United Kingdom

With the European club soccer season drawing to a close, how have the winners and losers insured against the financial implications of success and failure? Sportbusiness.com asked Jonathon Ticehurst, managing director, sports and international divisions, of London-based Windsor insurance brokers, what insurance measures can be put in place to steady club finances at the sharp end of the season.

Welsh soccer chiefs may call in soccer’s world governing body FIFA over a row with Ukrainian embassy officials who have refused to grant striker John Hartson a visa ahead of next Wednesday's World Cup qualifier in the former Soviet Union.
Business

London stock exchange-listed 365 Corp has reported a loss of £16.9 million ($23.9m) for the year ended 31 March 2001, under-performing by nearly £5m ($7.1m) on consensus forecasts.

Sports trading cards and memorabilia firm The Upper Deck Company, has signed an exclusive product agreement with English soccer club Manchester United.
Events

British Eurosport has secured the live rights to the England versus Greece UEFA Under-21 European Championship qualifier.

Brian Stocks has been appointed director of sport for the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.

Jaguar chief Bobby Rahal has threatened to sue McLaren after failing to secure the services of his Formula One rivals' technical director Adrian Newey, according to UK newspaper reports this Sunday.
Business

The Indian cricket team have secured a record sponsorship contract for the next three years. The deal with the Sahara Group - which has interests in airlines and media - will guarantee the Indian cricket board 690m ($14.7m) to 720m ($15.3m) rupees.
Business

Betting duty could come back to the UK, just three months after the chancellor Gordon Brown said he would get rid of the nine per cent tax on gamblers to encourage bookmakers to close their tax-free betting operations overseas.

Hundreds of football hooligans have been banned from leaving Britain for tomorrow's World Cup qualifying clash against Greece, the Home Office said.
Business

Australian soccer teams the Brisbane Strikers and Canberra Cosmos have vowed to take legal action over their axing from the National Soccer League.
Media

The British and Irish Lions Tour of Australia will make its U.S. television network debut on Fox Sports World beginning with the June 8 match against Western Australia.
Media

A Nigerian government delegation, led by Minister for Sport and President of Africa’s Supreme Council in Sports, Ishaya Mark Aku, is meeting this week with international agencies to invite bids for the commercial exploitation of the 2003 All-Africa Games.
Media

A string of companies who are either suppliers of soccer equipment or soccer sponsors, are failing to refer to their link with the game on their web sites, according to research carried out by FAST Web Media, the company behind fapremier.com.

Australian quarantine officials said on Wednesday they were on full alert for the arrival of thousands of British and Irish rugby union fans who could carry foot-and-mouth disease into Australia.
Business

Australian broadcaster Seven Network has defended its decision to only show delayed coverage of the first two-hour sessions of this summer’s Ashes contests between England and Australia, stating that it could not justify screening the cricket in an early evening timeslot.
Business

Australian spinner Shane Warne has ended his high profile association with Nike and signed a cricket boot deal worth more than US$500,000 with European company Mitre.
Business

Coca Cola has signed Britain's biggest sports TV sponsorship deal ever with an agreement to promote Premier League soccer on UK commercial TV station ITV.