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“Marquez succeeded. He has cost me the title.” – Valentino Rossi.

Last week, after finishing 4th in the race at Phillip Island and allowing Jorge Lorenzo to close in at just 11 points behind in the Championship fight, Valentino Rossi shocked the Motorsport world by accusing Marc Marcquez of trying to help Lorenzo win the title. And after what happened this weekend at Sepang, Rossi’s comments are now beginning to look prophetic.

After a good start, Marc Marquez allowed Jorge Lorenzo to pass him without a fight. When Valentino Rossi was behind Marquez just minutes later, the Spaniard got involved in a crazy duel with Vale, seemingly slowing him down and touching him a couple of times. It wasn`t long until Rossi intentionally entered wide in a corner, pushing Marquez even wider. Marc touched him, knocking his foot off the pedal, and Rossi reacted with an (instinctive) kick which forced the young Spaniard to crash. MotoGP verdict: Rossi will start the last race in Valencia, two weeks from now, from the back of the grid. With just 7 points between him and Lorenzo, they might as well have handed Jorge the 2015 title.

“Despite what Marquez said we think he was deliberately trying to affect the pace of Valentino. However he didn’t actually break any rules. Whatever we think about the spirit of the championship, according to the rule book he didn’t make contact. His passes were clean. He rode within the rules.

Valentino reacted to what he saw as provocation from Marquez and unfortunately his reaction was a manoeuvre that was against the rules. It’s irresponsible riding, causing a crash. So he’s been penalized for that. We believe the contact was deliberate.” – MotoGP Race Director, Mike Webb

The decision? While surely debatable, it`s hard to definitely say it wasn`t right. No matter the circumstances, Rossi kicked or at least slightly pushed Marquez, which you just can`t do. The motivation and following events? Mindblowing. Because Marquez was clearly in the wrong as well, fighting too aggressively, while also breaking an unwritten rule – do not excessively interfere with riders battling for the title when you are not. Nevermind the suspicions about him letting Lorenzo pass like it was the warm up lap.

But MotoGP chose to only penalize Rossi, while pretty much absolving Marquez of any fault. Motivating that Marquez did not make contact, when it is clear as day that he touched Rossi first – and it wasn’t the only time during the race. When the official statement sounds like this, you can only have two questions: are all of these guys blind, or are there other forces at play?

“Everybody who rode a bike in competitions knows that when someone is leaning on you, you have to break loose or you both fall. It was Marquez’s fault” – Robi Muresan, former Romanian Moto3 racer.

The position of race director Mike Webb quickly spurred a social media frenzy, but no statement had more impact than Lorenzo’s pathetic plea to suspend Rossi. Missing a great opportunity to keep his mouth shut, Jorge launched himself into a tirade against his Yamaha teammate, questioning his character and blatantly calling him an “undeserved champion” if he would somehow win it all in Valencia. Lorenzo even let slip a funny statement about possible rain in Valencia, inadvertently admitting that he does not know how to ride in difficult conditions.

If anyone else had done what Valentino did we would have been black flagged immediately, no questions asked.

— Casey Stoner (@Official_CS27) October 25, 2015

MM was riding like a dick to block VR. VR gave him looks of warning & MM didn’t accept. You try ride on outside & catch, it’s what happens — Josh Brookes (@JoshBrookes) October 25, 2015

Rossi’s first race back at Yamaha (Qatar 2013)

• 45% was the TV audience increase in Spain
• 75% was the TV audience increase in UK
• 5.28 million Italians watched the race

With Valentino Rossi holding an estimate of 80% of MotoGP’s fanbase, the comments and statements made by MotoGP officials, along with the general demonizing of Vale has left his supporters outraged. With the Italian likely to retire after his Yamaha contract runs out next year, many of these fans will be out as well – migrating to other competitions, or, for the more casual fans, leaving moto racing all together.

They will not be compelled into watching a duel between the boring Lorenzo and Marc Marquez, two guys they now believe have worked together, along with the race officials, to deny Rossi his 8th Premier Class title. And will not support a product, MotoGP, which demonized their idol for suspect reasons and in a suspect way.

• TV Ratings for MotoGP saw an above average increase in numbers for each of the three seasons since Rossi returned at Yamaha

How could have all this circus been attenuated?

