Portugal

Senegal lawyer Lamine Diack is present his case today to retain control of the world governing athletics body after the death of International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) president Primo Nebiolo this month.

UFA Sports has secured the marketing rights for the Russian national soccer team, ahead of next week?s World Cup draw.

The ATP Tour and International Tennis Federation have formally announced their new marketing strategy for 2000 and beyond.

All 31 matches in the 2004 European championships in Portugal will be shown free on terrestrial television, UEFA president Lennart Johansson has said.

Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has bought Copenhagen soccer club Hvidovre, where he made his debut in 1984. No price for the deal, announced on Wednesday, was given by the club but it confirmed Schmeichel had bought a 100 percent shareholding and that Swedish telecoms carrier Telia would act as Hvidovre's main sponsor.

Portugal will bring forward infrastructure projects in time to host the Euro 2004 soccer tournament, Planning Minister Jorge Coelho has said.

Former European champions Benfica have lost a potentially expensive court battle over whether they had the right to pull out of a multi-million dollar television deal.

Dutch soccer club PSV Eindhoven chairman Harry van Raaij believes his club will quit the Dutch championship to play in a 16-team European league by 2002, according to reports.

FIFA vice-president David Will, has cautioned Celtic and Rangers against setting up a proposed Atlantic League without authorisation from the world's governing body.

Glasgow Rangers and Celtic plan to lobby the Scottish Football Association and UEFA in order to create a second string European league that would effectively end the UEFA Cup.

Both the BBC and its rival ? the commercial network ITV ? will broadcast live coverage of the England vs Germany clash at Euro 2000 this summer.

The International Olympic Committee will ban athletes who use so-called "social drugs" such as cannabis at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch has announced.

A crippling pilots strike kept most Air France flights grounded for a second day on Tuesday but negotiations were set to resume in the afternoon, raising hopes the dispute could be settled before the start of the World Cup.

A new European Super League moved several steps closer after announcemnts from UEFA, and top clubs Manchester United, Arsenal and Ajax Amsterdam.

Cycling?s drug woes continued on Wednesday when three more Italian riders were kicked out of the Tour of Portugal on Wednesday for doping.

UEFA, battling to avert the creation of a breakaway Super League, it may merge two of Europe's three major competitions.