The sale of beer around stadiums during the World Cup has been banned after talks between FIFA and Qatari tournament chiefs.

It was revealed on Friday by FIFA that alcohol would not be available as expected in the perimeter area of stadiums.

Budweiser is a major FIFA sponsor and sales of its product had been expected to be allowed close to the stadiums; however, only its alcohol-free variant will now be available.

The news was swiftly criticised, with England's Football Supporters' Association questioning whether such an apparent U-turn could be followed by more promises not being kept.

Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe (FSE), expressed similar concern, describing the news as an "extremely worrying" development.

FIFA said in its announcement: "Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA, a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters.

"Host country authorities and FIFA will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful and pleasant experience for all fans."

Referencing Budweiser's parent company, FIFA added: "The tournament organisers appreciate AB InBev's understanding and continuous support to our joint commitment to cater for everyone during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022."

Reports said Budweiser posted on Twitter "Well, this is awkward", before deleting the post.

The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) said its concern was less about the beer decision but about the prospect of fans being affected by possible further unexpected decisions at the controversial mid-season World Cup.

The FSA said in a statement: "Some fans like a beer at the match, and some don't, but the real issue is the last-minute U-turn which speaks to a wider problem – the total lack of communication and clarity from the organising committee towards supporters."

It condemned the lack of explanation and said fans would have "understandable concerns about whether they will fulfil other promises relating to accommodation, transport or cultural issues".

FSE's Evain added on Twitter: "For many fans, whether they don't drink alcohol or are used to dry stadium policies at home, this is a detail. It won't change their tournament.

"But with 48h to go, we've clearly entered a dangerous territory – where 'assurances' don’t matter anymore. This is extremely worrying."

Sadio Mane could face several months on the sidelines after undergoing the surgery that ended his slim hopes of playing for Senegal at the World Cup.

The Bayern Munich forward underwent what his club described as a successful operation on Thursday.

Bayern said in a statement: "During the operation, a tendon was reattached to the head of his right fibula.

"The FC Bayern forward will therefore no longer be available to play for Senegal at the World Cup and will begin his rehab in Munich in the next few days."

According to widespread reports in Germany, Mane's recovery is unlikely to be a quick one, with the former Liverpool forward said to be facing possibly three to four months out of action.

African player of the year Mane sustained the leg injury when playing in Bayern's 6-1 win against Werder Bremen last week.

He was initially judged fit enough to be included in Aliou Cisse's 26-man Senegal squad for the World Cup, with hopes he could be available by the knockout stages, but subsequent medical checks confirmed the need for surgery.

A short statement from the Senegalese Football Federation read: "The FSF wishes a speedy recovery to its player Sadio Mane."

Senegal face Netherlands in their Group A opener on Monday before meeting Qatar and Ecuador.

Bayern are due to resume their Bundesliga campaign against RB Leipzig on January 20. They headed into the World Cup break as leaders, chasing an 11th consecutive German league title.

They face a Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, with games scheduled for February 14 and March 8 in that heavyweight contest.

There are no more perfect teams in the NFL, just some very good ones.

The Philadelphia Eagles lost their 100 per cent record against the Washington Commanders on Monday, and will look to bounce back in Indianapolis in Week 11.

The New York Jets return from their bye week looking to continue to surprise, though they have a tough trip to the New England Patriots to contend with, while the Minnesota Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys in another enticing clash.

Stats Perform has taken a look at some of the more interesting numbers ahead of these and other big games on Sunday.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) @ Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1)

Philadelphia possessed the ball for just 19 minutes and 36 seconds of game time in the loss to the Commanders. It was their lowest time of possession in a game since another loss to Washington in Week 4 of the 2015 season (18:52).

Jalen Hurts rushed for a touchdown last week, giving him 20 in his career. At 24 years and 99 days old, he became the second-youngest quarterback in NFL history to reach 20 rushing touchdowns, trailing only Cam Newton (23 years, 199 days).

Matt Ryan had a 39-yard rush in last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the longest run of his career. It was the longest rushing play by a Colts quarterback since Jim Harbaugh ran for 41 yards in Week 4 of the 1994 season.

With a win, Jeff Saturday would join Jim Caldwell (2009) as the only Colts head coaches to win the first two games of their careers.

New York Jets (6-3) @ New England Patriots (5-4)

The Patriots have won 13 consecutive games against the Jets, winning every meeting since the beginning of the 2016 season. That is tied for the longest active win streak against a single opponent for any team (the Chiefs over the Broncos).

