Sub-Saharan Africa

World soccer's governing body FIFA has made a grant of 15 million CFA francs ($26,500) to cash-strapped Congo Republic to enable the national soccer team to take part in the 2000 Olympics soccer championship, national soccer officials have said.

Congo's Jean-Claude Ganga said he would fight tooth and nail to defend his name after being provisionally thrown out of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Olympics boss Juan Antonio Samaranch has launched a scathing attack against media critics who have called for him to quit over the Salt Lake City corruption scandal.

An Australian IOC member alleged to have taken his family on four free holidays to Salt Lake City has angrily denied any wrongdoing and accused the city's Board of Ethics of defamation.

The East and Central Senior African Challenge Cup in Uganda will go ahead as planned next month despite the scare over the Ebola virus which has killed more than 60 people, officials in Nairobi confirmed on Tuesday.

A bruising three-month battle for the FIFA presidency reaches a climax on Monday when Sepp Blatter and Lennart Johansson contest the biggest job in soccer.

The draw for the 2002 World Cup, the biggest in the tournament's 69-year history, will involve 195 nations and be seen live on Tuesday by a television audience of about one billion people.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will visit Ghana and Nigeria early next month for a final look at stadium and television facilities for the African Nations Cup finals. The CAF inspection team's visit comes after concern was raised by several television broadcasters last month over the state of preparations for filming the 16-team finals, which start on January 22.

Tickets for African Nations' Cup matches in Nigeria will sell for as little as 100 naira (one dollar) each to draw big crowds, organisers have said.

Said CSA president Jim Fleming: "We have requested this information from FIFA with a view towards submitting a bid for the 2003 World Youth Championship

Press reports from Nigeria say the country's sports ministry has failed to persuade players on the national soccer team to collect a t$2,500 dollars bonus for winning their match against Tunisia.

Romanian national coach Anghel Iordanescu has accused the country's soccer authorities of endangering the country's World Cup chances by denying him funds, facilities and competitive warm-up matches.

Outbreaks of hooliganism by English and German fans in France should not affect those nations' bids to stage the 2006 World Cup finals, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said.

The World Cup failed to boost advertising revenue for Britain?s ITV network which saw June figures fall some #8 million ($12m).

Nigeria's organising committee for next year's world youth soccer tournament said on Sunday they were confident FIFA would be satisfied by the country's preparations after an inspection this week.

Four people were shot dead by soldiers at a soccer game in the southern Nigerian town of Warri after ethnic rioting erupted over a disputed refereeing decision, witnesses said.