UEFA has appointed ethics and disciplinary inspectors to investigate allegations that Barcelona made payments to a company owned by a former top referee.

A corruption complaint was recently filed by Spanish prosecutors against the Catalan giants, concerning payments allegedly made to a business run by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, once a top match official and latterly vice-president of Spain's Technical Committee of Referees (CTA).

It has been claimed the total payments from Barcelona exceeded €7million, dating from 2001 to 2018.

Newspaper El Pais last month reported Negreira's company – DASNIL 95 SL – produced written reports and DVD assessments of referees for Barcelona prior to games.

UEFA announced in a statement on Thursday that it has opened an investigation into the matter.

"In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors have today been appointed to conduct an investigation regarding a potential violation of UEFA's legal framework by FC Barcelona in connection with the so-called 'Caso Negreira'," the statement read, adding that: "Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course."

Barcelona president Joan Laporta maintains the club has done nothing wrong and that the allegations are simply an attempt to derail the LaLiga leaders.

Laporta recently said: "The campaign we are suffering is not by chance, you all know this. Its objective is, in the short term, to destabilise the team, and in the medium term, to control Barca. I will have time and I want to explain to you who, why and how they want to orchestrate this campaign.

"Have no doubt that we will defend ourselves. And we will not only defend ourselves, we will attack."

Christian Horner has ruled out Red Bull making a move to snatch Lewis Hamilton from rivals Mercedes at the end of the season.

The seven-time Formula One champion looks set to endure another difficult season with Mercedes, having failed to win a race in 2022 – the first year in his career without a victory.

Mercedes' struggles have reignited the debate around Hamilton's future, with the British driver's deal due to expire at the end of the season, and team principal Toto Wolff accepted there can be no complaints in the years to come if Hamilton moves elsewhere.

However, Red Bull would not make a move if Hamilton was to become available, with Horner adamant Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will remain put for next season.

"What Lewis has achieved in F1 is second to none, but we're very happy with the drivers that we have," he told Sky News.

"They're committed as a pair not only this season but the next season as well. So, I can't see where we would be able to accommodate Lewis."

While Mercedes have struggled so far this season, failing to secure a podium in either of the opening two races, Horner expects the team to improve over the course of the year.

"I'm sure they're going to sort their issues out – we're certainly not writing him off yet," he added.

"We're hearing about big Mercedes upgrades. I'm sure Ferrari aren't happy with their current position as well. So, we're fully expecting things to converge quickly."

Hamilton has spent the past decade with Mercedes and has won six of his seven world titles with the team, the other coming in 2008 during a five-year stint with McLaren.

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has apologised after the club were labelled "disrespectful" by supporters when a banner honouring the late Ray Wilkins was altered in an episode of TV series Ted Lasso.

The banner at Stamford Bridge, which reads "They don't make them like Ray anymore" in tribute to Wilkins, was changed to read "They don't make them like Roy anymore" in reference to fictional character Roy Kent.

Wilkins died at the age of 61 in 2018 after suffering a cardiac arrest.

The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) expressed disappointment at the edit in a statement released on Wednesday.

"This is a banner paid for by supporters to commemorate a Chelsea legend – Ray Wilkins," the statement read. "Many supporters have seen this edit to be disrespectful, and we have expressed our disappointment to club officials. We expect that CFC will address this in due course."

Chelsea are investigating the matter, but Boehly says the banner edit was down to Apple TV, rather than the Premier League club.

"We had nothing to do these arrangements," Boehly posted on Twitter. "The deal w/ apple was struck in 1Q/22. We are sorry it affected so many and mostly we care about Ray and his family.

"We would also point out that none of the 'Chelsea' players were actual Chelsea players. Hopefully, that was clear."

Wilkins played over 200 games for Chelsea in the 1970s and later served as assistant manager under Gianluca Vialli, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti.

He also played for Manchester United, Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Rangers and QPR among others during his playing career.

Bojan Krkic announced his retirement on Thursday and picked out having to leave Barcelona for Stoke City as one of the toughest moments of his career.

The Catalan forward, who had his thunder stolen by Gerard Pique letting slip his retirement plans earlier in the week, has elected to hang up his boots at the age of 32.

