Italy

Shares in Swiss media company Highlight Communications dived on Wednesday after it said European soccer’s ruling body UEFA had, as expected, ended the UEFA Champions League rights deal with its TEAM subsidiary.

Italian soccer clubs plan to appeal against the sanctions imposed by the Italian Football League's disciplinary committee on Wednesday on charges that they falsely obtained European Union passports for foreign players.

The long-mooted merger between Italian pay-TV companies, Vivendi Universal’s Tele+ and News Corp’s Stream has been confirmed with the new entity to operate under the Tele+ brand. Pay Per View Sport in Europe: A new report from SportBusiness Group:

While the sports industry may sometimes over-inflate its value to media operators, it seems the merger agreement between rival Italian pay-TV outfit’s Stream and Telepiu was greatly motivated by sports rights issues, a leading UK media analyst has told sportbusiness.com.

Yugoslav first division soccer club Partizan Belgrade will start broadcasting their own television channel on Friday.

A new crowd-pleasing motor-racing Grand Prix series featuring cars racing in the livery of Europe’s top soccer clubs is aiming to reach one billion viewers in its first season, sportbusiness.com can reveal.

South Africa's premier league kicks off its new season on Wednesday against a backdrop of legal wrangles, feuding club bosses and growing public apathy.

South Africa's Premier League kicks off its new season on Wednesday against a backdrop of legal wrangles, feuding club bosses and growing public apathy.

Premier1 Racing has secured its second soccer club – English Premier League frontrunners Leeds United.

The Italian Cup faces a potential boycott of all its first-round ties after Italy's football players' union said it had extended a proposed weekend strike.

German soccer champions Bayern Munich have joined the growing band of leading clubs whose web site is to be part of Pangolin?s Sportal Network.

Italian Serie A club Lazio has said it plans to leave Rome's Olympic stadium and move to a new ground.

Award-winning US advertising agency, Leo Burnett, has resigned the Fila USA account, citing "philosophical differences," an agency representative said.

Italian broadcaster Mediaset has sold its television rights for Serie A soccer club Lazio's Champions League matches to Canal Plus unit Telepiu.

Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan has signed a three-year deal with English Football League team Charlton Athletic allowing it to transfer squad players to the English team to ensure regular top class football.

UEFA opened their glittering new $20 million headquarters on the banks of Lake Geneva with President Lennart Johansson declaring the organisation was in great shape with the new millennium approaching.