The Jets entered their bye week with a 20-17 win over the Bills in which they had 136 net passing yards. They are 5-0 this season when having 250 or fewer passing yards in a game compared to 1-3 when they have more than 250.

Players aged 23 and younger have gained 2002 yards from scrimmage for the Jets this season, the most in the NFL (next most is the Colts with 1336). That is already the most scrimmage yards for the Jets by players 23 and under since the 1990 season (2452).

Jakobi Meyers leads the Patriots with 457 receiving yards this season, one of five New England players with 200+ receiving yards this season. Only the Green Bay Packers (six) have more players with at least 200 receiving yards in 2022.

Dallas Cowboys (6-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (8-1)

Last week was the Vikings' third win this season after trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter, tying the 1980 Dolphins, 2000 Jets, 2003 Colts and 2011 Lions for the most such wins in a campaign in NFL history.

Justin Jefferson has 814 receiving yards over his last six games, the most in a six-game span in Vikings history and the most by any NFL player over a six-game span in a single season since Antonio Brown recorded 868 in 2015.

With his 81-yard rushing touchdown last week, Dalvin Cook has now had a rush of at least 65 yards in five straight seasons, level with Derrick Henry (2017-21) for the longest streak by any player since the 1970 merger.

Last week's loss to Green Bay snapped the Cowboys' streak of 195 consecutive wins when leading by 14 or more points entering the fourth quarter (including postseason), which had been the longest streak in NFL history.

Elsewhere...

The Buffalo Bills take on the Cleveland Browns having had at least 100 rushing yards and 300 total yards in 16 straight games, including postseason, the third-longest streak in the Super Bowl era behind the Seattle Seahawks (19, 2014-15) and the Vikings (18, 2002-03).

The Detroit Lions will need to stop Saquon Barkley, who had a career-high 35 rushing attempts for 152 yards in the New York Giants' 24-16 win over the Houston Texans last week. His 35 rushes were the most in a game by any NFL running back this season and the most by a Giant since Joe Montgomery had 38 against the Jets in 1999. 

Ahead of facing the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has completed 76.8 per cent of his passes over his last four games, the fourth-highest by any QB over a four-game span in a single season in NFL history (minimum 140 attempts, excluding overlapping spans) behind Peyton Manning (78.8) and Philip Rivers in 2013 (78.3), and Sam Bradford in 2016 (77.9).

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2, 27-24. Since 2018, six of the nine games between the Chiefs and Chargers have been decided by seven points or fewer, tied for the third most of any matchup since then (Bears-Lions and Texans-Colts, seven each).

Edu has earned a promotion at Arsenal with the Gunners announcing their former midfielder has become the club's first ever sporting director.

The Brazilian played for Arsenal between 2001 and 2005, making 29 league appearances in their 2003-04 'Invincibles' season, before taking over as the Gunners' technical director in 2019.

His time in that role has seen him work with manager Mikel Arteta to improve Arsenal's standing in the Premier League, as their young side head into the World Cup break with a five-point lead at the top of the table.

That success earned Edu a new role, as he takes on responsibility for the academy alongside his existing duties.

In a statement, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said: "We are delighted that Edu is recommitting his future to the Club that he so clearly loves, after making such a positive and critical contribution to our progress in his time with us so far.

"Edu’s promotion formalises his already growing influence over our Academy operations."

Edu himself added: "I’m delighted to have this new role which I see as an evolution and consolidation of the way we’ve been working.

"I look forward to building on the hard work of so many people and helping all of us grow together and enjoy more success, and am thankful for the trust the club has put in me. We move forward together."

Manchester United have "initiated appropriate steps" after Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive television interview cast doubt on his future at Old Trafford.

The Premier League club issued an update on Friday to confirm steps are under way, but they did not specify what action they were taking.

Ronaldo, 37, roundly criticised the club when he spoke to broadcaster Piers Morgan.

The Portugal star took aim at manager Erik ten Hag, United's ownership under the Glazer family, and several other members of the club's hierarchy.

United's statement read: "Manchester United has this morning initiated appropriate steps in response to Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent media interview.

"We will not be making further comment until this process reaches its conclusion."

There has been speculation United could terminate the contract of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who returned for a second spell with the Red Devils in August of last year.