Bojan left Vissel Kobe at the start of the year after several nomadic seasons that followed the end of his second spell at Barcelona.

He began his career at Barcelona and had two years in Italy with Roma and Milan before returning to Camp Nou in 2013 and being immediately loaned to Ajax.

Hopes of sustaining his Barcelona career were extinguished when he was sold to Premier League side Stoke in July 2014.

Former Stoke manager Mark Hughes and centre-back Ryan Shawcross were among those who sent tributes to Bojan, which were played at his retirement press conference, along with messages from Rafael Nadal, Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, Pique, Patrick Kluivert and Xavi.

Looking at the highs and lows of his career, Bojan said: "The most gratifying part was the first night at Camp Nou, the first goal, entering the professional world.

"There have been several toughest moments. When I signed for Stoke City it was tough, because I cut the umbilical cord that attached me to the club."

Bojan scored 41 goals in 166 official games for Barcelona, making his debut under Frank Rijkaard in September 2017 and scoring in the Champions League and LaLiga as a 17-year-old.

He was a hot prospect at that age who never developed into the world beater many thought he would become, despite playing under coaches including Pep Guardiola and Massimiliano Allegri.

At Stoke, he scored seven goals in his second Premier League season, his best return for the Potters.

After joining Stoke, he had loans at Mainz and Alaves, before heading to MLS side CF Montreal and finishing his playing days with Vissel Kobe in Japan.

"All the coaches make a mark on you. But the most, Frank Rijkaard," Bojan said. "He gave me the opportunity and continuity to back myself. Without him, my career would not have been possible."

He is planning to take coaching badges and stay in football, saying it would make him "very happy" if an opportunity at Barcelona ever came up.

There will be one final match for Bojan, a farewell game for the Catalan regional team.

"The federation is working to find a match at the beginning of June," he said.

NFL tight end Foster Moreau revealed he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma during a physical with the New Orleans Saints.

The 25-year-old is a free agent following his release from the Las Vegas Raiders, who drafted him in 2019, and was diagnosed during a visit to his hometown team in free agency.

Moreau's hunt for a new team will now be halted as he prepares for treatment, though he plans to continue his NFL career in the future.

"Through somewhat of a miraculous process, this free agency period has been life changing for me," he posted on Twitter.

"During a routine physical conducted by the Saints medical team down in New Orleans, I've come to learn that I have Hodgkin's lymphoma and will be stepping away from football at this time to fight a new opponent: Cancer.

"I'm grateful for the support and thankful for the people who have stood firm with me. There hasn't been a single step I've taken without hundreds of people lighting the path before me and I will continue to seek their guidance.

"That being said, I'll go kick this thing's ass and get back to doing what I love."

In four seasons with the Raiders, Moreau had 91 receptions for 1,107 total yards, including a career-high 420 in 2022.

Former Barcelona and Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure compared Mesut Ozil to his former team-mate David Silva after the Germany international retired from football.

Ozil announced the end of his 17-year playing career on Wednesday, with the 34-year-old having represented Real Madrid and Arsenal among others.

Speaking at a Football Black List event in London, Toure said it was unfortunate for the game to lose "another good player" but hopes there will be more like Ozil in future.

"For me, he was kind of a flair player, a little bit like [David] Silva," he said. "Very clever, the movement just between the lines. Very good and his last pass was top.

"Another good player has retired, but I think now players understand the level of the game is so high now and unfortunately Mesut will retire, but maybe we'll see the next one in the future."

Former Leicester City captain Wes Morgan also paid tribute to Ozil, remembering the "magical moments" he provided during his spell in England.

Ozil recorded 33 goals and 54 assists for the Gunners in 184 appearances in the Premier League before moving to Fenerbahce in 2020.

"He was great in the Premier League," Morgan said. "I know his Arsenal time probably ended not the way he wanted, but at the same time, we've seen some magical moments for him.

"I remember he came from Real Madrid and lit up the Premier League with his vision and his ability. He was a great player in the Premier League, fantastic to watch and hopefully he'll have a nice retirement."