• Make both Rossi and Marquez start from the back of the grid in Valencia
• Issue an official statement in which both riders have the same degree of fault
• Don`t make rushed allegations, giving Lorenzo the chance to alienate even the few fans he had left

MotoGP was already in the wrong in my eyes, after celebrating the killing of a Seagull in Phillip Island last week, when the poor bird was hit by Adrea Iannone – even trying to make money off of it with pay per view. With another fiasco at Sepang, they just shot themselves in the foot. Such a good product, but now set to follow in Formula 1’s footsteps, with the numbers sure to drop consistently and constantly after Rossi retires. And if there were odds about TV ratings plummeting from 2017 onwards, I would be all over them.

Still, a question remains. How bad would Rossi, his fans and even this article look if Marquez finishes ahead of Lorenzo in Valencia and ends up handing Rossi the title? We`ll have to wait until November 8, when the Spanish GP will take place, to find out.

Also read: Why will Valentino Rossi be the Moto GP GOAT if he wins the 2015 title

Jorge Lorenzo to win the 2015 MotoGP title – odds 1.45 @ Bwin
Valentino Rossi to win the 2015 MotoGP title – odds 3.00 @ Ladbrokes

The 2015 RWC will resume on Saturday, 17 October, after the pool stages truly made justice to the beautiful game. It was an excellent pool round which had everything from thrilling rugby, upsets and drama, while proving to be potentially very profitable betting wise as well.

A key trend was without a doubt the ability of the underdogs to avoid huge defeats and the punters who recognized this were able to speculate some massive spreads and under/over lines set by the bookmakers – who didn’t seem to take notice and kept issuing large numbers.

Attempting to increase knowledge on the tournament and predicting how it will likely go in the KO rounds, we compiled a statistical analysis of the group stage in the below infographic.

While you can never be certain that the knockout stage will unfold in a similar manner to the group stage, the infographic confirms that a general betting approach on unders, underdogs and upsets has been the right way to go. I will work to maintain what has been a very good Rugby World Cup for me so far, looking with big eyes on the current trends and also at an excellent Argentinian team, which might hold good value in the quarterfinals.

Betdistrict’s Rostick RWC2015 pool stage stats & profit:

Rostick hit rate: 56% (won: 14 / lost: 11)

Average odds: 1.99

Profit: 38.65

Yield: 18,5%

10 unit bets hit rate: 80% (4 out of 5) / profit: 34.80 / yield: 70%

we put together a page so you can verify our stats

With 8 matches left to go in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, including 4 mouthwatering games set to come this weekend, make sure to keep an eye on Betdistrict for our tips on the quarterfinals. We’re confident of keeping up the momentum until the end of the competition, finishing with an excellent profit and return of investment. Now, let’s do the job!

One of the biggest sporting events there is, the Rugby World Cup, will take off this Friday with host nation England meeting the spectacular and emerging Fiji – a mouthwatering prospect and hopefully a good indication on what is to come in these next six weeks. With virtually hours away from the kick off, many questions remain about what is dubbed to be the biggest and most evenly matched Rugby World Cup ever.

Pool A: Australia, England, Wales, Fiji, Uruguay
Pool B: South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, Japan, USA
Pool C: New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga, Georgia, Namibia
Pool D: Ireland, France, Italy, Canada, Romania

Can anybody stop New Zealand?

The All Blacks are overwhelming favorites to win it all, with the best outright odds for them to lift the trophy for a second time in a row being 2.20 at Youwin. And it`s hard to argue with the bookies. New Zealand has been utterly dominant for the better part of the last 5 years, barely losing a handful of games. The All Blacks are clearly the best team in the world, they have Dan Carter back (he missed the 2011 World Cup) and have a very easy group, which they will surely top (maybe even look for a record breaking win against Namibia) – so their chances seem to be excellent. However, New Zealand will know that they will get a very tough draw in the KO stages and that no team has ever won two consecutive World Cups.

Will England be able to make use of home court advantage for a historic run?

