Belgium

Media Partners, the company behind the failed bid to launch a European Super League, says it is ready to launch another attempt to set up a privately-run elite soccer competition.

Two executives working for FIFA's marketing affiliate were placed under formal legal examination on Wednesday by a court investigating allegations of a World Cup ticket fraud, court sources said.

In a two day meeting the FIFA Executive Committee has expressed its extreme concern over the trend for entities outside the football establishment becoming involved in the organisation of football competitions.

A year before the Euro 2000 soccer championships, organisers received a possible taste of things to come as hooligans linked to Rotterdam's Feyenoord fought with police and wrecked the centre of their own city.

Mark Monaghan has been appointed Chief Financial officer at Umbro Holdings.

Players' representatives have reacted angrily to new rules governing soccer transfers agreed in their absence and hinted at court action.

Celtic supporters have dug into their pockets to help the Scottish premier league leaders net their second favourable result in three days.

The European Commission has said no new date had been set for talks with soccer's governing bodies on a transfer system to replace current rules that the European Union executive says are illegal.

Sports law firm S J Berwin & Co has been joined by one of Germany's leading teams of lawyers specialising in private equity and venture capital, as well as corporate M&A and tax.

World and European soccer chiefs, along with league, club and player representatives, were holding an emergency meeting on Thursday to find counter proposals to the European Commission's plans to dismantle the sport's transfer system.

UEFA?s head of club competitions has quit the organisation to team up with the G14 pressure group, comprising of Europe?s leading soccer clubs.

Co-hosts Belgium breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday as English and German soccer fans headed home after their teams' early exits from Euro 2000.

British Home Secretary Jack Straw has said a move by Belgium and the Netherlands to reimpose border controls to prevent trouble at the Euro 2000 soccer tournament was a good idea.

On the day that News Corps and Vivendi have proposed a joint shareholding of their digital businesses, European media big-hitters Bertelsmann, Groupe Bruxelles Lambert and Pearson (PTV) have agreed to merge CLT-UFA, Europe's leading commercial television and radio broadcaster, with Pearson Television, the independent television production company.

T&T Sports Marketing has sold the exclusive global rights outside of South America for the South American qualifying matches for the World Cup 2002 to Dream Sports International.

Dutch soccer club PSV Eindhoven chairman Harry van Raaij believes his club will quit the Dutch championship to play in a 16-team European league by 2002, according to reports.