FIFA could abandon plans for Saudi Arabia's tourism body to sponsor the Women's World Cup after a major backlash from co-hosts Australia and New Zealand.
The sport's governing body was reportedly set to add Visit Saudi as a tournament sponsor for the competition, though no official announcement has been made.
An angry response from both the two host nations and leading players, such as United States veteran Alex Morgan, has reportedly forced a rethink from FIFA now however.
Both Football Australia and New Zealand Football remain frustrated by a lack of clarity though, with the latter's chief executive Andrew Pragnell voicing his displeasure.
"I found the response fairly ambiguous," he told local media. "It didn't confirm nor deny the potential Visit Saudi sponsorship that has been reported in the media.
"It did allude to the importance of treating all member associations equally and the importance of engagement as opposed to isolation.
"Other than that, it stated that they'd be reaching out through their media and partnerships team for further conversations.
"We're left in a little bit of uncertainty as to what's going on here, to be frank, which is a bit disappointing.
"Anything further I say would be speculation because I don't know, but clearly our letter, given the delay in the response, and the absence of confirmation or denial, has caused some form of rethink in FIFA about this issue."
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson echoed his opposite number's comments, adding that any such sponsorship would not match their values for the tournament.
"It was an overwhelming consensus that this partnership does not align with our collective vision for the tournament and falls short of our expectations," he said.
"While we await further clarity and information as to the details of the partnership from FIFA, we continue to convey this clear message on behalf of Football Australia, New Zealand Football, and our community."
The Premier League has been left "disappointed" by the decision to reject a trial period for introducing temporary substitutes for concussion.
The competition, alongside club doctors and the Professional Footballers' Association, had petitioned the International Football Association Board on the matter.
But at its annual conference in London, IFAB elected not to immediately approve the idea, although it remains a possibility further down the line.
The decision has frustrated the Premier League, which, in a widely reported statement, expressed concerns.
"We cannot understand the basis for which it has not been approved," the Premier League statement read.
"We are disappointed that a temporary concussion substitute trial was not approved considering all available scientific evidence and the overwhelming support from Premier League club doctors.
"While we note that a trial has not been dismissed, we remain convinced it should go ahead at the earliest possible opportunity in the interests of player welfare."
Permanent substitutions can be made for players suffering a suspected concussion or head trauma during matches under the game's current laws.
This is in contrast to other sports, such as American football, rugby union and rugby league, in which temporary changes can be made in order for players to undergo head injury assessments before they may be allowed to return to the field.
IFAB rejected an earlier attempt by the Premier League to table a trial for temporary concussion replacements back in January, as lawmakers continue to disagree over its viability.
Toto Wolff believes Mercedes need to make "radical" changes after suffering "one of the worst days in racing" at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Red Bull dominated in Sakhir on Sunday, Max Verstappen leading a one-two ahead of Sergio Perez.
Lewis Hamilton could only finish fifth and his Silver Arrows team-mate George Russell was seventh in the first race of 2023.
Seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton crossed the line 50.977 seconds after Verstappen, who is a strong favourite to clinch a third consecutive title.
Mercedes team principal Wolff knows his team are unable to challenge Red Bull and must go back to the drawing board.
"One of the worst days in racing," Wolff told Sky Sports F1.
"Really not good at all, we were just lacking pace front, right, and centre.
"Red Bull is just on a different planet. That is what hurts because they are so far ahead, it reminds me of our best years because we just put a second on everybody else.
"That is the benchmark and we have to do one step after the other to come back and we can do that. We can, absolutely we can.
"I think it needs to be much more radical in the steps than hope for a three-tenths upgrade."
The second race of the season will be staged in Saudi Arabia on March 19.
Rory McIlroy applauded Kurt Kitayama's maiden PGA Tour victory after the pair were split by a single stroke at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The Northern Irishman tied for second alongside Harris English at eight under as Kitayama finally ended his runners-up hoodoo to claim victory at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
After three near-misses on the tour in 2022, including a one-stroke loss to McIlroy at the CJ Cup, Kitayama's victory saw him rewarded for his perseverance.
Speaking afterwards, McIlroy was happy to sing the praises of his fellow player, while acknowledging he was frustrated to have come up shy after just missing his putt at the final hole.
"I think [Kitayama] has been playing pretty well," McIlroy said. "He's sort of persevered and played wherever he could get starts.
"All of a sudden, he's won one of the biggest events on the PGA Tour, so good for him.
"It's disappointing. To play the final five holes in one over par, with this jam-packed leaderboard, isn't really going to get it done.
