Nigeria

Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis's lawsuit to force champion Hasim Rahman to make his first title defense against the Briton has begun in the U.S. Federal court.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the Kazakhstan Football Association has resigned from the regional body.

Boxing promoter Don King has offered $12.5 million to the Lennox Lewis camp to stage a world heavyweight title rematch with Hasim Rahman.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said that he expected England to present a strong, professional bid to host the 2006 World Cup finals - although Africa was still the logical choice to stage the tournament.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made a formal appeal to FIFA, and to the presidents of the five other soccer confederations, for the 2006 World Cup finals to be awarded to Africa.

Organisers of the 2003 All-Africa Games in Abuja, Nigeria have added a number of sports to the event's line-up in a bid to make it the biggest in its history.

Internetsoccer.com is rapidly expanding its content offering in the Pacific Rim, Central America and Africa.

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.

The European Union rewarded Nigeria's has moved towards democracy by dropping diplomatic and sporting sanctions while keeping an arms embargo in place.

South Africa`s 2006 World Cup bid committee said it was vital for the future of soccer as a sport and the World Cup as a multi-billion dollar business that the African continent stage the finals in seven years' time.

The International Cricket Council has approved South Africa?s proposals for the format of the 2003 World Cup.

The head of South Africa?s bid for soccer?s 2006 World Cup has refuted suggestions that events at the African Nations Cup in Nigeria will have a negative effect.

The draw for the 2002 World Cup, the biggest in the tournament's 69-year history, will involve 195 nations and be seen live on Tuesday by a television audience of about one billion people.

FIFA officials are expecting Nigeria on Monday to inspect facilities for next year's world youth cup, a spokesman for the Nigerian tournament organisers said on Sunday.

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

The Nigerian Football Association (NFA) and players have resolved a dispute over bonus payments after a tense standoff at the weekend.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will visit Ghana and Nigeria early next month for a final look at stadium and television facilities for the African Nations Cup finals. The CAF inspection team's visit comes after concern was raised by several television broadcasters last month over the state of preparations for filming the 16-team finals, which start on January 22.

A FIFA health team inspecting Nigerian facilities for next year's World Youth Cup has cited inadequate emergency and laboratory facilities at match venues.