Costa Rica

iSe International Sports and Entertainment AG has agreed a deal with UK public broadcaster the BBC for coverage of the FIFA Club World Championship TOYOTA Cup Japan 2005 and 2006.

FIFA has ordered Albania and Costa Rica to play their next two home World Cup games behind closed doors.

Infront Sports & Media has reached agreement with OTI (OrganizaciC3n de Telecomunicaciones Iberoamericanas) for the broadcast rights to the 2006 FIFA World Cup across Central and South America.

Opponents of FIFA president Sepp Blatter scored what could prove to be a significant victory when their wish to set up an internal investigation of FIFA's finances was agreed at an extraordinary meeting of the executive committee.

Costa Rica has hit a $1m (EUR1.1m) cash bonus from its marketing partner after qualifying for soccer's World Cup.

Costa Rica-based online sports betting company BetOnSports, which primarily serves the US market, is to float on the UK’s Alternative Investment Market.

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

Costa Rica will take the place of Canada in the Copa America after Canada pulled out because it did not have time to prepare for the hastily rearranged competition.

Soccer tournament the Copa America finally kicks off in Colombia on Wednesday after weeks of furious argument over when and where it should be played but, as the action starts, ordinary fans may be asking what the fuss was about.

Honduras has stated it will take part in Copa America, replacing Argentina after the South American side pulled out for security reasons of the tournament hosted by Colombia.

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

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.

Univision, the leading Spanish-language television broadcast company in the United States, is to broadcast the "Copa Oro 2000" (Gold Cup) tournament, beginning on Sunday, February 13.

Sportingbet.com, the Channel Islands-based bookmaker, has acquired Betmaker.com, a Costa Rica-based internet gambling site, in a deal worth about #15million, reports the Financial Times.

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

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.