Eastern Europe

Ruvim Aronov, president of the Ukrainian premier division side Tavria Simferopol, has been charged with extortion, a police spokesman in the city in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula said.

The Russian Football Union (RFS) has signed a long-term sponsorship deal with Coca Cola Co in a move that should give a much needed shot in the arm to the financially-strapped Russian game.

Vyacheslav Koloskov faces a serious challenge from an unlikely source when he stands for re-election as president of the Russian Football Union on December 8.

The Ukrainian Professional Football League (UPFL) has decided to cut the number of teams in the premier division from 16 to 14 by the 2000/01 season.

Two Ukrainian premier division soccer matches scheduled for today have been postponed as the country mourns the victims of a mining accident.

The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, has been selected as the venue for the Davis Cup Euro/African Zone 1 second round tie between Great Britain and Portugal on 6-8 April.

Dynamo Tbilisi, the former top Soviet side now mired in debt and facing possible extinction, has been put in the hands of Georgia's Interior Ministry.

French League president Gerard Bourgoin promised that tough action would be taken in the wake of the false passports scandal that has rocked the sport -- and that teams will be docked points if found guilty.

The French National Soccer League (LNF) has suspended St Etienne players Alex of Brazil and Maxim Levytsky from Ukraine pending an investigation into their passports.

Manchester United, the world?s best supported club team, will be playing for big bucks in Wednesday?s Uefa Champions? League.

Hrigory Surkis, the powerful boss of champions Dynamo Kiev, has been elected president of the Ukrainian Football Federation (UFF).

Last season's Ukrainian league runners up Shakhtar Donetsk criticised rivals Dynamo Kiev for attempting to seize too much power in Ukrainian soccer.

President of the Ukrainian Football Federation (UFF) Valery Pustovoitenko will not seek re-election when his term expires next week.

Italian sport swear company, Lotto Sport Italia, has signed up AC Milan and Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko on a three-year deal..

Ukrainian first division side Torpedo Zaporizhya have withdrawn from the countries domestic cup competition after filing for bankruptcy.

The president and other officials of the International Boxing Federation have been indicted for bribery, charged with selling rankings to boxers over the past 14 years for as much as $100,000.