Zwanziger: I’m very happy

Dr Theo Zwanziger, Chairman of the Task Force Revision of Statutes, spoke to FIFA.com about the key decisions made at today’s FIFA Executive Committee meeting.

Focus on FIWC 2012

The fifth online season in the FIFA Interactive World Cup starts on Sunday, 1 April 2012. To mark the occasion, FIFA.com dedicates its Video of the Week to the interactive tournament.

Corporates show interest in PPL

Four companies have shown interest to PCB's initiative to launch an international Twenty20 league in Pakistan. A proposal to launch Pakistan Premier League (PPL) will be presented by the companies to the PCB next week

Barrichello: Massa needs to ‘relax’

The continuing talk of Felipe Massa’s form, or lack of form depending on whom you ask, is lingering and will most likely linger until the Brazilian starts putting in performances that F1 fans deem worthy of his station and comparative to his teammate Fernando Alonso. reading AUTOSPORT, I came across an article that cites Globoesporte.com

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FIA’s Charlie Whiting: ‘F-ducts are not banned’

The FIA released an edited version of the press briefing that technical director Charlie Whiting held in Australia. Sure, it’s not the latest news but I applaud the FIA for releasing the information to the fans just the same. It is edited but the questions are good and the answers are interesting. Much of this

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Barça stars discuss draw with Milan

Lionel Messi, Carles Puyol and Victor Valdes have had their say on Barcelona's goalless draw with AC Milan in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg at the San Siro last night.

Who will finish top scorer in MLS?

FIFA.com wants to know who you think will finish top scorer in Major League Soccer this season, with Thierry Henry, Kenny Cooper, and Chris Wondolowski already leading the way.

Messi on the spot to send Milan out

Barcelona qualified for the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the fifth consecutive season as two Lionel Messi penalties and a second-half strike from Andres Iniesta inspired them to a 3-1 win over AC Milan.

Venus, Serena win opening-rounders in Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)â€"Venus Williams is hoping for even more success in her second tournament after a long layoff.

Williams beat qualifier Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-3 Tuesday in the Family Circle Cup, bouncing back from her quarterfinal loss at Key Biscayne.

“This is great for me to be in another match and to be in the second round,” she said. “It was a good start.”

The Family Circle Cup is Williams’ first clay-court tournament in months. She withdrew from last year’s U.S. Open after being diagnosed with a fatigue-causing autoimmune disease, then returned last week and won four matches in the Sony Ericsson Open before losing to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets.

Her sister Serena is seeded fifth this week and beat Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-3, 6-4, in her first match in Charleston since winning the Family Circle title in 2008. The Williams sisters could meet in Saturday’s semifinals.

Venus Williams, who has 43 career titles, said she takes a lot of ice baths and had three days off just to rest following Thursday’s loss.

“For me it’s just about having energy at this point. I try not to worry about tomorrow,” she said.

But Williams acknowledges she is thinking about getting her ranking up so she can qualify for the London Olympics this summer.

“I’m very happy I’m on the right road, but I’m very unhappy I didn’t do more” at Key Biscayne, she said.

“That’s the past. There’s so many opportunities going forward and I try to focus on the forward and focus on every day and today’s win takes me closer,” she said.

Williams has won seven Grand Slam tournaments but is now ranked No. 87. She won the Family Circle Cup eight years ago and is unseeded this time.

One aspect of her game that seemed to be back to normal was her serve. She had six aces and her first serve consistently topped 110 mph, one hitting 117.

Serena’s serve seemed even better. She had 11 aces in her first match on clay in more than a year.

“I forgot I hadn’t played on clay in so long,” she said. “I feel like it really suits my game. I don’t have to, you know, go crazy and move my feet so much. I guess I hit a lot of aces and I don’t know why. I pretty much just go for my serve and do the best I can.”

Also Tuesday, No. 2 seed Samantha Stosurâ€"the highest seed after Radwanska withdrew before the tournament with a back injuryâ€"beat American Jamie Hampton 6-0, 7-5.

Fourth-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia eliminated Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 6-1, and No. 8 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ousted Eleni Daniilidou 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. No. 12 seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium defeated Vania King of the U.S. 6-4, 6-3.

No. 13 seed Nadia Petrova and American Jill Craybas also advanced. Petrova beat Mariana Duque-Marino 6-1, 6-2, and Craybas eliminated Akgul Amanmuradova 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6).

Mexico, Honduras deny CONCACAF rivals

FIFA.com looks at how Mexico and Honduras have booked their way through to the Men's Olympic Football Tournament London 2012 in CONCACAF qualifying, handing Canada and El Salvador their exits in the semi-finals.

Olic brace sends Bayern into semi-finals

Ivica Olic scored twice to help Bayern Munich to a 2-0 victory over Marseille in the second leg of their quarter-final tie in the UEFA Champions League as the Bundesliga side comfortably booked their place in the last four.