Ronaldo's former United team-mate Gary Neville has urged the club to get rid of the former Real Madrid and Juventus forward, who is away with Portugal and preparing for the World Cup. Portugal were leaving Lisbon on Friday for their Qatar mission.

"l don't think he wants a way back," Neville told Sky Sports. "He wouldn't have done this interview if he wanted a way back. He knew it would bring the headlines it has and be the end of his Manchester United career.

"I'm wondering what Man Utd are doing because the reality of it is they know they have to terminate Cristiano's contract or they basically open up a precedent so any player can criticise them in the future."

Ronaldo top-scored for United with 24 goals in all competitions last term, but he reportedly asked to leave the club following their failure to qualify for the Champions League.

He has fallen out of favour since Ten Hag took charge ahead of this campaign, regularly featuring as a substitute in the Premier League, and refusing to come off the bench in a game against Tottenham in October.

Ronaldo said in the TalkTV interview: "I feel betrayed. I felt that some people didn't want me here not only this year, but last year too."

Aaron Judge is resigned to being an intrigued observer when the ball he struck for a record-breaking 62nd home run goes up for auction – declaring he cannot afford to join the bidding race.

The 30-year-old set a single-season Yankees and AL home-run record by reaching 62 to surpass Roger Maris Sr's 61 – set 61 years ago in 1961.

Judge became the fourth major league player to hit 62 or more homers in a single season, and his feat belongs in baseball legend, making the ball that saw him set the record on October 4 especially valuable.

It occurred at the home of the Texas Rangers in Arlington, with the spectator at Globe Life Field that caught the ball striking lucky by guaranteeing himself an apparent fortune.

According to ESPN, that man, Cory Youmans, decided to put the ball in the hands of Goldin Auctions "after weeks of a lot of deep conversations" with his wife and lawyer.

Youmans said: "It seems fair in the sense it gives anyone that is interested and has the means the opportunity to own it. As a fan, I'm curious to see what it's worth, who buys it and what they do with it."

Youmans is said to have already turned down $3million for the ball, with his lawyer, Dave Baron, suspecting the final selling price could be "significantly higher based on New York, the New York fan base and how crazy it could get at an auction".

That rules Judge out of contention, as he said the ball is "out of my price range right now".

The ball is listed with a starting bid of $1million, with the auction due to get under way on November 30.

Judge said of the seller's choice: "He caught the ball, he's the one that made the play out there in left field, so it's his right to do what he wants with it. Hopefully he's making the right decision for him and his family.''

The ball's value will not have been harmed by Judge winning the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award ahead of Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday.

Adrien Rabiot says France must "stay united" if they are to avoid the failures that saw them crash out of Euro 2020 at the round-of-16 stage.

France went into that tournament as world champions and advanced as group winners from a tricky pool that included both Germany and Portugal.

But their campaign was derailed in stunning fashion, as Switzerland scored two late goals to force extra-time from 3-1 down.

Kylian Mbappe then missed the crucial penalty in the shootout, as France were knocked out amid rumours of dressing room discontent.

Rabiot's family were reportedly involved in dissension too, with his mother allegedly clashing with the relatives of Paul Pogba and Mbappe after the Switzerland defeat.

Their disappointing tournament sparked memories of France's spectacular capitulation at the 2010 World Cup, where Les Bleus were blighted by a number of controversial incidents and failed to make it out of the group stage.

Rabiot acknowledged France cannot afford to self-destruct as they have in the past if they are to retain their World Cup crown.

"We have to stay united," Rabiot told reporters. "[We need to] try to have as few things as possible that interfere with the group.

"It is essential to have a serene climate. We have the potential to do much better than at the Euros."

The Juventus midfielder was not selected to France's squad for their 2018 triumph and he wants to make an impression at his first World Cup in Qatar.

"The [2018] World Cup was a big disappointment," Rabiot explained. "I worked a lot to be there in 2022.

"I take this as a chance and I'm going to be able to express myself."

France kick off their tournament against Australia on Tuesday, before also facing Denmark and Tunisia in Group D.

Bruno Fernandes says he has "no problem" with Cristiano Ronaldo following his Manchester United and Portugal team-mate's explosive interview.

Ronaldo told TalkTV he felt betrayed by United and spoke of how his relationship with manager Erik ten Hag has broken down, also criticising club owners the Glazer family.

Footage emerged of Fernandes seemingly giving Ronaldo a frosty reception when they reported for international duty ahead of the World Cup in Qatar this week.

