MENA

US soccer officials have refused to bow to Moslem sensibilities and remove Budweiser beer advertisements from the stadium and programmes for a groundbreaking Iranian-U.S. game.

Iranian women will soon be able to play football, one of the Islamic republic's most prominent sports officials has said.

American wrestlers will attend an international tournament in Iran in September, months after a groundbreaking visit by a U.S. team which launched exchanges between the two hostile countries.

The Goodwill Games failed to live up to their name when politics intruded.

Iran is proving not to be the place to get into the bus business.

Iran's soccer federation is weighing an invitation to play friendly matches in the United States, a federation official has said.

Asian soccer chiefs will decide on Tuesday whether to heed a call to boycott the 2002 World Cup in emergency talks on the region's representation in the finals.

A top Asian sports official has said there was growing support within the region for a boycott of the 2002 World Cup in protest at Asia's representation in the finals.

Asian soccer chiefs have gaven FIFA until March to avert a regional boycott of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea by giving Asia the chance of an extra place in the finals.

Iran, the United States and Northern Ireland have been jointly awarded FIFA's 1998 Fair Play prize.

A prominent member of soccer's world governing body FIFA believes Asia is winning the battle for more places in the World Cup finals in 2002.

Africa?s hopes of staging the 2010 World Cup were dashed after more than 130 people were killed and dozens injured in a stampede at a soccer game in Ghana's capital, Accra, in Africa's worst soccer tragedy.

More than a dozen countries have declared an interest in hosting either of the next two editions of the World Club Championship, FIFA said on Thursday.

An investigation has been launched into a stadium disaster in Iran which left more than 250 people injured.

Australia's Victorian Major Events is reported to have offered a $1.2 million (US$600,000) "sweetener" to ensure that if Australia's soccer team makes it to the final phase of the World Cup qualifying campaign, the decisive match will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

North and South Korea may march together under the Olympic flag at the Sydney Olympics, and that could lead to powerful joint teams in international sporting arenas.