Italy
ROMAN CLUBS IN JOINT STADIUM DEAL
Italian soccer clubs Lazio and AS Roma have set up a joint company to bid for Rome's Foro Italico sports complex, which includes the Olympic Stadium they currently share as their home ground.
FIFA PRESIDENT FEELS THE HEAT
UEFA president Lennart Johansson has called on FIFA chief Sepp Blatter to explain the collapse of FIFA's marketing agent ISL and the cancellation of the World Club championship or face the consequences, which could lead to his removal as president of the game's ruling body.
MOBILE PHONE BETTING BECOMES REALITY
Online betting shop Coral Eurobet has signed a deal with loss-making mobile entertainment company 12snap to allow punters to place bets using mobile phone text messaging services.
G14 CALL ON UEFA OVER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RIGHTS
The G14 group of elite soccer clubs has called on UEFA to introduce a "fair and open" tender for the marketing rights to the Champions League.
MVi SET FOR EUROPEAN EXPANSION
MVi Total Sponsorship, the sponsorship division of global media communications giant CIA, is set for a major expansion programme into Europe.
EXCLUSIVE ? G14 SPLIT ON EXPANSION PLANS
A meeting of the G14 group of top European soccer clubs has failed to agree criteria for the admission of new clubs, reports sportbusiness.com soccer writer Simon Banks from Milan.
POWER MEETING OF SOCCER?S G14
Fourteen of the biggest soccer clubs in Europe are meeting in Milan today and are likely to welcome up to 10 more clubs into their 'economic interest group', the G14. Sportbusiness.com?s soccer correspondent Simon Banks will be at the meeting, bringing you up-to-date with all the latest developments. See the FEATURES section of sportbusiness.com for a full report on the history of the G14.
CAR-MAKERS JOIN FORCES TO CHALLENGE FORMULA ONE
Europe?s leading car-makers met last week in Rome to discuss plans to set up a motor racing competition to rival Formula One.
UK SOCCER FANS SPEND MOST ON MERCHANDISE
Soccer fans in the UK are spending more than twice the money of their European counterparts on soccer merchandise, according to a football merchandise report carried out by Cologne-based market researcher Sport+Markt.
SPORTAL: `CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM? OVER RESCUE DEAL
Sportal, the troubled UK-based sports internet company, has told sportbusiness.com it has room for ?cautious optimism? over finding an investor to save it from administration.
JUVE SIGN NEW SHIRT SPONSORSHIP
Italian Serie A soccer club Juventus has signed a new shirt sponsorship deal with the country?s broadband ISP FastNet for next season, replacing broadcaster Telepiu, whose deal was worth #5.5m ($7.79m) a year.
ECCLESTONE EYES RUSSIA
Moscow may be on the Formula One Grand Prix map as soon as 2003, if the International Automobile Federation (FIA) gets its way.
SPORTAL IN LAST-DITCH RESCUE BID
Sportal, the UK-based sports internet company, will today make last-ditch attempts to save itself from administration.
ZIDANE IS TOP SOCCER EARNER
A survey of soccer players earnings by France Football, the weekly magazine, has found that Juventus player Zinedine Zidane is the highest paid player with an annual income of $11.6 million.
LAZIO PUNISHED FOR FANS? RACIST ABUSE
Lazio, one of Italy?s leading soccer clubs, has been banned from playing at its Olympic Stadium for one month and has been fined $28,000 after their fans displayed and shouted racist abuse during Sunday?s derby match against Roma.
STREAM AND TELEPUI SET TO MERGE
Italian pay-TV networks Stream and Telepui have agreed merger terms, reports the Guardian newspaper in London.
ITALY AUCTIONS SPORTING HERITAGE
Italy has moved closer to selling Rome's Foro Italico sports complex, announcing it would auction one of the great projects of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini "very shortly".
UEFA TV RULES CLEARED BY EU COMMISSION
The European Union's executive Commission has cleared new UEFA broadcasting rules allowing national soccer associations to block televised live soccer matches during key weekend fixture periods.