4th Annual Premios Fox Sports to Honor Latino Athletes.

Fox Pan American Sports announced the finalists for the 4th Annual Premios Fox Sports presented by DHL, the only awards program of its kind to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of Latino athletes and personalities from the world of sports both on and off the field. Winners in three categories will be voted on exclusively by fans via text messaging, while 14 additional awards were voted on by an expert panel of judges and will be crowned during the official Premios Fox Sports awards ceremony to be held and taped on December 14, 2006, at the Jackie Gleason Theater of Performing Arts in Miami Beach, Florida.

“We’re excited to once again engage our viewers and Latino sports fans across the Americas in the selection process, and also congratulate our inaugural awards selection committee for helping us hone in on the year’s most extraordinary sports feats, teams and players,” said Jim Ganley, chief financial officer for Fox Pan American Sports. “Now in our fourth year, Premios Fox Sports still remains the only awards program of its kind to honor the achievements and contributions of Latino athletes and sports teams. Latino athletes continued to prove themselves on and off the field this past year and our 4th Annual Premios Fox Sports celebration promises to be among our strongest yet.”

New Awards Selection Committee, First-Ever Consumer Voting via Text Messaging

In order to ensure recognizing the most notable sports achievements of the past year, regardless of the individual sport or athlete’s popularity, this year’s Premios Fox Sports marked the introduction of its first-ever awards selection committee. Tapped for their deep knowledge and understanding of sports in the U.S. and Latin America, their track record covering the biggest and most important sporting events, and their relentless commitment to excellence, objectivity and fairness, the selection committee was Co-Chaired by Luis Viñuales, former editor in chief of Fox Sports en Español The Magazine, and Federico Infante, executive producer of Argentina’s Fox Sports Latin America. Other members of the committee include:

German Fernandez Moore, sports editor of Houston Chronicle’s La Voz, Houston
Sandra Velazquez Cruz, sports editor of Diario La Estrella, Dallas
Mauro Diaz, sports editor of Dallas Morning New’s Al Día – Dallas
Juan Carlos Aya, sports editor Tribune’s Hoy Newspaper – New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago
Montero Alvarez, sports editor of El Pais – Uruguay
Fernando Golscher, sports editor of El Grafico – El Salvador

Upon submitting nominations in each category via secret ballot, each committee member’s recommendations were tabulated by the Co-Chairs. The five nominees receiving the most votes in each category will be selected as finalists, while the top vote getter overall will be presented as the winner in his/her respective category.

Also representing another first for Fox Pan American Sports, this year consumers are able to vote via text messaging for their favorites in three categories: BEST GOAL OF COPA TOYOTA LIBERTADORES, BEST GOAL OF COPA NISSAN SUDAMERICANA, and BEST GOAL OF RECOPA, each representing one of the most important club level soccer tournaments in Latin America. Wireless voting kicked off in October and will conclude on November 24, 2006.

Following are the 2006 Premios Fox Sports award categories and finalists, as selected by the expert panel of judges:

OUTSTANDING SOCCER PLAYER

Bruno MARIONI (ARG) – Toluca of Mexico
Diego LUGANO (URU) – Sao Paulo of Brazil and Fenerbahçe of Turkey
Carlos TEVEZ (ARG) – Corinthians of Brazil / West Ham of England
Rodrigo PALACIO (ARG) – Boca Juniors of Argentina
Omar BRAVO (MEX) – Chivas de Guadalajara of Mexico
OUTSTANDING LATIN AMERICAN SOCCER PLAYER IN EUROPE

Rafael MARQUEZ (MEX) – Barcelona of Spain
Lionel MESSI (ARG) – Barcelona of Spain
Jefferson FARFAN (PER) – PSV Eindhoven of Holland
David SUAZO (HON) – Cagliari of Italy
Nelson Haedo VALDEZ (PAR) – Werder Bremen of Germany / Borussia Dortmund of Germany
OUTSTANDING SOCCER MANAGER

Alfio BASILE (ARG) – Boca Juniors of Argentina / Selección Argentina
Américo GALLEGO (ARG) – Toluca of Mexico
Gerardo MARTINO (ARG) – Libertad of Paraguay
Luis SUAREZ (COL) – Ecuador National Team
José Luis TREJO (MEX) – Pachuca of Mexico / Tigres of Mexico
OUTSTANDING LATIN AMERICAN SOCCER TEAM

