North Africa

African soccer officials will meet in Johannesburg next Wednesday to discuss the recent spate of crowd deaths at soccer stadiums on the continent.

The hosts of the 2004 African Nations Cup will be announced in Cairo on Monday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has said.

Soccer legend Pele has confirmed his support for South Africa's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, saying he thought Brazil could be ready to stage the finals four years later.

Soccer legend Pele has confirmed his support for South Africa's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, saying he thought Brazil could be ready to stage the finals four years later.

The Japanese Football Association (JFA) has invited FIFA president Sepp Blatter to Tokyo to discuss next year's Confederations Cup following an apology from world soccer's governing body over its proposal for the tournament.

Alec McGivan, the director of England's campaign to stage the 2006 World Cup, has questioned the motives behind UEFA's threat to expel England from Euro 2000 following incidents of hooliganism.

The head of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) has appealed to world football's governing body to let Africa host the 2006 World Cup.

The chief executive officer of South Africa's bid committee for the 2006 Soccer World Cup has told the South African Cabinet that he is extremly confident the country will be awarded the event, the Pan African News Agency reports.

Press reports from Nigeria say the country's sports ministry has failed to persuade players on the national soccer team to collect a t$2,500 dollars bonus for winning their match against Tunisia.

Outbreaks of hooliganism by English and German fans in France should not affect those nations' bids to stage the 2006 World Cup finals, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said.

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.

The world of squash is set to be revolutionised by the launch of a strategic partnership between the Professional Squash Association, and the international marketing and sports rights company, Eye Group in tandem with its investment arm Fablon Investments Ltd.

The race to host the Olympic Games in 2008 has now begun in earnest following the announcement of the shortlist by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Morocco's 2006 World Cup campaign boss said during a lobbying visit to Nigeria that Africa should make only a single bid to host the tournament.Morocco and South Africa are among five nations bidding to host the 2006 finals along with Brazil, England and Germany."FIFA may find it easier to reject Africa's bid if both Morocco and South Africa insist on presenting their bids, citing lack of unity," Driss Benhima, head of the Morocco 2006 bid committee, told reporters.Benhima said the Confederation of African Football had to evolve a fair method of choosing either Morocco or South Africa. CAF are due to discuss the issue at their next Congress in Accra, Ghana in February.

The decision on where soccer's 2006 World Cup Finals will take place has been postponed by four months, world governing body FIFA has announced.

Moroccan officials said they felt betrayed on Thursday after falling out in the first round of voting to stage the 2006 World Cup ? and then faced further humiliation when their support for South Africa failed to bring the tournament to the continent.