Scandinavia

VTV, recently-acquired by UK-based The Television Corporation and now part of Sunset+Vine, has won a new four year contract to produce and distribute coverage of English badminton until 2005.

Sportal, the global provider of interactive sports content, has signed an extensive multi language sports content distribution deal with Yahoo! Europe.

The European Commission has backed a UK government pledge forcing broadcasters to screen the UK?s major sports events on free-to-air television.

Sony?s Jumbotron large size video display system has made its debut in Denmark and Greece, following sales to major rental companies in both countries.

ESPN International has acquired a package of more than fifty 2002 World Cup qualifying matches from the European group, including matches involving England, Italy, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Norway, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Denmark and Portugal.

Britain has urged the Belgian and Dutch hosts of Euro 2000 to get tough on English thugs and prevent an ugly new outbreak of violence at this summer's festival of football.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said a venue switch for the Euro 2000 match between England and Germany from the small Belgian stadium of Charleroi should be considered to minimise the risk of crowd trouble.

British Home Secretary Jack Straw has said a move by Belgium and the Netherlands to reimpose border controls to prevent trouble at the Euro 2000 soccer tournament was a good idea.

Less than a week after UEFA's chief executive Gerhard Aigner accused the media of exaggerating the violence at the UEFA Cup final its executive board agreed on Tuesday to investigate "sensationalist" coverage of the showpiece event.

Sportal has signed a major sponsorship deal with European online and recruitment portal StepStone.

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.

UEFA Cup finalists Galatasaray must put their finances on a stronger footing if they want to join the elite of European soccer, coach Fatih Terim has said.

The English FA has decided not to send an under-18 team to a tournament in Turkey next month because of security fears following the fatal stabbing of two Leeds United fans there earlier this month.

NHL International, in conjunction with ESPN International, will distribute the 2000 NHL

Manchester United?s club television channel ? MUTV ? has been launched in Scandinavia, giving fans in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland the ability to subscribe to the digital broadcast.

UEFA and FIFA face almost certain disappointment in their efforts to persuade the European Union to reverse some of the most damaging effects of the Bosman ruling, EU officials have warned.