Latin America

Alec McGivan, the director of England's campaign to stage the 2006 World Cup, has questioned the motives behind UEFA's threat to expel England from Euro 2000 following incidents of hooliganism.

South African World Cup 2006 bid officials have said it would be a pity if the chances of rivals England were scuttled by UEFA'S threat to expel the English team from the European championship finals.

England's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup finals appears to have been dealt a fatal blow by the violent behaviour of the hooligans who caused mayhem over the weekend in Belgium, according to senior FIFA figures.

English soccer chiefs were planning to hold an urgent meeting with European governing body UEFA today in a bid to stop a new generation of hooligans from destroying their Euro 2000 campaign and seriously undermining their 2006 World Cup bid.

South Africa's 2006 World Cup bid committee officials will meet their Brazil counterparts next week to discuss a possible deal over Brazilian backing for South Africa's bid.

South Africa's Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour will meet Moroccan World Cup bid officials in Rabat to discuss the possibility of Morocco withdrawing from the 2006 race.

NBA fans in more than 750 million households around the world will be able to tune into the NBA Finals 2000 featuring the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers.

Kevin Roberts in Hanover

Fifa president Sepp Blatter has criticised Europe for fielding two competing World Cup 2006 bids and has offered encouraging words to the Brazilian bid team.

The Brazilian Government has put forward legislation against tobacco advertising and sponsorship of sports and cultural events.

The reconstruction of Wembley Stadium, the centrepiece of England's 2006 World Cup bid, has been given the green light, according to UK media reports.

Prince Alexandre de Merode offered to step down as head of the IOC's anti-doping campaign after 33 years on Wednesday because of criticism but was urged to stay on by Olympic leaders, an IOC spokesman said.

SportsYA!, the Spanish and Portuguese language internet sports portal, has announced a partnership with two of Brazil's most famous sports stars, Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi and soccer international Zico.

Brazil's President Fernando Henrique Cardoso has thrown his support behind a bid from Rio de Janeiro to host the Olympics and the Pan-American games.

The English Football Association has apologised to Denmark for violence involving Arsenal fans at the UEFA Cup final but said it would not affect England's bid to stage the 2006 World Cup.

Africa should host a soccer World Cup but not the 2006 tournament, said Franz Beckenbauer, who is leading Germany's bid to stage the event.