Cody Gakpo and Matthijs de Ligt were among five players sent home from the Netherlands national team camp on Thursday after being hit by a virus.

The drastic news meant coach Ronald Koeman was forced into a rapid rethink of his plans for Friday's Euro 2024 qualifier away to France.

In a statement on its website, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said Liverpool forward Gakpo and Bayern Munich defender De Ligt had left the squad, along with Newcastle United defender Sven Botman, PSV midfielder Joey Vermeen and Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Botman, Vermeen and Verbruggen are uncapped and were hoping for their first active involvements with the Oranje, while Gakpo and De Ligt are key figures in the Dutch side.

Koeman called in Vitesse goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, Inter defender Stefan de Vrij and Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch to fortify his group.

The KNVB described the problem facing the five sick players as "a viral infection", without giving further details.

The Netherlands tackle World Cup runners-up France at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday and then host Gibraltar on Monday in Rotterdam.

Andy Murray believes Carlos Alcaraz can be a dominant figure in tennis "for as long as he wants" but cautioned against expecting him to challenge the grand slam records of the Big Three.

Roger Federer's haul of 20 slam titles has been overtaken by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who both have 22 majors, but those three are streets ahead of every other men's singles player in history.

Next on the list is Pete Sampras with 14 slams, which was itself a total that many once fancied would not be beaten for decades.

Murray was for a time part of a Big Four, until he got left behind by the relentless winning of his three great rivals. Federer has retired, but Djokovic and Nadal may yet have more slam titles in them.

At the age of 19, Alcaraz is already off the mark, winning the US Open last year, and he has jumped back to world number one after winning the Indian Wells Open on Sunday.

Djokovic and Nadal will be big threats to Alcaraz's hopes of triumphing at the French Open, but the young Spaniard is no longer simply the coming player on the ATP. He has arrived, and Murray is convinced Alcaraz is the real deal and poised to stay at the top of the sport for years to come.

"He has an excellent game, an all-around game that I think will translate well onto all surfaces," Murray said.

"He's not the biggest guy, but he can serve big. He's an unbelievable mover, great athlete. Has a lot of variety in his game. Takes the ball on a lot. That's something that you hope that he keeps.

"I know from experience that it's a bit easier playing that way when you're sort of 18, 19, and there's not any scar tissue there. I hope that he maintains that style of play because it's exciting to watch."

The prediction that Alcaraz can be an all-court player, and therefore succeed on grass as well as the hard and clay courts where he has already found success, bodes well for his prospects of stacking up slams.

Murray might have faced Alcaraz in round three at the Miami Open this fortnight, but the veteran Briton, a three-time slam winner and former number one, lost his opener on Wednesday to Serbian Dusan Lajovic.

There have only been two matches on tour between Alcaraz and Murray to date, both coming in the 2021 season when they won one each.

Alcaraz is the defending champion in Miami, and a clear favourite after crushing Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells title match. He brings a 14-1 record for the year into the tournament.

"He's obviously so far in his young career doing better than most of the guys that have come in the last eight to 10 years," Murray said.

"I know a lot of people are expecting everyone to win 20-plus grand slams now, like that's sort of normal. I wouldn't predict that for anyone.

"I would imagine he would be right at the top of the game for, well, as long as he wants to play."

Anthony Joshua will not "sit around and wait" to enter discussions with Tyson Fury after the latter's proposed bout with Oleksandr Usyk fell through.

Usyk's camp confirmed on Wednesday that talks with Fury over a heavyweight unification bout at Wembley on April 29 had collapsed.

Fury's promoter Eddie Hearn later revealed he is hoping to revive negotiations with Joshua over an all-British showdown later this year.

But having failed to agree terms on a fight twice before, most recently at the end of last year, Joshua is not interested in more drawn-out discussions.

"I was supposed to fight him before I fought Usyk, the first time, and he pulled out due to his legal case, the arbitration, with [Deontay] Wilder," Joshua said. 

"Then we had the one for this December [when talks also broke down]. Will the fight with me and him get made? I don't know. 

"Look at all the s*** they are going through now with this Usyk stuff. It's just crazy. I don't publicise things, so it's actually good that people are starting to see what goes on.

