ‘catch up’ by lower tier countries, and if we see these countries ‘catching up’ by moving into higher tiers. This analysis of the world economy is compared with a study of English football, where over 90 clubs play in an multi-tier league system.
    [Show full text]
  • (Hansard) Second Session Thursday 14 November 2013
    1 No. 25 of 2013 FIFTH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) SECOND SESSION THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2013 2 CONTENTS PAPER LAID QUESTION (Oral) MOTION BILL (Public) ADJOURNMENT 3 Members Members THE CABINET (Formed by Dr. the Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam) Dr. the Hon. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, FRCP Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister for Rodrigues Dr. the Hon. Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun, GCSK, FRCP Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Energy and Public Utilities Hon. Charles Gaëtan Xavier-Luc Duval, GCSK Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Hon. Anil Kumar Bachoo, GOSK Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Public Infrastructure, National Development Unit, Land Transport and Shipping Dr. the Hon. Arvin Boolell, GOSK Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade Dr. the Hon. Abu Twalib Kasenally, GOSK, FRCS Minister of Housing and Lands Hon. Mrs Sheilabai Bappoo, GOSK Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions Dr. the Hon. Vasant Kumar Bunwaree Minister of Education and Human Resources Hon. Satya Veyash Faugoo Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Attorney General Hon. Devanand Virahsawmy, GOSK Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development Dr. the Hon. Rajeshwar Jeetah Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology Hon. Tassarajen Pillay Chedumbrum Minister of Information and Communication Technology Hon. Louis Joseph Von-Mally, GOSK Minister of Fisheries Hon. Satyaprakash Ritoo Minister of Youth and Sports Hon. Louis Hervé Aimée Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands Hon. Mookhesswur Choonee Minister of Arts and Culture Hon. Shakeel Ahmed Yousuf Abdul Razack Mohamed Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment 4 Hon.
    [Show full text]
  • Football for Hope
    Football For Hope Festival 2010 Celebrating tHe power oF Football Football for Hope Football for Hope is a movement that uses the power of the game for positive social change. The movement is led by FIFA and streetfootballworld, a centre of expertise and coordinator of a global network of organisations in the field of “Development through Football”. 2 Celebrating the power of Football Football for Hope Festival 2010 Football for Hope Festival 2010 Celebrating the power of football to create social change around the world. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, 32 These young people were chosen because of their teams of young people from disadvantaged communities commitment to building a better future in their own across the globe came to Johannesburg for a festival communities. During the festival they took part in of education, culture and football organised by FIFA, a two-week programme of workshops, exchanges streetfootballworld, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising and cultural experiences – culminating in a football Committee South Africa and the City of Johannesburg. tournament played in front of thousands of spectators in a specially-constructed stadium in Alexandra The participating boys and girls were all members of township, one of South Africa’s most economically organisations which tackle social issues using football disadvantaged communities. – from homelessness in the UK and landmines in Cambodia, to HIV/AIDS education in South Africa and The Football for Hope Festival 2010 was an official integration of refugees in Australia. These are just some event of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and of the organisations that are part of the Football for fully integrated into the operations of the competition.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Football (Soccer) an Indicator of Development at the International Level
    Is football1 an indicator of development at the international level? Robert Gásquez Department of International Economics, University of Barcelona. Av. Diagonal, 690. 08034 - Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: [email protected] Tel. (+34) 93 402 19 39 Vicente Royuela AQR-IREA Research Group, Departament d’Econometria, Estadística i Economia Espanyola, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal, 690. 08034 - Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: [email protected] Tel. (+34) 93 403 57 32 Abstract: The aim of this paper is to examine whether football can be considered an indicator of development at the international level. An empirical econometric model is designed in order to analyse development in terms of both levels of GDP per capita and GDP growth. Cross- sectional and time series information is used. The results suggest that FIFA rankings of national teams can be used to complement our understanding of multidimensional development in those countries where the availability of information is not as good as researchers would like. Keywords: football, development, economic growth, international, instrumental variable JEL classification: C23, L83, O11 Acknowledgments We are grateful to anonymous referees for valuable comments. Roberto Ga´squez would like to thank Francisco Granell for his idea and Patricia Garcı´a-Dura´n for her support. Vicente Royuela acknowledges the support of ECO2010-16006. 1 Or soccer, depending on the culture and language in use. 1 Introduction The United Nations assumes that there is a relationship between sport and development: in 2001 the United Nations Office of Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) was created. In the words of Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations: “Sport has become a world language, a common denominator that breaks down all the walls, all the barriers.