United defender Raphael Varane stated that the Ronaldo saga had "obviously affected" the club.

Yet Fernandes says he has no issue with the forward as Portugal prepare to face Ghana in their first match of the tournament next Thursday.

The midfielder told Sky Sports: "I didn't read the interview so I'm okay with that. As I said before, now it's the national team, it's Portugal. The coach made a point that it's us, he made that point since I came with the national team in 2017.

"That is still clear, that in his mind the main thing here is the national team and us, so we have to be focused on the World Cup.

"You don't have a chance to play a World Cup many times – Cristiano did really well to play five times, this will be his fifth time – so everyone is ready for that, everyone wants to give their best for the team."

Fernandes added: "This is the national team, Manchester United will be my focus after the World Cup, after December 18, because that is the final.

"I have no problem with anyone. I do my job. You have to control yourself, give your best and that's it."

New Zealand and India were foiled by rain in Wellington as the opening game in their three-match T20I series was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The teams, both beaten in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last week, were looking to start afresh at Sky Stadium on Friday.

However, persistent rain meant there was no prospect of play, with the first action in the series now set to take place on Sunday at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.

The tourists have rested captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul for this series, while New Zealand have won their past four multi-game bilateral T20I series and will attempt to extend that to five for the first time.

India were the last team to beat New Zealand in such a series, achieving a 3-0 success a year ago.

Ben Simmons says people underestimate how hard it is to return from back surgery following his first double-double in almost 18 months in the Brooklyn Nets' 109-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.

Simmons, who was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nets in February, enjoyed his best scoring game since his switch, with 15 points along with 13 rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes.

The double-double was the Australian's first in the NBA since June 14, 2021, having not played at all last season before undergoing back surgery in May.

The much-maligned Simmons has struggled for impact upon his return to playing this season, averaging 5.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists, but Thursday was a breakthrough.

"People make it seem like I had a sprained ankle or something," Simmons told reporters. "I had back surgery, that’s not easy to come back from.

"I take it day by day, I stay locked in, I stay focused and continue to build, myself, my body and my game."

Simmons has missed games this season due to injury and soreness, but he is building some momentum after making 11-of-13 from the field in his past two games, where he has posted double-digit scores.

"I'm coming," Simmons said with a grin. "I'm getting there, it's taking a little bit of time. My team-mates have got my back, my coaches."

Kevin Durant, who top scored for the Nets with 35 points, hailed the impact made by his team-mate Simmons.

"He was incredible tonight," Durant said. "I thought he did a good job of commanding the offense, commanding the team on the defensive side of the ball. He controlled the game and was able to get us back into it."

Simmons has been criticised for his free-throw shooting in the past but made three-of-four from the stripe, all coming in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter with the game up for grabs.

"We had no doubts when he walked up there," Durant said. "I felt like we all were confident, just how he was playing. I felt super confident when he went up there, so three-from-four, crunch time like that. That was key for us. We needed those.

"He shot them like he was confident. He ran back down the court like he knew they were going in. When he's playing aggressive like that, when he's downhill, he did it all for us tonight. I'm excited for him because this is the type of the game that we all needed to see.

"I think everybody else on the outside, basketball fans in general, was loving it and couldn’t wait to see this type of performance from him. We expect that from him every night."

Aaron Rodgers felt he threw "a lot of kinda wobblers" in a defeat to the Tennessee Titans and described boos from Green Bay Packers fans as "interesting".

The Packers' playoff hopes took another blow at Lambeau Field, where they were consigned to a 27-17 defeat on Thursday.

After beating the Dallas Cowboys to halt a five-game losing streak last Sunday, Green Bay slipped up again and are 4-7 in second place in the NFC North.

Quarterback Rodgers finished on 24-of-39 passing for 227 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Derrick Henry was a star of the show, rushing for 87 yards to become the first running back to pass the 1,000-yard mark this season.

He also rushed for his 10th touchdown, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to rush for 10 or more touchdowns in five consecutive seasons.

Packers supporters made their feelings clear and Rodgers was clearly puzzled to hear them turn on their side.

"Interesting," Rodgers said when asked about the boos. "That's the best I can give you."

Rodgers, bothered by a thumb problem of late, offered a frank assessment of his performance during Green Bay's latest setback.

