South America

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.

The English Football Association has offered leading club Manchester United an unprecedented opportunity to ease its fixture schedule - in a move aimed at enhancing the countries claims to hosting the 2006 World Cup.

Fox Sports World Espanol, the only U.S Spanish-language sports cable network, have recorded a ratings success with last month's Copa America.

Brazilian Senators investigating corruption in soccer recommended that one of the country's most controversial club presidents be stripped of his parliamentary status.

FIFA will decide on Monday whether the World Club Championship, due to be held in Spain at the end of July, will go ahead as planned, the Spanish Football Federation said on Friday.

Brazilian football giants Vasco da Gama are reported to be on the brink of liquidation, with the club facing a lawsuit over a breach of contract which could cost $40million.

The Netherlands were named the team of the year by FIFA, soccer's ruling body, on Thursday.

ISL has signed a 15-year partnership deal with Brazilian soccer club Gremio - the latest stage in its move to establish a firm hold on some of the key clubs in South America.

Soccer?s world club champions Corinthians of Brazil, are to play a pre-season friendly in Paris to be screened live across Latin America by the Pan American Sports network.

English soccer chiefs were planning to hold an urgent meeting with European governing body UEFA today in a bid to stop a new generation of hooligans from destroying their Euro 2000 campaign and seriously undermining their 2006 World Cup bid.

Two soccer fans were shot and wounded on their way to a soccer game in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday after supporters of an opposing team besieged their bus, a local news service reported.

Danny Jordaan made a powerful appeal to FIFA's executive committee to end the cycle of European domination of world soccer by handing South Africa the 2006 World Cup finals.

Safety chiefs are checking the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff before this weekend?s World Cup game between Wales and Japan to ensure there is no repeat of last week's incident when a woman was injured by debris falling from the roof.

FIFA concerns have 1999 Pan American Games organisers scrambling to save their soccer tournament in next summer's multi-sport extravaganza.

DIRECTV, the leading US digital pay-TV entertainment service, has reached an affiliate agreement with FOX Sports World to offer the network on the DIRECTV programming line-up beginning September 1, 1999.

FIFA president Joseph Blatter praised a successful Copa America on Friday even though chaotic organisation caused most countries to send reserve teams and favourites Argentina to pull out altogether.