The president of Brazilian club Sport announced he paid an agent to have one of his players called up to Brazil's national team for the 2001 Confederations Cup.

Luciano Bivar said Sport "hired a lobbyist to promote the image of Leomar and get him to play for the Selecao."

The Portland Trail Blazers set a record for the most points by a visiting team at San Antonio, pulling off a shock 136-106 win over the Spurs on Friday, costing the Texans top spot in the NBA standings.

Portland's Damian Lillard had 35 points and nine assists as the Blazers handed the Spurs their heaviest loss of the season.

Maria Sharapova began her pursuit of a second BNP Paribas Open title with an easy victory and Svetlana Kuznetsova came back from a first-set whitewashing to win as the second round began and the seeded players joined the action Friday at Indian Wells.

Sharapova, who won the title in 2006 and lost to top-seeded Victoria Azarenka in last year's final, was a perfect 6-for-6 on break point against No. 47 Francesca Schiavone of Italy and wrapped up the 6-2, 6-1 victory when Schiavone double faulted.

Los Angeles wants back into the Olympics, throwing its hat into the ring to bring them back to southern California on the 40th anniversary of its last turn as host — the 1984 Games that revived the flagging reputation of the brand.

The U.S. Olympic Committee received a letter from the host of the 1932 and 1984 Games, with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa expressing "enthusiastic interest" in pursuing a bid for 2024.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday played down expectations for a Mideast peace breakthrough during his upcoming trip to Israel, telling American Jewish leaders that he won't be carrying a "grand peace plan" when he arrives in the region later this month.

Obama, in an hour-long private meeting at the White House, acknowledged that near-term prospects for peace are bleak, according to a person who attended the discussion. But the president said a deal with the Palestinians remains the only way for Israel to achieve long-term security.

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez faces a jail sentence after being arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified.

Responding to an inquiry about the Argentina international, Cheshire Police said Friday a 29-year-old man was arrested after he was stopped on a road in Macclesfield, northern England, on Thursday.

The World Food Program aims to feed 2.5 million Syrians next month, up from 1.7 million today, as more Syrians are displaced by their country's civil war and the economy is disintegrating, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Since the start of the Syria conflict two years ago, nearly 4 million of Syria's 22 million people have been driven from their homes by the fighting, according to U.N. estimates. This includes those who fled to neighboring countries and some 2 million who sought shelter inside Syria.

Formula One is sometimes derided by critics as predictable, yet even the biggest skeptics may concede that the 2013 season, beginning March 17, is cloaked in uncertainty.

At the completion of the last preseason tests, reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel said: "We have never had a winter that was less conclusive than this one."

Steaua Bucharest revived memories of its glory days in the 1980s by beating European champion Chelsea 1-0, while the prolific Gareth Bale inflicted more damage on Inter Milan to put Tottenham on the brink of the Europa League quarterfinals.

It was a chastening night for two recent winners of the Champions League in the last-16 first legs, with Chelsea slumping to a deserved loss in Bucharest when Raul Rusescu converted a 34th-minute penalty for Steaua.

It's been a long time since Ferrari was this confident entering a Formula One season.

After four years without a title, the Italian team finally feels like it has a car that can compete for victory on a consistent basis.