    [Show full text]
  • Government Programme 2010 - 2015
    GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME 2010 - 2015 ADDRESS by The President of the Republic of Mauritius in the Sir Harilal Vaghjee Memorial Hall Tuesday 08 June 2010 Government Programme 2010-2015 Address by the President of the Republic mr speaker, Honourable members, 1. I am pleased to welcome you to the First Session of the Fifth National Assembly. I bid a special welcome to the new members of the Assembly. 2. The policies pursued by Government, during the last five years, have been endorsed by the population at large. They have expressed their approval of Government’s philosophy and of the concrete measures already taken to address historical inequities and open new opportunities accessible to all. 3. The population has clearly expressed its support for the pursuit of the democratization of the economy and the transformation of Mauritius into a society of equal opportunities based on the values of Unity, Equity and Modernity. The Government Programme 2010-2015 constitutes a blueprint for the realisation of this vision. 4. Economic efficiency and social justice will continue to underpin all the actions of Government. Government will resolutely work towards strengthening national unity, entrenching democracy, promoting still higher norms of governance including transparency and accountability in public affairs and ensuring that the population at large becomes stakeholders in national development. 5. The Constitution we inherited from the founding fathers of the nation has served us well. However, no matter how well our institutions may be seen to be functioning, they need to be adjusted to help the country face new challenges. We need a constitutional regime that will strengthen our democracy, promote nation-building and further entrench the fundamental rights and freedom of all Mauritians.
    [Show full text]
  • EUROPEAN FOOTBALL SEASON 2013-14 REPORT Contents
    FARE OBSERVER SCHEME IN EUROPEAN FOOTBALL SEASON 2013-14 REPORT Contents 1. Introduction 2. Background to the Observer system 3. New sanctioning system by governing bodies 4. How the scheme operates 5. Who are the Fare observers? 6. Statistical overview 7. Impact of the scheme 8. Looking forward 2 Fare Observer Scheme in European football Season 2013-14 1 — Introduction The Fare network developed a wide-ranging observer scheme to monitor discriminatory incidents at international matches during the 2013/14 football season. The scheme looked at UEFA club competitions and FIFA World Cup 2014 qualification matches in Europe. Fifty international observers were recruited and trained to implement the programme. This report aims to help review and evaluate the observer scheme launched in July 2013. We hope the report can serve to set out the achievements of this approach and as a basis for discussions to refine and strengthen the system and identify emerging issues. 3 2—Background to the system Monitoring racism and discriminatory The observer scheme is designed to chanting, symbols, and other displays at perform two main functions: European football matches has been a key — Collect data for analysis on a European element of the Fare programme for many scale to understand the scope of the years. Fare believes that in order to tackle problem and help develop targeted issues of discrimination, it is important to solutions understand the extent of the problem in football and to communicate these issues to — Stimulate immediate reaction to all actors who have the scope to take action. discriminatory incidents by football disciplinary bodies Whilst monitoring of international level discriminatory incidents had been a largely We believe that highlighting incidents and non-formalised activity of network members, ensuring that strong regulatory action is taken a systematic approach was developed as can help raise awareness and encourage part of the Respect Diversity programme self-regulation amongst supporters.
    [Show full text]
  • Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
    1 No. 27 of 2009 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) FIRST SESSION TUESDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2009 CONTENTS 2 PAPERS LAID ANNOUNCEMENT QUESTIONS (Oral) MOTIONS BILLS (Public) ADJOURNMENT QUESTIONS (Written) 3 MAURITIUS Fourth National Assembly --------------- FIRST SESSION --------- Debate No. 27 of 2009 Sitting of Tuesday 10 November 2009 The Assembly met in the Assembly House, Port Louis, at 11.30 a.m The National Anthem was played (Mr Speaker in the Chair) 4 Papers Laid The Prime Minister: Sir, the Papers have been laid on the table:- A. Office of Mr Speaker - The Report of the Electoral Boundaries Commission on a review of the boundaries of the Constituencies – 2009. B. Prime Minister’s Office - Certificate of Urgency in respect of the following Bills - (i) The Open University of Mauritius Bill (No. XIX of 2009); and (ii) The Food and Agricultural Research Council (Amendment) Bill (No. XX of 2009). C. Ministry of Finance and Economic Empowerment - (a) The Excise (Amendment of Schedule) (No. 3) Regulations 2009 (Government Notice No. 122 of 2009). (b) The Gambling Regulatory Authority (Mauritius National Lottery) (Lottery Games) Regulations 2009 (Government Notice No. 123 of 2009). (c) The Customs (Export Licence for Sugar to European Community) Regulations 2009 (Government Notice No. 124 of 2009). (d) The Land (Duties and Taxes) (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations 2009 (Government Notice No. 125 of 2009). (e) The Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (United Republic of Tanzania) Regulations 2009 (Government Notice No. 131 of 2009). (f) The Financial Services (Consolidated Licensing and Fees) (Amendment) Rules 2009 (Government Notice No. 132 of 2009). (g) The Annual Report and Audited Accounts of the Bank of Mauritius for the year ended 30 June 2009.
    [Show full text]