Europe

Canadian marketing company Galaxy Sports has acquired an exclusive license from Umbro Worldwide to sell, market and distribute Umbro branded products to retailers in the United States in a five years deal starting January 1 2002.

CricInfo.com, the digital cricket information company, yesterday confirmed its billionth page view in 2001 – the first time that the site has passed this landmark in a calendar year.

The president of Russian premier division soccer side Fakel Voronezh has resigned following the death of a woman during the half-time interval of a 5-0 defeat by Spartak Moscow last weekend, club officials have confirmed.

BBC Radio Five Live has signed a deal to provide live coverage of all Manchester United’s European home games for the next two years, starting from this season.

Directors of Alternative Investment Market (AIM)-listed sports marketing and management company Proactive Sports Group have purchased 320,000 shares in the company today, spending a total of nearly £75,000 ($108,000/B

Australia's top soccer players are threatening to boycott a World Cup warm-up match against France because of unpaid bonuses.

Greece and Cyprus have agreed to send two satellites into space to advance telecommunications in the region and assist in transmission of the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The New England Patriots have awarded Pepsi the exclusive soft drink pouring rights at CMGI Field as part of a new ten-year partnership agreement.

European internet sports network Sportal has finalised a new round of funding for its operations, which the company envisages will see it through to profitability in early 2002.

Negotiations over the French TV rights to the 2002 World Cup have stalled because rights holders the Kirch Group have set the price too high, a French newspaper has reported.

UBS Private Banking has signed a deal with former England soccer captain Alan Shearer to help promote the sports and entertainment group.

European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, has relaunched its website – which will spearhead its new media division.

German-based company UFA Sports, which has made its name by snapping up TV rights to European soccer clubs, has secured deals with more than half of the clubs playing in the first round of this year’s UEFA Cup competition.

Joan Gaspart, president of Spanish soccer side Barcelona, has today vetoed efforts by the G-14 group of top European soccer clubs to expand the group’s club representation.

The main shareholder in Romania's National Bucharest has had his licence withdrawn by the country's soccer federation for failing to honour the contracts of 15 players, a club official has said.

UEFA has given Celtic and Glasgow Rangers a boost in their quest to join the English Premier League after general secretary Gerhard Aigner said that European soccer’s governing body would not obstruct such a move.

English soccer club Chelsea is in talks with Italian club Lazio about setting up a rival to the G14 group of top European clubs.