BOCA JUNIORS (ARG) – Champion of Clausura Tournament / Recopa 2006
TOLUCA (MEX) – Winner of Champions Cup Mexico 2006
LIBERTAD (PAR) – Co-Champion of Paraguayan League 2006 / Semifinalist of Copa Libertadores
PACHUCA (MEX) – Champion of Clausura 2006
AMERICA (MEX) – Winner of CONCACAF 2006 Champions Cup
OUTSTANDING GOALIE

Oswaldo SANCHEZ (ARG) – Chivas Guadalajara of Mexico
Roberto ABBONDANZIERI (ARG) – Boca Juniors of Argentina / Getafe of Spain
Oscar USTARI (ARG) – Independiente of Argentina
Miguel CALERO (COL) – Pachuca of Mexico
Aldo BOBADILLA (PAR) – Libertad of Paraguay / Boca Juniors of Argentina
OUTSTANDING BASEBALL PLAYER

Albert PUJOLS (DOM) – Saint Louis Cardinals, MLB
David ORTIZ (DOM) – Boston Red Sox, MLB
Mariano RIVERA (PAN) – New York Yankees, MLB
Alfonso SORIANO (DOM) – Washington Nationals, MLB
Johan SANTANA (VEN) – Minnesota Twins, MLB
OUTSTANDING BOXER

Carlos BALDOMIR (ARG) – World Welterweight Champion, WBC
Marco Antonio BARRERA (MEX) – World Super Featherweight Champion, WBC
Miguel COTTO – Top Ranked Welterweight, WBO
Antonio MARGARITO (MEX) – Ranked #2 Welterweight, WBO
Israel VAZQUEZ (MEX) – World Super Bantamweight Champion, WBC
OUTSTANDING MOTOR SPORT DRIVER

Rubén PARDO (MEX) – Busch Series East
Juan Pablo MONTOYA (COL) – Formula 1/ NASCAR
Mario DOMINGUEZ (MEX) – Rocketsports Racing
Juan Manuel SILVA (ARG) – Turismo Carretera / TC 2000
Luis Miguel DIAZ (MEX) – Grand Am Series
OUTSTANDING TENNIS PLAYER

David NALBANDIAN (ARG)
Fernando GONZALEZ (CHI)
Agustín CALLERI (ARG)
Juan Ignacio CHELA (ARG)
José ACASUSO (ARG)
Five additional awards will be presented on December 14, including: BREAKOUT OF THE YEAR, PARAPLEGIC ATHLETE OF THE YEAR, OUTSTANDING CAREER, OUTSTANDING SOCCER CLUB, and BEST ATHLETE OF THE YEAR.

A series of special recognitions and awards will also be presented at a private reception on December 13 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel. Special recognitions will include: 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE PARAGUAYAN SOCCER ASSOCIATION; 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CHIVAS DE GUADALAJARA OF MEXICO; 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NICOLAS LEOZ IN CONMEBOL; BREAKOUT YOUNG STAR FERNANDO GAGO; MARTIN PALERMO FOR 200 GOALS IN FIRST DIVISION; 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ARGENTINA WORLD CUP CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1986; and HORACIO ELIZONDO AS OUTSTANDING REFEREE WORLD CUP GERMANY 2006.

Jaime Camil Returns as Host for Third Consecutive Year, Candela Ferro will Co-Host

Airing on December 17 at 9pm ET/6pm PT in the United States on Fox Sports en Español and throughout the Spanish-speaking Americas on Fox Sports Latin America, the 2006 edition of Premios Fox Sports will bring together sports and mainstream celebrities to honor the year’s greatest achievements across a variety of sports, including soccer, basketball, motor sports, tennis and boxing. Presented by title Sponsor DHL for the second year in a row, the 4th Annual Premios Fox Sports will once again be hosted by Mexican film and television personality and star of Univision’s blockbuster novela “La Fea Mas Bella,” Jaime Camil; he will be joined as co-host by one of the leading ladies of Spanish-language television and current host of Telemundo’s primetime show “Decisiones,” Candela Ferro.