Netherlands

Fines for red and yellow cards at next year's European soccer championships will be given to young victims of land mines, the tournament's director said recently.

Munich will miss out on the 2006 World Cup soccer finals in Germany because a row over a new stadium will not be solved on time, TSV 1860 Munich president Karl-Heinz Wildmoser said on Tuesday.

Twelve major clubs from six of Europe's smaller nations have met with UEFA, to voice their concerns about the growing gap between soccer's rich and poor and discuss proposals for a new "Euro League".

The International Hockey Federation has appointed its media officer for the Sydney Olympics.

The Euro 2000 website received more than a billion visits during the championships, making it one of the most popular sites ever, according to the company hosting the site.

If their faces don't fit, fans will be arrested on the spot at Euro 2000 but organisers believe a zero tolerance policy will ensure a trouble-free tournament.

The media arm of Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica may lead a European soccer superleague project which would replace the current Champions League format, a company source has said.

Extreme Sports Channel, the adventure and adrenaline sports service, is now available on digital cable in Germany.

Nike is to open 10 new flagship stores in Asia-Pacific amid growing optimism about the economic recovery in the region, according to Financial Times registered sources.

Dutch soccer champions Ajax Amsterdam say they are in talks with Belgian first division team Germinal Ekeren with a view to forming some sort of partnership.

The 1999 Tour of Britain will be the fourth richest cycling race in the world - as well as two days shorter and tougher than its inaugural year in 1998 - organisers have revealed.

The Spanish government has given the go ahead for Spanish football to follow major European clubs like Lazio, Ajax Amsterdam and Manchester United by floating on the stock market.

Only clubs which can prove they are financially stable and soundly managed will be allowed to compete in fixtures organised by UEFA from the 2003-04 season, European soccer's governing body has announced.

The 2003 world badminton championships will be staged in Birmingham, English officials said after outbidding China, Hong Kong and the Netherlands.

English Premier League club Leicester City will meet with UEFA officials to try and persuade the governing body to change the venue of their UEFA Cup first round second leg against Yugoslavia's Red Star Belgrade.

The World Cup will return to Germany after a 32-year absence but for Franz Beckenbauer the 2006 tournament will be an entirely new experience for Germany following unification.