Tourists suspect against spin - Baugh

Carlton Baugh, the West Indies wicketkeeper, has openly questioned Australia's readiness to battle the spin of Devendra Bishoo after the tourists were made to look ordinary by a modest pair of local slow bowlers in their only warm-up for the Caribbean Tes

LTA funding cut after participation decline

Sport England has cut its funding of tennis by $846,000 (U.S. dollars) after the number of adults playing the sport since 2008 dropped around 25 percent to 375,800. The Lawn Tennis Association's funding award for 2009-13 now stands at $39.1 million. "We recognize that the active people survey results are disappointing and accept this reduction in funding," the LTA’s Roger Draper said in a statement. “We continue to work closely with Sport England in order to grow tennis. Like other sports we face a huge challenge to increase the numbers playing tennis regularly in challenging economic times but participation is our top priority."

Radek Stepanek: The Biofile

Czech Radek Stepanek reveals his greatest sports moment, favourite athletes to watch and more in this Biofile...

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Three Top 10 Players To Compete In Dusseldorf

Three Top 10 players are set to feature in a strong field at the Power Horse World Team Cup, to be played at the Rochusclub in Dusseldorf from 20-26 May.

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F1 Biography:Last of the famous international Playboys

The 1970s were a time during which a handful of handsome, wealthy, daring young playboys tried their hand at Formula One.  Some of them were well out of their league, wasting daddy’s hard earned money on a dangerous hobby which often, if they were lucky, led to nothing more than slightly tarnishing the family name. 

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Venus tops Benesova in Charleston opener

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)â€"Venus Williams defeated qualifier Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-3 Tuesday in the Family Circle Cup, her second tournament after a long layoff.
 
“This is great for me to be in another match and to be in the second round,” said Williams, who has been idle most of the past seven months because of an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain. She was back in action last week in Miami and Tuesday was her first match on clay in months. “It was a good start,” she said.

She said she takes a lot of ice baths and after she was eliminated in Miami she took three days off just to rest.
 
“For me it’s just about having energy at this point. I try not to worry about tomorrow,” although she said she is thinking about the Olympics and getting her ranking up.
 
“I’m very happy I’m on the right road, but I’m very unhappy I didn’t do more” in Miami, she said. There she won three consecutive three-set matches to reach the quarterfinals, but lost 6-4, 6-1 to Agnieszka Radwanska.
 
“That’s the past. There’s so many opportunities going forward and I try to focus on the forward and focus on every day and today’s win takes me closer,” she said.
 
Tuesday’s win was Williams’ fourth straight against Benesova, who is ranked No. 44. Williams has won seven Grand Slam tournaments but is now ranked 87th after her time off the tour. She won the Family Circle Cup eight years ago and is unseeded this time.
 
One thing that seemed to be back to normal was Williams’ serve. She notched six aces in the match and her first serve consistently topped 110 mph, one hitting 117.
 
Sister Serena is seeded fifth for this week’s clay-court event in Charleston. She plays in Tuesday night’s featured match against Elena Vesnina of Russia. The Williams sisters could meet in Saturday’s semifinals.
 
Also Tuesday, 12th-seeded Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium defeated Vania King of the U.S. 6-4, 6-3.
 
Nadia Petrova, the No. 13 seed, defeated Mariana Duque-Marino 6-1,6-2, while Marina Erakovic of New Zealand defeated Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 62, 6-4. American Jill Craybas eliminated Akgul Amanmuradova 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6) while Yaroslava Shvedova defeated Alexandra Panova 6-0, 6-4.

Djokovic Still The Man To Beat

Novak Djokovic had a lot to live up to coming into the 2012 season. Last year, the Serbian blitzed all in his path, going on a 41-match winning streak, winning three major championships and losing just six times (70-6 record).

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Kimi: ‘We just need some better luck’

During our down week, the Lotus team caught up with the ineffable Kimi Raikkonen for a quick Q&A. He says he hasn’t changed (it’s us, of course) and that the team just need a little more luck as the season progresses: KIMI, AFTER A BUSY START TO THE YEAR IT MUST BE GOOD TO HAVE

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F1 Biography: Rupert Keegan

The 1970s were a time during which a handful of handsome, wealthy, daring young playboys tried their hand at Formula One.  Some of them were well out of their league, wasting daddy’s hard earned money on a dangerous hobby which often, if they were lucky, led to nothing more than slightly tarnishing the family name. 

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Oudin: 'Everyone expected me to win everything'

Melanie Oudin, a quarterfinalist at the 2009 U.S. Open, lost her first-round match at the Family Circle Cup to Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. She qualified for the main draw, and in doing so won her first back-to-back non-retirement matches at the WTA level since November of 2010.

"I never expected that to happen when I was 17," Oudin told the Charleston Post-Courier. "And now I feel like I’m finally in a good place where I’m kind of starting over. That (U.S. Open) was so much, it took me a couple of years to get over it. After that, everyone expected me to win everything, and that just wasn’t going to happen ... This whole year is just about trying to play my game and not worry about wins and losses. If I work hard and play the right way, the wins should come."

