Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday denied accusations by a former American model that he raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009 and said his conscience is clear.

As Lionel Messi lay on the Wembley grass, his left hand grasping the Champions League trophy and his right pumping the air, he must have thought there would be many more European glory nights to come. 

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has spoken about how football "saved" him after his horrific experiences as a soldier in the Rhodesian army, also recounting the trauma of the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters during his playing days.

The 60-year-old told Britain's Guardian newspaper in a frank interview that the impact of the fighting in Zimbabwe's war of independence in the 1970s was such that two soldiers took their own lives when they were told to do another tour of duty.

Top seed Marin Cilic crashed out of the Japan Open in a shock 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 defeat to Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round on Tuesday.

Australia's football governing body voted for wide-ranging reforms Tuesday against the wishes of its outgoing chairman, ending a long-running battle that saw FIFA threaten to take over the federation.

A downcast Lewis Hamilton said his victory in Sunday's Russian Grand Prix aided by Mercedes team orders was "the strangest day" of his career.

Gareth Bale has been left out of Real Madrid's squad to face CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday.

African nations would support Gianni Infantino for re-election as FIFA president, the head of the continental football federation Ahmad Ahmad said on Sunday.

World champion Lewis Hamilton has won the Russian Grand Prix after Mercedes ordered teammate Valtteri Bottas to let the British driver pass.

Sebastian Vettel was third in Sochi, but the Ferrari driver now trails Hamilton by 50 points in the standings.

Germany on Thursday won the race to host the 2024 European Championship as UEFA backed a bid seen as safer than the rival Turkish proposal.