Italy

Europe's top clubs brought their complaints about losing players to international duty to UEFA earlier this week, demanding European soccer's governing body push for a universal calendar that fits their needs.

Barcelona has made a bid to host the next bout of former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, according to local press reports.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder thinks money has become too big in modern soccer.

Demands by leading European soccer clubs that their games should take priority over international friendlies are completely unacceptable, UEFA General Secretary Gerhard Aigner has said.

While European soccer continues to enjoy massive popularity racism remains a cloud over the sport in some territories. The issue may, primarily, be a social concern but there may be long-term commercial implications for the corporations who pour millions into the sport in sponsorship.

This season's secondary European club rugby competition has been launched with a new name, the European Shield rebranded as the Parker Pen Shield.

Global Sportnet, the Hamburg-based marketing and consulting company, has secured the worldwide television and advertising rights to all UEFA Cup home matches of Milan-based soccer team FC Internazionale outside of two Italian territories.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has dismissed claims New York should be automatically handed the 2012 Olympic Games in the wake of the suicide plane attacks in America.

IOC president Jacques Rogge has dismissed claims New York should be automatically handed the 2012 Olympic Games in the wake of the suicide plane attacks in America.

Multipole International has picked up the contract to market the television rights in the US and Latin America for this year’s Italian Cup.

Formula One world champions Ferrari will strip their vehicles of all sponsorship this weekend as a mark of respect to the victims of the US terror attacks.

Formula One world champions Ferrari will strip their vehicles of all sponsorship this weekend as a mark of respect to the victims of the US terror attacks.

Italian Serie A soccer club SS Lazio has said net profit was 21 billion lire ($9.8m/B

Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials have said plans to stage a Formula One race on September 30 are unchanged despite Tuesday's airliner attacks in New York and Washington.

MP Web, the new media company of Milan-based sports marketers Media Partners Group, and Italian Serie A soccer club AC Parma have signed an exclusive management agreement for the official website of AC Parma until 2009.

Sportsetail, the merchandising business owned as a joint venture by the UK’s Hay & Robertson and BSkyB, has reached a European product and distribution agreement with FIFA for the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.