United Kingdom
Media

Goal Media Group, the digital media company that produces.goalnetwork.com and todogol.com, has signed an exclusive internet partnership with a Hong Kong and Chinese market online soccer publisher.

Martin Edwards has overseen the emergence of Manchester United as the world's most commercially successful and best supported soccer club. He steps down as chief executive on August 1 as a very wealthy man but will keep an interest in the club as non-executive chairman. Check out the FEATURES section of SportBusiness.com for the full story of United?s rise to glory, on and off the pitch.
Business

British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) has completed the #40 million acquisition of a 9.92% stake in Premier League soccer club Chelsea.
Business

Irvin Khoza, chairman of South Africa's World Cup 2006 Bid Committee, is to meet a top Belgian lawyer in Brussels over a possible legal challenge to the vote which handed the tournament to Germany.
Media

FIBA, forced to revamp its new flagship SuproLeague basketball tournament after a mass breakaway by clubs, has made the draw for next season.
Business

Britain's richest soccer club, Manchester United plc has confirmed that Martin Edwards is to step down as chief executive, ending four decades of family control.
Business

UEFA?s head of club competitions has quit the organisation to team up with the G14 pressure group, comprising of Europe?s leading soccer clubs.

The chief executive of Manchester United ? Martin Edwards ? is expected to make an announcement to the stock exchange on Monday in which he will reveal he is to resign.

British MPs have backed emergency legislation to curb soccer hooliganism, despite members from all parties expressing concerns over civil liberties.
Business

The Dunlop Slazenger Group and the All England Lawn Tennis Club have extended their existing contract to supply balls for the Wimbledon championships ? already the longest sports sponsorship in the world.
Media

More tennis fans than ever before enjoyed a 'virtual seat' at Wimbledon?s grass courts this year, after total traffic to its official web site saw it become the most highly trafficked official Grand Slam site in history.
Business

The World Cup short-course swimming series has been cut from 12 meetings to 10 and will offer more prize money.
Business

In twin announcements in London and Berlin, officials of the CART FedEx Championship Series announced the debut of Champ Cars on ovals in Britain and Germany in September 2001.
Sponsorship & Marketing

Argentinian First Division side River Plate has invited companies to bid for its marketing operations, reports the soccer industry newsletter, the Soccer Investor Weekly Bulletin.
Business

Law firm Addleshaw Booth & Co has signed a major sponsorship deal for the Commonwealth Games to be staged in England in 2002.
Stadia

UK government sports minister Kate Hoey has blasted England?s failed attempt to host the 2006 World Cup, claiming it was a waste of money, and that it never stood a realistic chance of winning.

Financial firm Standard Life, sponsors of golf?s European Tour event in Loch Lomond, Scotland, has blasted the build-up to the event, claiming it has brought nothing but bad publicity to the event.

European basketball is set to be split into two opposing camps in Thessaloniki today when newcomers ULEB will challenge the sport's governing body FIBA by announcing its own rival to the recently launched Suproleague.