"It was a battle all day. I felt like I hung in there really well and just came up one short in the end."
Kitayama qualified for The Open with his victory and will hope to finally have an impact on a major. He was tied for 72nd last year.
"Last year was special, with it being at St Andrews," he said. "The Open Championship is a really cool experience.
"I haven't done well, but I've just got to try to keep getting myself back in it and keep getting better."
Novak Djokovic's absence from the Indian Wells Open has caused a stir in US politics, and on the tennis court it is hugely significant, too.
Sport was given a jolt three years ago when Indian Wells organisers cancelled the event on the eve of action getting under way, citing one local case of COVID-19.
At that point, on March 8, 2020, there had been more than 500 confirmed cases across the United States, with 21 deaths. Soon enough, events across the globe were being postponed or scrubbed.
Coronavirus travel restrictions prevented the unvaccinated Djokovic from taking part last year, and they will keep him away again this time, despite calls from two Florida senators for the jab requirement to be lifted by President Biden to allow the Serbian into the country.
With the world number one sidelined, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz look likely challengers for the men's title. There have been surprise champions in recent times, with Cameron Norrie winning in 2021 and Taylor Fritz carrying off the title 12 months ago, so it would be hasty to rule out something similar.
In the women's event, there has not been a successful title defence since Martina Navratilova won in 1990 and 1991. That can partly be attributed to Serena and Venus Williams boycotting for over a decade at the peak of their powers after complaining of facing racial abuse, and in their absence no player stepped up to dominate.
Iga Swiatek triumphed in Indian Wells and Miami last season, racking up the 'Sunshine Double', and she starts as a strong favourite again, but defeat in the recent Dubai final to Barbora Krejcikova showed the 21-year-old rankings leader will not have everything her way this season.
First-round action gets under way on Wednesday, after two days of qualifying, and here Stats Perform, with Opta data, looks at what lies ahead.
After Norrie and Fritz, could there be another shock men's winner?
Djokovic has won a joint-record five Indian Wells titles, but he last featured in 2019, when he lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber in round three.
Rafael Nadal is also absent this time with a hip injury, and with Roger Federer retired this will be the second Indian Wells main draw since 2000, after 2021, to feature none of the ATP Big Three.
The Big Three was a Big Four at one point, though, and Andy Murray will be competing. It is one of the two Masters 1000 tournaments Murray has never won, along with Monte Carlo, having triumphed at the other seven. Murray has the most match wins at Indian Wells among all men competing this time, having 28 to his name, two more than John Isner who sits next on the list.
No ATP player has a better win percentage at Indian Wells than Djokovic (84.7 per cent), who has won 50 of his 59 matches, while the now-retired Federer has appeared in the most finals (nine), also winning five times, so there is no doubt the field is missing its long-time classiest acts.
Fritz last year became the first men's champion aged under 25 years old since Djokovic in 2011, and he was also the first American to take the men's title since Andre Agassi beat Pete Sampras in the 2001 final.
Medvedev has won three consecutive tournaments in the lead-up this year, tearing to titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, but the Russian has a disappointing record at Indian Wells, having yet to reach the quarter-finals in five visits.
Just four players this century, including Alcaraz last year, have reached the semi-final stage before turning 20, with Nadal, Djokovic and Murray the other three. Alcaraz is still only 19 but a shade older than Boris Becker when he was a 19-year-old champion in 1987, the youngest men's winner.
Who else might come through? It feels like a free-for-all and Felix Auger-Aliassime will be hoping for a breakthrough tournament, with the Canadian being the only member of the current ATP top 10 to have never reached a final at ATP 1000 level. It has to happen sooner rather than later, surely.
Swiatek bids to lift curse of women's champions
Ever since Navratilova's two in a row, being a back-to-back champion at Indian Wells has been beyond all singles players on the WTA side.
Indeed, the only players to reach the final the year after their title run have been Lindsay Davenport (champion 1997, runner-up 1998) and Ana Ivanovic (champion 2008, runner-up 2009).
Nine women have won twice at Indian Wells, but none have managed three or more titles. The nine are: Steffi Graf, Mary Joe Fernandez, Navratilova, Daniela Hantuchova, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Davenport and Maria Sharapova.
A Swiatek victory would make it a club of 10, but there is a club of one when it comes to players who have captured two titles without dropping a set in either trophy run. Sharapova is the only player to pull off that feat, with her 2006 and 2013 glory runs.
Among all women, Davenport has reached the most finals (six) and won the most matches (47), with Azarenka having the most wins among active WTA players (34).
