Mali

Sepp Blatter has temporarily given up on his plan to have a World Cup every two years after complaints that such a move would harm the reputation of the competition which currently takes place every four years.

Senegal's soccer chief is heading to France to try to convince the country's internationals to drop a strike over bonuses for their first ever World Cup qualification.

Senegal's national soccer squad have threatened to boycott next month's African Nations Cup in a row over bonuses for their unprecedented World Cup qualification.

UK public broadcaster BBC has won the rights to screen the African Nations Cup football tournament, due to be held in Mali in January and February next year.

Soccer standards in East Africa will only improve if national federations are properly organised, the president of the region's football body CECAFA Farah Addo has said.

South Africa are to bid to stage soccer’s 2006 African Nations Cup finals.

Facts about the FIFA vote to decide who stages the 2006 World Cup finals, which will take place on Thursday in Zurich.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has yet to receive any formal bids for the hosting of the 2004 African Nations' Cup a little more than a month before the deadline closes.

Germany's campaign to host the 2006 Soccer World Cup moved to Central Africa this week when German soccer legend and bid leader Franz Beckenbauer arrived in Cameroon to drum up support.

Australian officials have vowed to polish the tarnished image of the Olympics, seeking to convince sponsors and potential spectators that Sydney's successful bid for the 2000 Games was clean.

Sydney and Salt Lake City Olympic officials have sought to reassure potential sponsors and spectators that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was dealing effectively with the biggest scandal in its 104-year history.

1.DIRTY TRICKS SURFACE IN IOC SCANDAL

2.KENYA'S MUKORA QUITS IOC

3.SAMARANCH DEFIANT, TOO

4.2006 WINTER OLYMPIC BIDDERS FACE CONFUSION, NEW RULES

5.2012 BIDS

6.HOT FILE

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is confident there will be little or no fallout from the bankruptcy of Swiss firm ISL/ISSM, who held the marketing and sponsorship rights to next year's African Nations Cup finals in Mali.

Mali has been confirmed as the venue for the 2002 African Nations Cup finals, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said.

The Paris-Dakar rally returns to its geographical roots in 2001 when the race starts from the French capital on New Year's Day before a 10,000-km trek across Europe and north Africa takes competitors to the Senegal capital.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has chosen Tunisia as host nation for the African Nations Cup finals in 2004.