Japan

FIFA president Sepp Blatter reaffirmed on Sunday that soccer's governing body would not meet Asia's demands for an automatic fifth berth at the 2002 World Cup finals.

Japan is ready to lend South Korea about $200 million to help its World Cup co-host build a soccer stadium for the 2002 tournament, the Export-Import Bank of Japan said. "We are ready to offer the loans at any time, but we are still waiting for a formal request from South Korea," an official at the bank told Reuters.

Tournament co-host Japan will accept a FIFA proposal to hold a signing ceremony for the 2002 World Cup in Zurich on August 26 instead of in Tokyo this week, a Japanese organising committee official said on Tuesday.

TOKYO, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Tournament co-host Japan will accept a FIFA proposal to hold a signing ceremony for the 2002 World Cup in Zurich on

The president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, Yushiro Yagi, has died aged 72.

ESPN International and the National Football League (NFL) have agreed to extend their existing worldwide distribution agreement through the 2002 season.

Octagon CSI, the television division of the Octagon Group, will unveil a number of new football programming opportunities at this year?s Sportel in Monaco.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said the world governing body's member associations must be unanimous when sanctioning players guilty of doping.

Warren Buffet, the billionaire US investor, is backing an innovative reinsurance scheme to insure against an earthquake forcing the cancellation of next year?s soccer World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Australian and South African rugby union will benefit from extra broadcasting revenue if a plan for the two countries? teams to clash offshore in Asia goes ahead.

KirchMedia has reached agreement with a group of Korean broadcasters for the domestic broadcasting rights to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups in a deal believed to be in the region of $55-60million (?60.63-66.14m).

Negotiations over the French TV rights to the 2002 World Cup have stalled because rights holders the Kirch Group have set the price too high, a French newspaper has reported.

South African terrestrial channel e.tv has secured the exclusive TV rights to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

The Thailand Football Association has written to FIFA to request a change of venue for their Asian World Cup qualifying match scheduled for Baghdad on Friday, a Thai official said on Tuesday.

Chile is to bid for soccer's Confederations Cup 2003 it was announced by the Chilean National Association of Professional Football (ANFP) yesterday.

Seattle Mariners will have their home games broadcast in Japanese live on the internet from today.