SPORTS

Despite last year's pyrotechnical unveilings for superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar, the new-look Saudi Pro League has provided few fireworks since.

The Olympic torch relay began in Marseille on Thursday with football legend Basile Boli taking the flame in front of the iconic basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, a day after it made a spectacular entrance by sea.

Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor FC said they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) citing "a series of criminal incidents and recent threats".

Infantino, speaking at a conference in Los Angeles, said he told MLS officials recently that bringing in the world's best players would take football to the next level.

Needing a win at Anfield to close the gap on fourth-placed Villa, Tottenham slumped to a fourth successive league loss for the first time since 2004.

Mikel Arteta's Gunners are a single point above Pep Guardiola's men with three games left but City, who host Wolves, crucially have a game in hand.

Walkouts could start in May and continue from July 1 to September 8, the CGT union branch representing binmen warned, a period that includes the Games, which run from July 26 to August 11.

It was widely reported last week that the 65-year-old, regarded as the greatest designer in the sport's history, was set to quit following a controversy involving allegations about team principal Christian Horner.

A French environmental charity said it had turned down the chance to take part in the torch relay ahead of the Paris Olympics over the role of Coca-Cola as a major sponsor.

Manchester United's push for Europe was held up by Burnley in a 1-1 stalemate and Everton secured their top-flight status with a 1-0 win at home to Brentford.

A former Rugby Sevens international, Ombachi reinvented himself to become a social media star with a global fanbase in just a few years.

Kai Havertz and Ben White scored twice as Arsenal thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday to surge ahead in the Premier League title race and ramp up the pressure on Liverpool and Manchester City.

Mourinho was 41 when he left Porto and took over at a Chelsea side poised to dominate English football following Roman Abramovich's takeover.

The sport was rocked at the weekend by revelations that the swimmers tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) -- a prescription heart drug that is banned in athletes because it can enhance performance -- before the Games three years ago.

Manchester City were the big winners last week, hammering Luton 5-1 before Arsenal and Liverpool both lost, and are now firm favorites to claim an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title.

Japan's Momota was once badminton's undisputed king, winning 11 titles in 2019 and losing just six of the 73 matches he played that year..

Organizers launched an investigation after two runners from Kenya and one from Ethiopia appeared to deliberately allow China's He Jie to win Sunday's Beijing half marathon.

The sacred flame for the Paris 2024 Olympics was lit Tuesday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises.

Everton admitted breaching profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) for permitted losses by GBP16.6 million ($20.7 million) for the assessment period ending with the 2022/23 season.

The specter of another disappointing exit from the Champions League hangs over Paris Saint-Germain after a 3-2 first-leg defeat at home left them with a fight to turn around their quarter-final tie against Barcelona in Tuesday's return.

At the bottom of the table, Brentford, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United are embroiled in a desperate fight for survival.

Rain and scattered thunderstorms had been forecast to move into the region at around 6:00am (1000 GMT) and were expected to last until about lunch time, potentially causing havoc to the first round schedule.

Bernardo Silva put City ahead with a low free-kick but Ruben Dias' own goal and Rodrygo Goes helped Madrid dramatically and swiftly fight back.

Now, as the 22-year-old prepares to be chosen with the No.1 pick in next week's WNBA draft, experts are predicting Clark may well have the same kind of transformative effect on women's professional basketball.

Jurgen Klopp's side would have gone top with a victory against their bitter rivals at Old Trafford. But despite taking the lead through Luis Diaz's 23rd minute strike, Liverpool couldn't deliver the knockout blow.

The violence kicked off late Wednesday when fans of Hajduk Split rushed the field following their team's 0-1 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in the national cup semi-finals.

Spurs have made a habit of recovering from slow starts to win in recent months, but this time they failed to capitalize on scoring after just five minutes.

Ajax announced on Tuesday they were suspending CEO and chairman Alex Kroes on suspicion of insider trading, piling more woe on the Dutch giants who have endured a horror season.

Aston Villa remain in fourth after a 2-0 win over Wolves, three points ahead of Tottenham, but now enjoy an 11-point cushion over United, who were lucky to escape west London with a point.