Latin America

Morocco has started work on a $100 million stadium to boost its bid to host the soccer World Cup finals in 2006, a government official has said.

The Prince of Wales, Prime Minister Tony Blair and film star Hugh Grant will lead attempts to impress international soccer chiefs who will inspect England's World Cup 2006 facilities this week.

A six-man delegation from soccer's world governing body FIFA rounded off a five-day visit to Germany full of praise for the country's bid to host the 2006 World Cup.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair threw open his Downing Street doors to a delegation from world soccer's governing body FIFA yesterday, hoping to convince them to back England's bid to host the 2006 World Cup.

Movie star Hugh Grant and former England star Gary Lineker were among the star names at a special send-off to the FIFA team inspecting England's chances of hosting the 2006 World Cup.

The winners of the inaugural World Club Championship will receive $6 million in prize money, soccer's world governing body FIFA has said.

Manchester United have confirmed they will not defend the English F.A. Cup this season, preferring to play in a FIFA?s new World Club Championship in Brazil in January.

English Premier League champions Manchester United should not be allowed to compete in next season's English FA Cup, a spokesman for the tournament's sponsors, the AXA insurance group, was quoted as saying.

The BBC has paid #6m ($10m) for the broadcasting rights to FIFA's World Team Championship in Brazil. That is half the price once suggested - probably because other broadcasters showed little interest.

A new Brazilian law preventing a company from controlling or sponsoring more than one football club came into being last week, according to the soccer industry newsletter, The Soccer Investor Weekly Bulletin.

Brazil's soccer tour of Australia has became a financial disaster as superstar Ronaldo withdrew and the promoter took the extraordinary step of declaring free admission.

English Premier League club Manchester United remain the world's richest soccer club but Spanish and Italian rivals could overtake them soon as the gap between the top clubs starts to close, according to a financial survey published today.

Brazil face a possible World Cup knockout blow from FIFA if found guilty of knowingly fielding over-age players in official competitions.

Brazil will not be suspended from the next World Cup even if found guilty of fielding over-age players in a youth tournament, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said.

Soccer legend Pele has confirmed his support for South Africa's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup, saying he thought Brazil could be ready to stage the finals four years later.

Morocco's 2006 World Cup campaign boss said during a lobbying visit to Nigeria that Africa should make only a single bid to host the tournament.Morocco and South Africa are among five nations bidding to host the 2006 finals along with Brazil, England and Germany."FIFA may find it easier to reject Africa's bid if both Morocco and South Africa insist on presenting their bids, citing lack of unity," Driss Benhima, head of the Morocco 2006 bid committee, told reporters.Benhima said the Confederation of African Football had to evolve a fair method of choosing either Morocco or South Africa. CAF are due to discuss the issue at their next Congress in Accra, Ghana in February.