Navratilova remains the oldest champion, having won aged 34 in 1991, while Martina Hingis and Serena Williams won as 17-year-olds in 1998 and 1999.
Shocks can happen: Bianca Andreescu took the title as a wildcard in 2019, while Jenny Byrne reached the final as a qualifier in 1989, the first year the women's event was staged.
If there is to be a teenage women's finalist this time, maybe it will be Coco Gauff. The American turns 19 midway through the tournament, on March 13, and has yet to reach a WTA 1000 final, although she got to the French Open title match last year, where Swiatek inflicted a heavy defeat.
Perhaps Aryna Sabalenka can reprise her Australian Open form, having won a first major in Melbourne. But Sabalenka's record in Indian Wells is a rough one, with the Belarusian yet to go past the fourth round.
Strap in for a thrill ride. They all want to stop Swiatek, but if any player can defy history it might just be the Pole.
The New York Knicks claimed their ninth straight win on Sunday but top scorer Immanuel Quickley says they are not satisfied.
The Knicks improved their record to 39-27, firming up fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with Sunday's 131-129 double overtime win over the Boston Celtics fuelling the hype surrounding the side.
Quickley stepped into the starting line-up for the absent Jalen Brunson, who was the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February, before scoring a career-high 38 points showcasing the Knicks' depth.
"We're not satisfied at all," Quickley told ESPN. "We want to continue to get better. We want to continue to make a push down the stretch."
The Knicks are firmly in contention for one of the top four seeds in the East, which would earn them home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs.
The Milwaukee Bucks (46-18) and Celtics (45-20) are well out in front in, but the Knicks are closing in on the third-placed Philadelphia 76ers (41-22) and fourth-placed Cleveland Cavaliers (40-26).
Quickley's performance, across a career-high 55 minutes, included making five-of-12 from three-point range with eight rebounds and seven assists, though he was not interested in individual accolades.
"My team-mates did a great job," he said. "I'm really proud of my team. Double overtime against a really good team. You can't ask for better."
The defeat dealt another blow to the Celtics, who have dropped three of their past four games, including two against the Knicks.
Boston had led by 14 points, having allowed the biggest comeback of the season on Friday when the Brooklyn Nets rallied back from 28 points down.
"We're not locking in as much as we need to," said Celtics veteran Al Horford, who missed an attempt for a game-winning three-pointer on the second overtime buzzer.
"This is the second time we've had a lead, we feel good about it and a team makes a run and we let them back in the game.
"Throughout the season you're going to have adversity. We've played pretty good basketball most of the year. This is a time when you tighten up and fix some of these issues or it goes the other way.
"We want to play our best basketball, but this is a part of the season. There's ups and downs."
Celtics guard Derrick White claimed they have lost their "swagger", having surrendered top spot to the Bucks over the past week.
"We've just got to get our swagger back," White said. "Find a way to play with each other, have fun out there. I'm sure we'll get it back here soon."
Ruben Loftus-Cheek says Chelsea owe Graham Potter a victory in their crunch Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea snapped a three-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over Leeds United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Blues had won only one game in their previous 11 before that match, in which Loftus-Cheek filled in at right-wing-back in the absence of Reece James.
Now, Potter's team trail Dortmund 1-0 heading into the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday, but with home advantage on their side, Chelsea want to repay their head coach's hard work.
"We definitely owe it to the manager. He is obviously a fantastic manager, nobody can argue against that after what he has done with Brighton and other things," Loftus-Cheek told reporters.
"It is up to us as well. We have massive respect for the manager, the way he has been sitting in front of the media with us in this poor form, and he has stuck up for us players.
"So we owe it to the manager to perform as best we can on the pitch and turn things around."
Chelsea are 10th in the Premier League, 11 points back from Tottenham in fourth place.
"A team like Chelsea, we can't accept mediocrity. We understand we have been mediocre in this recent run, and we are not just accepting it," Loftus-Cheek continued.
"It might look like that from the outside, but it's not the case. We are hurting from the losses and the draws, because it is not in us as Chelsea players, and we are fighting our hardest to turn it around.
"It is not nice to hear all the criticism coming our way at Chelsea, to the manager, to the players. We had the poor run, so of course you are going to get that.
"We have obviously had a poor run of form, and we needed to turn it around. We may look back at this [Leeds] win as a turning point in weeks to come. You never know.
"We have got this win, and then if we win against Dortmund and then keep winning... we have the quality and the players and the manager to do that.
"We don't expect to stay in that poor run of form, but we have to stick together and come through it."
