Morocco

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has given Brazil a timely boost in the race to host the 2006 World Cup.

Nigeria's sports ministry has set up a committee to mobilise "financial and moral support" for its national soccer team in a bid to win the 2000 African Cup of Nations.

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.

"Morocco is officially a candidate for the World Cup finals in 2006," Youth and Sports Minister Ahmed Moussaoui stated yesterday.

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

African Games officials want to harmonise international sporting calendars to ensure their top athletes do not have to choose between lucrative overseas meetings and the continent's top event.

After taking bets for over two years on who will win the right to stage the World Cup 2006, UK betting firm William Hill have finally closed their book ? just days before the FIFA executive committee finally votes on who will stage the tournament.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said the 2006 Word Cup finals should go to Africa if one of the continent's two bidding countries can meet all the conditions required to stage the event.

South African Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour has said his country would "comfortably earn" the right to stage the 2006 World Cup finals.

Morocco has started work on a $100 million stadium to boost its bid to host the soccer World Cup finals in 2006, a government official has said.

Canadian broadcaster TSN says first round World Cup matches have produced outstanding ratings.

Egypt has confirmed it is out of the race to host soccer's World Cup in 2006, leaving six nations competing to stage the finals.

Germany and Brazil will officially join the race to host the 2006 World Cup today when they submit their bids to FIFA.

The Paris-Dakar rally returns to its geographical roots in 2001 when the race starts from the French capital on New Year's Day before a 10,000-km trek across Europe and north Africa takes competitors to the Senegal capital.

Germany and South Africa emerged as clear joint favourites to stage the 2006 World Cup on Friday after the leaking of a confidential FIFA report ranking them as technically the best bids.

The campaign team behind South Africa's bid to host the 2006 World Cup will end its global charm offensive in the coming week with visits to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.