British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has finally got his hands on Manchester United after securing a stake of up to 25% in the Premier League club.

Ratcliffe's interest in sports — and football in particular — is long-standing. The 71-year-old owner of petrochemicals giant has been a United fan since childhood, and supporters will like his stated ambitions.

FIFA warned Brazil on Sunday it could suspend its national teams and clubs from international competitions if an intervention by its football body leads to the election of a new president in January.

FIFA said in a letter to a Brazilian football executive that the country's football body CBF could face suspension if it does not heed its call to wait and instead holds a swift election to replace Ednaldo Rodrigues as president regardless. The document was obtained by The Associated Press.

Luka Doncic scored 50 points, hitting the 10,000-point plateau as he propelled the Dallas Mavericks to a 128-114 victory over Phoenix on Monday as Boston downed the Lakers in a Christmas clash of storied NBA rivals.

Doncic drilled eight three-pointers, his long trey with 4:52 left in the first quarter taking him past 10,000 career points.

Liverpool soccer star Mohamed Salah says he "shares the pain" of grieving families at Christmas amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The Egypt international posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: "Christmas is a time when families get together and celebrate.

There were jitters, of course. Considering all that happened, how could there not be?

When Simone Biles walked onto the floor at a suburban Chicago arena in late July for her first gymnastics competition in two years, she knew plenty of people were wondering how it was going to go.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are struggling to find allies in their fight to revive the Super League project.

The Spanish powerhouses were quick to claim victory and praise the decision by the European Union's top court on Thursday to rule against the attempt by UEFA and FIFA to block plans for the breakaway competition.

Kylian Mbappé celebrated his 25th birthday with two goals as Paris Saint-Germain beat lowly Metz 3-1 on Wednesday to head into the winter break with a five-point lead in the French league.

The France star got a birthday bonus when his 16-year-old brother Ethan Mbappé made his debut by coming on as a stoppage-time substitute.

The jeers from the fans and the criticism from the media are usually a sign that things have not been going well for Barcelona.

Recent lackluster performances and poor results have left the Catalan club on the brink of a crisis. Coach Xavi Hernández apparently has had enough, and is demanding immediate changes if the team still wants to succeed this season.

Bayern Munich has handed experienced forward Thomas Müller a one-year contract extension through to the end of the 2024-25 season, putting him within sight of the club's all-time appearance record.

The new deal has the 34-year-old Müller in line to mark a quarter of a century at the club he joined at the age of 10.

The president of a Turkish soccer team ordered his players to leave the field in protest of an officiating decision during a game Tuesday, just over a week after a referee was punched in the face.

Halil Umut Meler had been attacked on the pitch last Monday after a 1-1 draw in a Super Lig game between Caykur Rizespor and MKE Ankaragucu. Faruk Koca, who was president of Ankaragucu, resigned and was banned by the Turkish Football Federation for punching Meler.