Two-time MVP Stephen Curry felt he "got stronger as the game went on" as he returned after 11 games out from a leg injury in the Golden State Warriors' 113-105 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Curry, playing for the first time since February 4, scored 27 points on eight-of-20 shooting from the field, making five of 13 from three-point range. The reigning NBA Finals MVP also had two rebounds and six assists.
The Warriors guard was inconsistent throughout the game, failing to score in either the first or third quarters, but he did add 19 fourth-quarter points to lead Golden State's charge down the stretch against their Western Conference rivals.
"I felt like I got stronger as the game went on," Curry told reporters.
"I felt great. I missed the first two wide-open ones. I felt like I was in rhythm for the most part. Hopefully I continue to get better as we go forth from here."
The battle for playoff spots in the Western Conference remains wide open, with the Warriors fifth with a 34-31 record, while the Lakers are 11th with a 31-34 record.
Golden State put together a late-season charge to propel them on to win the title around this time last year, but Curry does not see too many parallels.
"The biggest difference is we didn’t start out 18-2 [last season]," Curry said.
"We're still fifth. We have an outside shot at trying to get home-court advantage. It feels weird to say it, but we're trying to win a championship but also trying to stay out of the play-in, too."
Curry's return coincided with the Warriors' five-game winning streak coming to a halt, when many expected him to help their momentum. He said the team would need to adjust to having him back in the line-up.
"The way the guys have been playing over the last five games and the stretch that we had at home, it's a tough transition for everybody," Curry said.
"It's just guys trying to keep their rhythm, keep their confidence. That's our challenge as a team.
"We have to maintain trust in each other because we are all aiming for the same goal – to win at the highest level. I understand everybody has to be a part of that. It's not just about me coming back."
Pat Cummins will not return to India before the fourth and final Test, meaning Steve Smith will again captain Australia in Ahmedabad.
Cummins headed back to Sydney after the second Test – a second defeat – to be with his mother, who is in palliative care with breast cancer.
Former skipper Smith led the Australia team in the absence of the regular captain and oversaw a dominant nine-wicket win in the third Test in Indore.
That victory secured Australia's place in the World Test Championship final, but they need another result in the final match of the series to earn a draw.
Smith will again deputise for Cummins, Australia confirmed on Monday.
Cummins, who is also the ODI captain, has been included in Australia's 50-over squad, with no decision yet made on his involvement in the white-ball series.
Fast bowler Jhye Richardson has withdrawn from that ODI series due to a hamstring injury with Nathan Ellis replacing him in the squad.
Novak Djokovic will not feature at the Indian Wells Open.
It was confirmed by tournament organisers on Sunday that the world number one would miss the first Masters 1000 tournament of the season.
As he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, Djokovic had applied for special permission to enter the United States, but that has seemingly been denied.
Until at least April 10, international visitors to the US must have proof of vaccination.
Djokovic, a five-time winner at Indian Wells, is also set to miss the Miami Open later in March, while his participation in the US Open could be in doubt.
The 22-time grand slam champion – who reached the semi-finals at the Dubai Tennis Championships last week – missed last year's major at Flushing Meadows due to his vaccination status. He was, however, allowed to play in this season's Australian Open.
Nikoloz Basilashvili moved into the main field following Djokovic's withdrawal.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants Kevin De Bruyne to return to the basics to re-discover his best form after a recent dip by his own standards.
The two-time Premier League Player of the Season missed two games recently due to illness and has not been his lively and proactive normal self when on the field.
The Belgian struggled for impact against Newcastle United in Saturday's 2-0 win, turning the ball on occasion, before being replaced near the hour by Bernardo Silva.
De Bruyne had found some form with a brilliant strike in City's 3-0 FA Cup win at Bristol City last week but Guardiola said he had a "passive" first half.
"Kevin, always the standards of Kevin are the sky," Guardiola said.
"Everyone knows his level. In one week he has an opportunity to show his quality, delighted for the victory we had, this is what we have to do. Come back to principles, work hard.
"Everything will come back without any effort. Just do it your usual quality, your best."
De Bruyne has scored four goals and provided 12 assists in the Premier League this season, with City sitting second, five points behind Arsenal.
City have a rare midweek break with no games scheduled, allowing Guardiola's players an opportunity to rest and recover prior to Saturday's league trip to Crystal Palace, before hosting RB Leipzig in their Champions League last-16 second leg.
Guardiola underlined the importance of both games to their season.
"We prepare good for the game against Crystal Palace, always was really difficult for us," Guardiola said.
"And, of course, Leipzig, I have the same opinion that I had when we played them and after Burnley with Vinnie will come back here before the international break.