Only one time in the history of the World Cup has a team from the Northern Hemisphere won the trophy and that was England back in 2003 – with Jonny Wilkinson entering British sporting history with that deciding last minute extra time drop goal in the final with Australia. England has a top team and just defeated Six Nations champions Ireland, but the Three Lions have the youngest squad in the competition and a nightmare draw in the pool stage – Australia, Wales and Fiji, in addition to lowly Uruguay. Lack of experience and too many early tough matches make England a very risky proposition to win the trophy and it would not be a shock to see them having a disappointing World Cup, despite being the second favorites to win it all.

Best of the rest

South Africa is priced as the third favorite and that is a mistake, as the Springboks really seem like the only team able to upset New Zealand. They did it before and played competitive, spectacular matches against the All Blacks in the last two Rugby Championships. With little to no weak spots, South Africa can shock New Zealand in the semifinals if they manage to keep the same level of intensity for 80 minutes.

Australia has improved over the last couple of years after a period of struggles and will be there in the discussion. If they win their group over England, an accessible road can send them to the finals – but they don`t have what it takes to beat South Africa or New Zealand there.

Ireland are the reigning Six Nations champions and will battle it out with France for the first place in Group D – a huge objective, as the second placed team will meet New Zealand in the next round. Ireland is the steadier team and they have more versatility on the wings, but you never know with France – they could win the World Cup as easily as they can get knocked out in the Group stage.

Dark Horses

Wales has lost a lot of steam, they are a weakened side and after being unlucky to finish 4th in 2011, they will not even pass the Group stage this time around (meeting England and Australia is not helping). In these circumstances, Argentina would normally be the highest fancied dark horse in the competition, but they are ravaged by injuries and it just doesn`t seem to be their year – though they should be able to qualify from an accessible Group C.

Scotland and Italy will likely disappoint, but watch out for excellent performances by the emerging, fast paced Pacific sides: Fiji or Samoa and, on a lesser extent, Tonga. These teams are capable of upsetting the odds and will often make excellent value betting material throughout the tournament.

We`re just happy to be here

Canada, Japan, USA, Georgia, Romania, Namibia and Uruguay would all be thrilled if they can get a win, but have zero hopes outside of that.

From this bunch, look for the emerging Georgia to make an impression in a weak Group C, beating Namibia, potentially upsetting Tsonga and maybe even pushing the injury-ravaged Argentina. Romania should be able to upset Canada, taking advantage of a one sided positive H2H and of Canada’s poor form – but most of all exploiting their huge superiority over Canada in the scrum. Japan will beat the United States and will give Scotland a fight, while Namibia and Uruguay will lose all their matches by massive margins.

Best outright odds for the 2015 RWC favorites

• New Zealand – 2.20 @ Youwin
• England – 5.50 @ Unibet
• South Africa – 8.00 @ Unibet
• Australia – 8.50 @ Unibet
• Ireland – 11.00 @ Unibet
• France – 19.00 @ Unibet

Tips: early first round matches to keep an eye on

England – Fiji, 18.09
Spectacular Fiji should cover the 24,5 point spread in an overish World Cup opener.

Tonga – Georgia, 19.09
Rugged, strong and defensive Georgia will likely cover the +10,5 handicap, but at odds as high as 5.00 they are also worth backing to shock Tonga in an upset win.

France – Italy, 19.09
Italy has better chances for an upset than the 8.00 odds suggest, but only go for value, not for the spread – as both teams are mercurial and France is capable of anything.

Samoa – USA, 20.09
All out attacking Samoa should cover the spread against an emerging, but still poor USA team.

Outright prediction: Back South Africa to win the World Cup with odds @ 8.00 by Unibet.

As we are hours away from another mouthwatering Champions League season, the trophy seems to be an affair between a handful of teams yet again. We take a look at the top 10 favorites, with analysis and insight over their prospects in the competition.

FC Barcelona – Since the new Champions League format was introduced, no team managed to defend its trophy and that statistic does not coexist well with the fact that Barcelona are favorites to repeat. However, if its one team to break the trend, it seems to be Barca. The Catalans were dominant last season and there`s no reason they shouldn’t look the same this year, with Messi, Suarez and Neymar all in top form. With Arda Turan also eligible to play after the transfer embargo is lifted in the Winter, Barca are well deserving of the “favorite” status given to them by bookmakers.

