Central America

The Brazilian championship, which has been in doubt due to a judicial battle, has been given the green light, just a week before its scheduled start.

Colombia is hoping to stage a new soccer tournament to fill the void left by the postponed Copa America.

Brazil has withdrawn its threat to have Barcelona thrown out of the European Champions League if they do not release Rivaldo for international duty.

Roberto ‘Mano de Piedra’ Duran has squandered more than $25m (B

A Colombian soccer director is demanding sanctions against Argentina for missing last month's Copa America, which went ahead in the Andean nation at six days' notice after earlier being postponed until 2002.

Fox Sports World and Fox Sports World Espanol will televise delayed coverage of the Football Confederation Gold Cup 2000 tournament to viewers across the United States and Puerto Rico in February 2000.

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.

South American Football Confederation (CSF) president Nicolas Leoz, whose organisation staged the Copa America at only six days' notice, says his dream is for every country in the Americas to take part in the future.

Sports rights marketing company Traffic has expressed dismay at poor ticket sales for the first two quarter-finals of the controversial Copa America.

France stayed ahead of Brazil atop of the FIFA world soccer rankings for a third straight month, while Germany climbed three places to fifth.

Kansas City?s Arrowhead Stadium will host the USA?s second home qualifying game for the 2002 Soccer World Cup on April 25, when the US will play either Costa Rica or Guatemala.

Les McDonald, president of the International Triathlon Union (ITU), the world governing body of the Olympic sport, has been forced into a court case in Vancouver, British Columbia, over allegations that recent elections to his organisation were fixed, with some national federations being denied their right to vote.

The first person to be convicted on federal charges of running an illegal offshore Internet sports gambling operation has been sentenced to nearly two years in prison.

Costa Rica has set itself up as the offshore gambling capital of the world with large quantities of US cash entering the country in the lead up to the start of the American football season

Soccer outsiders Barbados, who shocked Costa Rica in their first 2002 World Cup qualifying match, may be forced to abandon their campaign because of lack of money.

Facts about the FIFA vote to decide who stages the 2006 World Cup finals, which will take place on Thursday in Zurich.