Events

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.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is poised to appoint a commission to investigate allegations of betting and match-fixing, and it has vowed to take tough action against anyone found guilty.

Leading Olympic official Marc Hodler said he had gone public with his allegations that agents tried to rig votes on the hosting of Games because he did not want Salt Lake City to be seen as "villains".

Telecom Italia shareholders gathering in Turin are likely to be disappointed if they expect to hear that a digital pay-TV deal with media baron Rupert Murdoch has been wrapped up, industry sources said.

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.

President Juan Antonio Samaranch has said the IOC would expel members from the organisation if they were found guilty of wrongdoing in the scandal over allegations that votes to win the games are for sale.

Asia has turned world soccer's favourite slogan back at governing body FIFA and asked for "Fair Play, Please."

Chinese sports officials have waded into the Olympic bribery row, saying Beijing may have been a victim of IOC corruption when it lost to Sydney in the contest to host the 2000 Games.

Billy Payne, who headed up Atlanta's bid for the 1996 Olympics and became chief of its organising committee, has rejected any suggestion that Atlanta paid for votes in its campaign to stage the Games.

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, underwriter of a planned bond issue for Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One motor racing company, has said reports that other banks would take over the bond were inaccurate.

A German bank has offered to purchase all of motor racing tycoon Bernie Ecclestone's planned bond issue provided conditions including a reduction in the deal's size are met, bankers in London has said.

English F.A. chief executive Graham Kelly resigned on Tuesday over his contacts with the F.A. of Wales.

Switzerland has invited inspectors to check Swiss documents related to the country's bids to hold the winter Olympics following a scandal over allegations that votes to win the games could be bought.

The Olympic organising committee in Quebec City was courted by "special agents" who offered to "buy" votes on the International Olympic Committee to help the city's bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympics to succeed, Le Soleil newspaper has reported.

A crisis sparked by Graham Kelly's resignation as chief executive of the English Football Association will not ruin England's bid for the 2006 World Cup, the F.A.'s executive director has said.

Pay-TV broadcaster Telepiu says it is confident contracts it signed for the digital rights for seven top Italian soccer clubs are unbreakable even if Rupert Murdoch makes a rival offer.