Africa

FIFA will lay down strict rules to countries bidding to host the 2006 World Cup finals to avoid the sort of scandal over bribery that has rocked the Olympic movement, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has announced.

Lisbon is expected to launch its second bid this year to host a major sports event.

Benin and Togo have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2004 African Nations' Cup hours before the final presentation by the candidate countries was to be made in Cairo.

Movie star Hugh Grant and former England star Gary Lineker were among the star names at a special send-off to the FIFA team inspecting England's chances of hosting the 2006 World Cup.

Soccer legend Pele has confirmed his support for South Africa's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, saying he thought Brazil could be ready to stage the finals four years later.

Morocco plans to bid to stage the 2010 World Cup finals, its fourth attempt to secure soccer's showcase event, the country's sports minister has said.

Germany and South Africa emerged as clear joint favourites to stage the 2006 World Cup on Friday after the leaking of a confidential FIFA report ranking them as technically the best bids.

The campaign team behind South Africa's bid to host the 2006 World Cup will end its global charm offensive in the coming week with visits to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Morocco, which reaffirmed its bid to stage the 2006 World Cup finals this week by dismissing South African calls to quit the race, has despatched a delegation to Paraguay to lobby for South America's support.

Press reports from Nigeria say the country's sports ministry has failed to persuade players on the national soccer team to collect a t$2,500 dollars bonus for winning their match against Tunisia.

Nairobi will host the 2000 International Cricket Council (ICC) one-day knockout tournament between the nine test playing nations, the ICC has confirmed.

South African cricket president Raymond White is facing a motion to oust him as a campaign to appoint a non-white chief executive gathers momentum.

An IOC report says preliminary results indicate that the XVIII Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, were broadcast in more countries than ever before and that the global cumulative audience is likely to equal Lillehammer's record??.

World rugby's governing body has failed to promote the sport outside its traditional strongholds and is in dire need of a serious shape-up, former Australian hero David Campese has said.

South Africa wants to host the unification fight between Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis in what would be the continent's biggest boxing event since the "Rumble in the Jungle" between Mohammad Ali and George Foreman.

South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has party waded into a controversy over the racial make-up of the country's rugby and cricket national teams by labelling them "lily-white".