"It's good that people can actually see the s*** that people have got to put up with to make a fight. But Me and Usyk got two successful fights done."

Joshua added: "I cannot say I am just going to sit around and wait for this geezer [Fury]. There are other great fights out there I can have. 

"Without Fury on my record I will not wake up tomorrow and regret my whole boxing career. If he is on it, I am on it, if he is not, he is not. Whatever."

Joshua is scheduled to meet Jermaine Franklin in London on April 1 as he looks to respond to back-to-back losses to Usyk.

Steve Kerr was amused by the flashpoint in the Golden State Warriors' 127-125 win over the Dallas Mavericks that had their opponents plotting a protest.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban complained of the "worst officiating non-call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA", but Warriors coach Kerr was confident there was nothing amiss.

The Mavericks took a timeout late in the third quarter and believed they had possession of the ball, asserting they were told as much by the game officials.

What transpired was a referee call that led to Warriors center Kevon Looney scoring an uncontested dunk from a Jordan Poole inbound pass to make it 90-87 with 1:56 left in the third.

The Dallas players were not in position, leading to protests from Cuban and coach Jason Kidd, but the dunk stood.

Kerr teasingly said it was his season's standout ATO – after timeout.

"Number one, it was my best ATO of the year. It worked brilliantly, just the way we got organised and confused them," he said.

More seriously, he added: "I had to stop. When I saw them at the other end, I had to stop and think, 'Isn't this our basket?', because I had drawn up a play for an out-of-bounds [play] underneath, a baseline out-of-bounds.

"When they were down at the other end I had to stop and think, 'Is this right?'.

"I don't know what happened. You'd have to ask their side. I thought it was pretty clear that it was our ball and that's why I was drawing up a play out-of-bounds on the baseline.

"But they all lined up at the other end. I guess they assumed it was their ball."

Looney, who benefitted from the confusion, said: "I didn't know what was going on. I'm just glad JP passed to me because I needed that to get to my double-double."

Karl-Anthony Towns marked his return to action with a Hollywood ending as a pair of last-gasp free throws handed the Minnesota Timberwolves a 125-124 win against the Atlanta Hawks.

With 3.6 seconds left on the clock, Towns had ice in his veins as he made both his shots to put Minnesota decisively ahead.

There was still time left for Atlanta's Saddiq Ben to be impeded by Taurean Prince, but a foul was not given, with a game official reportedly later saying that was an error.

That could have seen Towns denied his returning glory, having featured for the first time since November 28.

Sidelined by a calf strain for almost four months, the first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft scored 22 points in his comeback game on 8-of-18 shooting.

"This is what movies is made of," Towns said in an on-court interview with Bally Sports. "Four months away, two free throws, don't worry about it, I got that!"

In a later press conference, the 27-year-old thanked coach Chris Finch for backing him.

Towns was the player fouled to set up the game-winning chance, trusting himself to get the job done.

"I was smiling a lot just in my mind," Towns said. "On the court I probably didn't show it, but even before I got the ball with seven seconds left I was smiling.

"I just had a good feeling that the game was going to go the way I wanted it to, so the play was immediately drawn up for me.

"Finch looked at me with everyone around and said, 'You're going to get the ball, and it's yours to take home'.

"So shout out to Finch having that confidence in me after 51 games [out of action] and all the things I've had to deal with."

Towns added: "When I went up there for two free throws I looked back and he was telling people, 'He ain't missing, I'm telling you that right now', and I just knew in my bones I wasn't going to miss.

"I've worked too hard on my game. I've been in those moments too many times.

"I got told I didn't have one fast heartbeat at all. I felt pretty confident, I felt pretty calm. I feel like I had that Jaden McDaniels demeanour up there, and I was just going up and making those shots."

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rovers has no long-term injury concerns over James Harden and Joel Embiid, despite the latter sitting out the second half of Wednesday's 116-91 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Harden missed the game due to Achilles soreness, while MVP candidate Embiid played a season-low 16 minutes, scoring 12 points with seven rebounds and seven assists.

The 76ers were up 76-48 at half-time, completing a routine win, with Rivers stating Embiid's early exit was out of caution from a minor calf issue.

