Nigeria

A sell-out crowd and record viewing figures have all but been ensured by the presence of the US team in next Saturday's Women's World Cup Final at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

The 2000 WNBA All-Star Game will reach viewers in 154 countries around the globe in 23 different languages via 37 telecasters, according to NBA sources.

The World Cup failed to boost advertising revenue for Britain?s ITV network which saw June figures fall some #8 million ($12m).

South Africa is confident it will emerge as the sole African bidder to host the 2006 soccer World Cup, a move that would greatly boost its hopes of staging soccer's showcase, says bid chief Danny Jordaan.

Nigeria has named Lagos and Kano as its venues for next year's African Nations Cup which it is co-hosting with Ghana.

Soccer's world governing body FIFA said "no sanctions were foreseen" against Brazil for pulling out of the race to host the 2006 World Cup at the 11th hour.

Nigeria's organising committee for next year's world youth soccer tournament said on Sunday they were confident FIFA would be satisfied by the country's preparations after an inspection this week.

Germany's bid to host the soccer World Cup in 2006 has received a boost after the Finance Ministry declared it would not tax the huge revenue the tournament would generate.

Germany and Portugal are due to take part in a series of international friendlies in South Korea to open new stadiums for the 2002 World Cup.

Nigeria will build an ultra-modern stadium in the capital Abuja for the 2003 All-African Games.

Four people were shot dead by soldiers at a soccer game in the southern Nigerian town of Warri after ethnic rioting erupted over a disputed refereeing decision, witnesses said.

The United Nations investigator for children's rights has reported that professional soccer had joined the list of sectors shamed by child trafficking from underdeveloped countries.

Morocco will bid to host the 2010 World Cup soccer finals to be held for the first time in Africa, a Royal Palace spokesman has confirmed.

Dominic Oneya has been unanimously elected the new chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) in Abuja.

South Korea has unveiled the fourth of its ten World Cup stadiums today with a friendly international against Nigeria.