Luxembourg

The European Broadcasting Union has appointed Jean Stock, president and CEO of TV5 and Canal France International, as its new secretary general.

Talks between Canal Plus and RTL over the merging of the two companies? sports rights units are ?ardently, to be concluded as soon as possible,? according to Canal Plus CEO Pierrre Lescure.

Soccer's international players' union FIFpro are likely to take the European Commission to court over new rules governing soccer transfers, saying they infringe players' rights and break European law.

Europe's biggest media group Bertelsmann AG has opened the way for a possible stock market listing through a share swap deal to take control of Europe's largest television group RTL, the Luxembourg-based owners of Munich-based sports marketing group, UFA Sports.

International media magnate Rupert Murdoch has agreed to sell the German television rights to European Champions' League soccer for the next three seasons, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper has reported..

The European Union's Health Commissioner David Byrne has said he planned fresh proposals to crack down on smoking in the wake of a court ruling which overturned EU legislation banning tobacco advertising.

UEFA?s executive committee will stage its first meeting of the new century at UEFA's new headquarters, the House of European Football, in Nyon on February 11.

The European Union's highest court will rule on Thursday whether to strike down the bloc's legislation to bring in a ban on tobacco advertising.

Celtic?s UEFA Cup match against AS La Jeunesse D?Esch from Luxembourg will be webcast live on Celtic?s official site, www.celticfc.co.uk.