-The site was launched on November 28, 2001," explains Contamine, -Our main target is to serve all audiences with the same quality of service, all the time. Some rich media sections, require good Internet connectivity, but anyone with a 28.8 modem can enjoy the whole site and the vital information."
And while the most recent coverage comes at a cost, searching through the classic matches of the last century is free, and a useful way to revisit the great soccer controversies of the past.
However, FIFA aren't the only ones feeding the global polyglot behemoth of soccer fans in the run-up to the 2002 World Cup. Official partner status has enabled Yahoo to share a stake in World Cup coverage, with its specialised soccer news service feeding fans back to the FIFA site, and to other sports destinations on the Web.
Brian Boys, sports producer at Yahoo Australia New Zealand, says that the World Cup, like major swim meets and local league finals, sparks huge increases in traffic.
-Sports coverage really has to be tailored to the user. Our footy tipping site is very lean and functional and people want to place their tips quickly, be able to see results, get weekly reminders and see their ratings," Boys says. -Whereas when it comes to coverage, people want to be able to choose an experience which suits themselves and their Internet connection - if they just want to read text headlines they can."
Pundits will be closely watching the performance of media-rich, paid-for content given the rocky road traversed by most sports sites of this genre. Even relatively successful mediarich sites have found it hard to capitalise on their success - with many unable to make the switch from from a free service, supported by advertising, to pay-per-view or subscription models.