"If we are able to win the games, we are still alive in three competitions and that last part we will be there. If we lose, we will be out. Simple as that.
"Arrive in a stage when you are there that you know exactly when you lose games you lose competitions. Now is the moment that is going to happen."
George Russell says Red Bull have got this year's Formula One championship "sewn up" and declared "they should win every single this year" after dominating the season opener in Bahrain.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez claimed a comfortable one-two finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix having both started at the front of the grid.
The reigning world champion won by 11.987 seconds from his Red Bull team-mate, who was almost 40 seconds ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso who rounded out the podium.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Red Bull were on a "different planet" after the race and felt his team would need to completely abandon its own cap concept.
Russell, who finished down in seventh, reiterated that sentiment, pointing to Red Bull's probable dominance in 2023.
"Red Bull have got this championship sewn up," Russell said. "I don't think anyone will be fighting with them this year. They should win every single race this year, is my bet.
"They've got it easy at the moment. They can do what they like. They might not be on pole all the time because we know Ferrari are very competitive in qualifying but when it comes to race pace they're in a very strong position."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner downplayed Russell's comments, insisting it was far too early to be talking like that.
"Twenty-three races is a marathon," Horner said. "It's about being consistent over the campaign.
"Today was a great start. We full expect our rivals to come back hard in the future races."
Giannis Antetokounmpo says he "stole one" after rebounding his intentionally missed shot to earn his fourth triple-double of the season in the Milwaukee Bucks' 117-111 win over the Washington Wizards.
The Greek forward finished the game with 23 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a season-high 13 assists in a dominant display as the NBA-leading Bucks improved to 46-18.
But Antetokounmpo appeared set to fall one rebound short of a triple-double when he won the ball in the final seconds, dribbling to the basket.
With the Wizards defense letting him run, a wide open Antetokounmpo opted not to score but gently tossed the ball off the backboard to himself to bring up his 10th rebound.
"I was thinking about scoring the ball, but I feel like in those situations it's best to kind of keep the ball," Antetokounmpo told reporters, before adding with a wink. "But yeah, I just try to play the game smart and kinda stole one."
The NBA has previously overturned similar stat-padding with Atlanta Hawks guard Bob Sura retrospectively denied a triple-double by the league in 2004.
Antetokounmpo's triple-double aside, the Bucks showcased their depth with six players reaching double-figure scoring, led by Jevon Carter with 20 points off the bench including six three-pointers.
Jrue Holiday (19 points), Brook Lopez (15 points), Joe Ingles (14 points) and Grayson Allen (11 points) all contributed strongly.
Six Bucks players also hit multiple three-pointers, with the team shooting 22-of-49 from beyond the arc.
"We feel like we’ve got a lot of depth," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We've got a lot of guys that are good shooters that can get hot from the three-point line.
"So that's part of a good team and being able to play on back-to-backs and make it through the season and be prepared for the playoffs."
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins addressed Ja Morant's suspension prior to Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, highlighting his star point guard's "difficult decisions and poor choices".
Morant, the reigning Most Improved Player and All-NBA Second Team selection, was suspended by the team on Saturday after appearing to show a gun on camera while in a nightclub. It is the latest in a string of questionable incidents from Morant.
In May last year, he tweeted "it's free to see how hollows feel" as a threat to an online troll, and just over a month ago members of his entourage were banned from the Grizzlies' home arena after Indiana Pacers staff reported to the league that they believed someone in Morant's car pointed a laser attached to a gun at them.
Days after the laser situation, he was also named in a police report after a 17-year-old kid claimed Morant punched him multiple times and then retrieved a gun from his house as a threat after a pick-up basketball game escalated to violence.
When asked about Morant's nightclub video, Jenkins was clear that the team was disappointed with his actions.
"Very tough moment, for sure," he said. "He understands he's made some difficult decisions and poor choices in the past that he's got to account for.
"He's definitely embracing the mistakes that he's made, but only time will tell. We're going to support him and we're going to hold him accountable to make those changes."
When asked for a specific date that Morant would rejoin the team, Jenkins said there is no "definitive timeline", calling it "an ongoing healing process".
"We love him, we want what's best for him, we support him," he said. "It's going to be a difficult process, but we've got a great group to get through this.
"This is a tough time for a young kid that's got to grow and get better. He's got huge responsibilities – not just for the team, for the city – but I know how he's built with that care factor and what steps he's now taking.
"It's a step in the direction of really being the best version of himself. [He is] a generally amazing person, great family person, a father, brother, son, member of our community.
"My hope is that he just gets better. He knows he's got a lot of love and support."
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