Real Madrid – The most recognized club in World football will seek for an “Undecima” Champions League title, but Rafa Benitez doesn`t exactly seem the right man for the job. After releasing Casillas and failing to sign De Gea, Real Madrid seems to actually be weaker than last season. “Los Blancos” will obviously always have a chance, but if they are to go all the way they can not do it without Ronaldo being at the very top of his game – and Bale needs to contribute more as well. I would be way more comfortable in picking Ronaldo to be top scorer (4.50) than Real Madrid to lift the Cup.

Bayern Munich – Losing the German Supercup to Wolfsburg was not a good sign for Bayern, but it was expected for the new signings to take some time to adapt. Indeed, Arturo Vidal and Douglas Costa were not only world class transfers, but exactly what Bayern needed. If under-pressure Guardiola will be able to use these two in order to facilitate a more direct transition, Bayern can go all the way this season. They don`t have a lot of time to work on chemistry though, because they need to be careful not to lose the first place in the Group to Arsenal – which could make a potential road to the finals very difficult. All in all, the Bavarians addressed the issues that saw them go out last year against Barcelona, they have more quality and more depth, being able to cope with a situation in which Robben and Ribery would become injured.

Bayern is my tip to win the Champions League at odds 5.50 by Unibet . In regard to betting on the competition, you can choose the best bookie to suit your needs from our trusted bookmakers list.

Chelsea – The Blues started the season in horrible fashion, but they will most likely recover at some point. However, it will be very tough to go all the way in the Champions League and if Mourinho ends up leaving the club or getting sacked, that could very well be the end for Chelsea’s European hopes this season.

Manchester City – City is viewed less favorably by the bookmakers then Chelsea, but Pellegrini’s men could finally break the bad run in Europe and reach the latter stages. With Otamendi, Sterling and De Bruyne in their ranks, City probably had the best transfer window of all top clubs and they are already on a roll in the Premier League, playing some excellent football on both ends of the pitch.

PSG – The French champions will seek to become the first team outside the Top 4 leagues to win the UCL in the last 13 years and the addition of Angel Di Maria will surely help them. Still, being in a group where they are projected to finish second and with Ibrahimovic aging, PSG looks 50-50 to even reach the quarterfinals – from which stage they will likely be outsiders.

Manchester United – With the Manchester United board seemingly going mad by giving unlimited credit and cash to Van Gaal, the Dutch manager should really do something this year in the Champions League. However, he`s starting to prove that he was always overrated as a manager and United would do well to even reach the quarterfinals.

Atletico Madrid – Don`t count out Atletico Madrid just yet. Arda Turan and Mario Mandzukic highlight a list of 5 first team players that left, but in came Filipe Luís, Luciano Vietto, Ferreira Carrasco, Stefan Savic or Jackson Martinez. It could well be the best team that Diego Simeone had at Vicente Calderon and once they get used to playing together, they will be a very tough bunch to beat.

Arsenal – Expect a classic second place finish from Arsenal, which will end up with another loss to a strong team in the Last 16. That`s if they don`t get a lucky draw like Monaco last year, but they couldn’t even do the job back then.

Juventus – With Tevez, Vidal and Pirlo gone, one will be very brave to back Juventus in any capacity this season. They did sign some good players, but it`s never good to lose the backbone of your team. If Pogba gets injured again, Juve could be one of the biggest disappointments of this year’s competition – let alone get close to repeating last season`s final. In a Group with Man City and Sevilla, even going trough to the Last 16 will be tough.

After you guys were spot on in picking Roger Federer to win Cincinnati with an overwhelming 48% percentage of your votes, why not launch another poll for the US Open and get an insight about what Betdistrict readers predict this time around.

As for me, Rostick, I don`t see too many surprises at Flushing Meadows this year. Federer over Murray in one semifinal, Djokovic over Nishikori (or Raonic) in the other and a classic Federer vs. Djokovic final – with Nole winning it in 5 mouthwatering sets.

Bookmakers highest outright odds for the top 2015 US Open favorites:

• Novak Djokovic – 2.20 @ Youwin
• Roger Federer – 5.00 @ Bet365
• Andy Murray – 5.50 @ Youwin
• Stan Wawrinka – 17.00 @ Youwin
• Kei Nishikori – 18.00 @ Unibet
• Rafael Nadal – 31.00 @ Unibet