Brazil
GERMANY SPRINT TO THE FINISH IN BID RACE
Germany need to give their all in the closing stages of the race to hold the 2006 soccer World Cup finals, German bid chief Franz Beckenbauer said.
MOROCCO: WC BID AS STRONG AS EVER
Morocco, in a move to reaffirm its bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, says it has no plans to withdraw from the competition to host the finals, an official statement said.
PM ENTERTAINS FIFA DELEGATION
British Prime Minister Tony Blair threw open his Downing Street doors to a delegation from world soccer's governing body FIFA yesterday, hoping to convince them to back England's bid to host the 2006 World Cup.
HICKS BUYS INTO LATIN AMERICAN PAY-TV
Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Inc has formed a strategic alliance with Spain's Telefonica S.A. in a deal worth about $4billion which should allow Hicks, Muse to further expand its cable television assets in Latin America.
FOOTBALL BEFORE FOREX SAY DEALERS
Dealers say foreign exchange trade in London, the world's busiest currency market, will slow to a trickle next Monday when England makes its debut in the World Cup.
IAAF WITHOLD PRIZE MONEY FOR DOPING INFRINGEMENTS
Kenyan steeplechaser Paul Kosgei and an unnamed Romanian woman athlete have had their prize money withheld from two world championship events earlier this year because of a breach of anti-doping rules.
KELLY CHAOS WILL NOT HURT 2006 BID SAY OFFICIALS
A formidable army of supporters lined up to back England's World Cup 2006 bid, are claiming that the resignation of F.A. chief executive Graham Kelly would not hurt the nation's chances.
MOROCCO JOINS RACE TO STAGE 2006 WORLD CUP
"Morocco is officially a candidate for the World Cup finals in 2006," Youth and Sports Minister Ahmed Moussaoui stated yesterday.
BLATTER RECOMMENDS WORLD CUP WARM UP
FIFA President Sepp Blatter recommended on Thursday that South Korea and Japan co-host the 2001 Confederations Cup to prepare for the following year's World Cup soccer finals in the two countries.
UK SPORTS MINISTER BANKS RESIGNS
The British Government is looking for a new Sports Minister after Tony Banks decided to stand down in the latest Cabinet reshuffle.
FIFA TO RAISE NUMBER OF TEAMS IN WORLD CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS
The number of teams due to take part in the 2003 World Club Championships is likely to be increased to 16, FIFA has stated.
COCA-COLA TO SUE BRAZILIAN SOCCER
Coca-Cola is to sue the Brazilian football federation (CBF) for breaking its contract.
?PELE LAW? CREATES FREE AGENCY
The ?Pele Law?, named after the legendary player who promoted the legislation that allows more than 12,000 professional soccer players in Brazil to become free agents, has finally come into force.
PSN SIGNS UP PELE
Pan-american Sports Network (PSN), the 24 hour sports channel, has signed a multiyear partnership with soccer legend Pele.
BRAZIL INVESTIGATORS SEEK SOURCE OF FAKE PASSPORTS
A Congressional commission investigating Brazilian soccer spread to Portugal on Wednesday as two of its members arrived in Lisbon in their search for the so-called mafia of fake passports.
ATP TOUR UNVEILS "NEW BALLS PLEASE" II
The ATP Tour will unveil the latest ad in its "New Balls Please" campaign in tomorrow's edition of USA Today.
2006 DECISION: MOROCCO SPEAK OF `BETRAYAL?
Moroccan officials said they felt betrayed on Thursday after falling out in the first round of voting to stage the 2006 World Cup ? and then faced further humiliation when their support for South Africa failed to bring the tournament to the continent.
SOUTH AFRICA EXPRESS PITY OVER ENGLAND 2006 WORLD CUP PLIGHT
South African World Cup 2006 bid officials have said it would be a pity if the chances of rivals England were scuttled by UEFA'S threat to expel the English team from the European championship finals.