"We've gone in the playoffs two years in a row with injuries and we all know you don't win in the playoffs when your key guys aren't healthy," Rivers told reporters. "So we're going to do whatever we can to be healthy."

Rivers indicated he expected both Harden and Embiid to be available for Friday's game against the Golden State Warriors.

Embiid's half-time exit meant he snapped his 10-game streak of 30-point games, which was a franchise record.

The 76ers center said he initially injured his calf during Monday's 109-105 overtime loss to the Bulls and opted to take the cautious route when he felt some discomfort on Wednesday.

"We've already clinched the playoffs, it's all about making sure we're going to be healthy for them," Embiid said. "If it feels good, of course I want to play, but if it's not right, then we gone figure it out."

Harden had struggled in Monday's loss, shooting two-of-14 in 46 minutes for five points. Rivers said Harden felt some foot discomfort during that game, leading to the decision to rest him on Wednesday.

"No concerns," Rivers said. "It just flared up a couple times and we decided instead of doing the back-and-forth, the dance, let's just sit him down, get him rest and make sure he's right."

The 76ers are third in the Eastern Conference with a 49-23 record, battling it out with the second-placed Boston Celtics (50-23) for the second seed. The two rivals are due to meet in a crunch clash on April 4.

The Golden State Warriors claimed rare back-to-back wins with Wednesday's 127-125 victory at the Dallas Mavericks but the game was marred by controversy after Kevon Looney's third-quarter uncontested dunk.

Stephen Curry scored 20 points with 13 assists as the reigning NBA champions secured consecutive wins on a road trip for the first time this season at American Airlines Center.

But the Mavs were left raging after Looney's uncontested dunk with 1:54 left in the third quarter from a Warriors inbound after a timeout, which Dallas had thought was their ball, meaning they subsequently lined up on the other half of the court.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban said they would contest the result of the game due to the incident which he labelled the "worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA" on Twitter.

Despite that, the Mavs could have won the game on merit, with Luka Doncic missing a two-point attempt under pressure from Draymond Green with 3.2 seconds left at 125-122.

That came after Curry's bounce-pass set up Green's three-point play, before the reigning NBA Finals MVP glided in for a two-point shot to open up the three-point buffer with 8.1 seconds to play.

Doncic, in his return after missing five games with a thigh injury, scored 30 points with seven rebounds and 17 assists. Doncic shot 11-of-27 from the field and six-of-10 from the stripe.

In Kyrie Irving's absence, 20-year-old guard Jaden Hardy was outstanding with six three-pointers in his 27 points.

The win is a major boost for Golden State's playoff hopes, moving to sixth in the West with a 38-36 record, while the Mavs drop to ninth with a 36-37 record, having lost five of their past seven games.

It was Golden State's first road win when trailing after the first quarter, having entered the game with a 0-20 record.

Morant and KAT make successful returns

Ja Morant made his successful return for the Memphis Grizzlies off the bench for the first time in his career as they won their fourth straight game, beating the Houston Rockets 130-125.

Morant returned after his NBA-imposed eight-game suspension with 17 points and five assists, receiving a standing ovation from the home fans upon his injection into the game.

Jaren Jackson Jr scored a season-high 37 points with 10 rebounds and Desmond Bane added 20 points as the Grizzlies clinched the Southwest division.

It was a night of returns as Karl-Anthony Towns was back for the first time since November due to a calf strain, scoring two game-winning free-throws with 3.6 seconds left as the Minnesota Timberwolves won 125-124 over the Atlanta Hawks.

Lakers stay right in playoff hunt

The Los Angeles Lakers ensured they remained firmly in the congested race for Western Conference playoff and play-in tournament spots with a 122-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Anthony Davis scored a team-high 27 points including 20 in the second half, with nine rebounds, while Austin Reaves backed up Sunday's 35-point game with 25 points and a career-high 11 assists.

Devin Booker scored 33 points on 11-of-16 field shooting with six rebounds but seven turnovers for the Suns, who remain fourth in the West but with a 38-34 record.

The Lakers move up to 10th, just behind the Mavs in ninth, with a 36-37 record and LeBron James not far from a return from injury.