United Kingdom

Sponsorship value will double to $50 billion by 2010, or around 8.5% of global advertising spend, according to a recent survey.

London officials have formally presented their bid for the 2005 world athletics championships although no suitable venue has yet been built.

Scotland's top football clubs are close to signing a #30m deal with broadcasters BSkyB and Scottish Media.

The European Parliament has, as anticipated, voted in favour of draft European Union legislation which will lead to a ban on most tobacco advertising in three years' time.

The English Football Association has announced a five-year extension to its existing agreement with national team kit supplier Umbro.

Sepp Blatter's bid to become FIFA president was given a significant boost on Friday when England declared it would vote for him in Monday's election.

London based ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi says it has won the global advertising contract for New Zealand's national rugby union team, the All Blacks, by their new sponsor Adidas-Salomon AG.

Men?s tennis is to undergo a commercial revolution from 2000. The ATP has partnered with ISL and Octagon to develop television and sponsorship on the back of a re-structured, heavily branded sport.

France's Minister for Sport says she is opposed to a European soccer Super League.

The Polish Sports Ministry has welcomed a proposal by the country's top soccer clubs to stave off the threat of an international ban.

Scotland?s Champions League representatives Celtic are embroiled in a cash battle ahead of tonight?s vital qualifier.

Manchester United director Peter Kenyon has moved to reassure Premiership member's fears over the developing European Superleague, while Media Partners unveiled a preliminary league structure.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB pay television giant may face a 700 million pound ($1.18 billion) challenge to its bid to buy top English soccer club Manchester United Plc , newspapers reported on Monday.

A Norwegian firm that controls English premier league soccer club Wimbledon denied a report that it also wanted to buy second division Manchester City.

PAUL Ridley, managing director of MUTV, the television station which is dedicated to Manchester United, has quit the channel less than a month after it was launched.

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 head of South Africa's 2006 World Cup bid has said they were confident of hosting the finals and shrugged off British claims to stage soccer's top event.

Britain is planning new laws to curb soccer hooligans who have repeatedly embarrassed the nation abroad, London's Evening Standard newspaper has reported.