"I couldn't tell you, point to one thing [that went wrong]," he said. "I'm not going to make excuses about my thumb, it's been the same since New York.

"I don't know. I've gotta go back and look at it. It felt like fundamentally I was in a good spot. I just didn't have the same type of consistent grip and ball coming out the same way.

"I threw a lot of kinda wobblers tonight. There was some wind. I just missed a few throws I should have had."

He added: "I've got to throw the ball better than I did tonight. Not a lot of margin for error for us and definitely not against a team that gives you some opportunities. We've got to have those plays.

Four-time NFL MVP Rodgers says all is not lost for the Packers.

"We've gotta play up to our potential," Rodgers said. "If we play up to our potential, we can win our last six games. I'm confident of that. Obviously I've gotta play up to my potential; tonight wasn't it."

Kawhi Leonard had a limited statistical impact in his latest return from a knee injury, but Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was delighted with his movement and defensive output.

Leonard returned after 12 games out with stiffness in his surgically-repaired right knee as the Clippers beat the Detroit Pistons 96-91 on Thursday, scoring six points on two-of-eight field shooting with five rebounds and four assists.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP missed all of last season after rupturing his ACL in the 2021 playoffs, when the Clippers reached the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history.

Leonard started and played 25 minutes against the Pistons, having only managed 21 minutes in both of his two games off the bench earlier this season before his 12-game absence.

"He looked pretty good as far as his movement," Lue told reporters, with the win improving the Clippers to 9-7. "His impact defensively is huge for us.

"With him on the floor, we're a different team. It gives us a sense of calmness when he has the ball in his hand."

Leonard's availability going forward will be determined day to day by how he is feeling, but the small forward was content to be back for now.

"It was good to be back," he said. "I felt good.

"It's going to be a long journey. ACL recovery isn't just one year. It's a two-year process."

Reggie Jackson, who top scored for the Clippers with 23 points, said Leonard's presence was a major boost for the side.

"It is going to take a second to figure it out," Jackson told ESPN. "We know his spots, we know the shots he wants to get. He got great looks tonight. The only thing he didn’t have tonight was rhythm.

"His ability to get to his spots, his ability to be great, he did amazing, he drew a lot of defense for us and made it easier for us to get some easy shots.

"He didn’t have it necessarily going the way that we're all accustomed to, but he was still very special for us tonight. Happy to have him back. Hopefully we can keep everybody healthy and get this rolling."

Royce O'Neale tipped in the game-winner with 0.7 seconds left as the Brooklyn Nets edged the Portland Trail Blazers 109-107 to improve their overall record to 7-9 on Thursday.

Kevin Durant, who finished with a game-high 35 points, missed his turn-around jumper but O'Neale was on hand with a tip-in to help the Nets snap their two-game skid.

Durant went 13-of-22 from the field with eight rebounds, three assists and a block, clocking up his 26,000th career NBA point along the way, becoming the 19th player to achieve that feat.

The Nets got strong contributions off the bench as Yuta Watanabe added 20 points with seven rebounds, while Ben Simmons had a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Game-winner O'Neale, who was in the starting line-up, had 11 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for the game.

The victory comes after Durant's stinging public criticism of the Nets' starting quality in the continued absence of the suspended Kyrie Irving, who may return for Sunday's game with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Damian Lillard top scored for Portland, who fall to 10-5, with 25 points along with 11 assists. Anfernee Simons added 24 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 17, including a three-point play to tie the game up with 6.5 seconds to go.

Kawhi returns as Clippers shoot down Pistons

Kawhi Leonard had minimal impact on his return after 12 games out as the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from a 12-point deficit to win 96-91 over the Detroit Pistons.

Leonard scored six points with five rebounds and four assists after not playing since October 24 due to knee stiffness. The two-time NBA Finals MVP, who was in the starting lineup, shot two-of-eight from the field.

Reggie Jackson scored a team-high 23 points in a low-scoring game, while Ivica Zubac pulled down 18 rebounds with nine points.

Kings remain hot as Fox fires

The Sacramento Kings improved to 8-6 with their fifth straight victory, winning 130-112 over the San Antonio Spurs.

De'Aaron Fox scored a team-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting along with eight assists, while Malik Monk added 26 points off the bench. Spurs guard Devin Vassell top scored with 29 points, including four triples.

The Kings' five-game win streak is their first since the 2020-21 season, while it comes after they started the season 0-4, winning eight of their past 10 games.