RTE television and the FAI break new ground tonight with the first of a new series of soccer programmes to be shown on Network 2. The series, entitled The Soccer Show, will be screened every second Wednesday at 7 p.m. immediately prior to the Champions' League matches.

Produced by FAI Productions, a new arm of the Football Association of Ireland, the half-hour programmes, of which there will be 16, will deal with every aspect of Irish football from schoolboy through to senior level.

The first show will have a feature on Brian Kerr's under-20 team which finished third at the World Youth Cup in Malyasia in July and a piece on Shamrock Rovers.

"This is a wonderful new venture for the FAI and we in the association are very excited about the impact it will have on the game and those involved in soccer throughout the country," said FAI president, Pat Quigley.

"Much thought and preparation has gone into the production of the series and we are hopeful it will add a new and productive element to the activities of the FAI.

"We feel the series should be of immense value and interest to all involved in the game of soccer and we are hoping that, in time, it may make the kind of impact and appeal which would attract a suitable and appropriate sponsor to come on board with us," Mr Quigley added.

Already savaged in the press and in parliament for their failure to clinch an automatic place in next year's World Cup finals, Russian soccer officials faced a new threat yesterday from the taxman.

The popular daily Komsomolskaya Pravda splashed an angry article across its front page.

Moscow tax police confirmed that non-playing staff from the 1994 Russian World Cup and Euro '96 squads - still owed 1.8 billion roubles ($300,000) in income tax on bonuses received from FIFA and UEFA.