Brazil

Germany has sensationally won the right to stage the FIFA 2006 World Cup ? bringing soccer?s most valuable property back to European shores.

English soccer chiefs were planning to hold an urgent meeting with European governing body UEFA today in a bid to stop a new generation of hooligans from destroying their Euro 2000 campaign and seriously undermining their 2006 World Cup bid.

Brazil has told Asian nations that its bid for the 2006 World Cup combined passion and organisation and it deserved to host the tournament.

FIFA's technical inspection team has given South Africa's bid to host the 2006 World Cup finals an unequivocal thumbs-up on Tuesday after a five-day tour to check the country's readiness.

Manchester United have confirmed they will not defend the English F.A. Cup this season, preferring to play in a FIFA?s new World Club Championship in Brazil in January.

Chaos has broken out in Brazil after tickets for FIFA?s inaugural World Club Championship final went on sale.

Hundreds of youths went on the rampage at a detention centre in northeast Thailand in the early hours of Wednesday after officials prevented them from watching a World Cup soccer match on television, police said.

Europe's leading soccer leagues have taken on world governing body FIFA about releasing players for the controversial Confederations' Cup in January.

Soccer legend Pele is to end his fling with politics, according to a report in USA Today.

South African soccer officials have reacted with delight to Nigeria's decision to withdraw their bid to host the World Cup finals in 2006 and instead support the South African bid.

Manchester United could make a decision today over its controversial involvement in FIFA's inaugural World Team championship.

Those countries hoping to host soccer's 2006 World Cup have begun presenting their official bids to governing body FIFA.

Brazil has withdrawn its threat to have Barcelona thrown out of the European Champions League if they do not release Rivaldo for international duty.

Chairman of bankrupt International Sports Media and Marketing (ISMM) Christoph Malms denied in a Swiss Sunday newspaper article any suggestions by FIFA president Sepp Blatter that ISMM may have improperly diverted funds paid to it by Brazil's TV Globo.

South Korean soccer fans have applied for more than one million tickets for the 2002 World Cup finals, four times the number of seats offered in the first round of sales, organisers said on Thursday.

Brazilian soccer striker Alex returned to France on Monday morning to give evidence in the false passports scandal that has rocked the sport.