Taylor Townsend, 15, to turn pro this year

Fifteen-year-old American Taylor Townsend is planning on turning pro this year. Currently ranked No. 2 in the ITF juniors, Townsend is playing the USTA International Spring Championships in Carson, California, then will play the Easter Bowl, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open juniors before going pro. Townsend is the reigning Australian Open girls’ champion.

"This was just all part of the plan,” said Townsend of her reason for playing the Spring Championships and Easter Bowl back-to-back. “They are in States and I can get the ITF points I need to be No. 1. Plus, these are my last few junior tournaments so I want to go out and enjoy it."

Townsend trains at USTA headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., and has been working out near her home at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross, Ga. She is also planning on playing some USTA Pro Circuit events.

Hewitt Commits To Newport

Former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam tournament champion Lleyton Hewitt has committed to play in the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, to be hosted July 9 - 15, 2012 on the historic grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

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Adelaide suffer first loss, Mariners settle

Adelaide United slipped up in a 1-0 loss to Pohang Steelers in Group E of the AFC Champions League, while Gamba Osaka picked up their first win of the campaign, and Central Coast Mariners were forced to settle again.

Nene 'completely committed' to PSG

Paris Saint-Germain winger Nene has reaffirmed his commitment to the Ligue 1 side and apologised for his reaction to being dropped to the substitutes' bench in a 2-1 defeat by Nancy on Saturday.

Adebayor: Spurs can finish among top four

On-loan Tottenham Hotspur forward Emmanuel Adebayor has said he is hopeful Spurs can not only finish in the top four of the Premier League, but that they will try to win the FA Cup as well.

Essex deny Westfield wrongdoing

David East, the Essex chief executive, has strongly defended his club's handling of the spot-fixing episode that saw Mervyn Westfield become the first English professional to receive a prison sentence for cricketing corruption.

Gotze returns to Dortmund training

Mario Gotze has returned to training with Borussia Dortmund following a nine-week injury lay-off, saying he is clear of any niggling problems and it is now just a case of getting fit.

Race on to join Fluminense

With the Copa Libertadores group stage now beyond the half-way point, FIFA.com looks as some of the competition's higher performers can reach the last 16 this week, including Lanus, Olimpia and Santos.

Future stars set to benefit from legacy programme

The countdown towards Japan 2012 is building momentum with the first event in the tournament’s legacy programme underway, which aims to encourage both grassroots female participation and stimulate interest in the August competition.

Goals aplenty as national teams grab spotlight

With the weekend designated for international women’s fixtures, FIFA.com runs the rule over the UEFA Women’s EURO 2013 qualifiers and the latest contest between Germany 2011 finalists USA and Japan.

Essex hit back at critics

Essex have hit back at claims that they covered up corrupt behaviour and were slow to react to the events that led to their former bowler, Mervyn Westfield, becoming the first England professional cricketer to be found guilty of fixing.

Revitalised Roddick Targets Record Fifth Queen's Title

Andy Roddick will target a record fifth AEGON Championships title at The Queen's Club, 11th-17th June after rediscovering his form in Miami last week.

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Tomic supports his father as the right coach

BRISBANE, Australia (AP)â€"Australia Davis Cup player Bernard Tomic says his father “is the right guy to coach me” and he’s mystified that a recent on-court spat between the two made world headlines.

World No. 36 Tomic appeared to have had a public falling out with father John at the recent Miami Masters when he asked the chair umpire to have his father removed from courtside seating. He said Tomic senior was “annoying” him.

But Tomic told reporters in Brisbane on Tuesday, as he prepared for Australia’s Davis Cup clash against South Korea, he was surprised to see the incident widely reported.

“I don’t know how it makes news,” Tomic said.

“It’s stuff that you experience in life and you learn from these things. It’s a good learning curve.”

Asked if he would react differently next time, the 19-year-old Tomic said “absolutely.”

“That was a small problem. It’s all fixed. My dad is the right guy to coach meâ€"he’s always been,” Tomic said.

“Father-son relationships are always a bit tricky but there’s no doubt my dad will be there for me. I have gotten to where I am because of him.”

Park predicts decade until Asian triumph

Former Korea Republic captain Park Ji-Sung has said he thinks an Asian country could bring home the FIFA World Cup in a decade's time thanks to the improvements it has made in recent years.

Duo return to boost Ajax

Ajax look to have a boost in line with the return of Derk Boerrigter and Gregory van der Wiel looking close after both, who have both been out since before the turn of the year, appeared in the reserve win over Hercules.

Leonardo revels in first PSG season

Paris St Germain sporting director Leonardo has said he would have been even more enthusiastic about signing with the club last year if he had known they would be in with a shot of the Ligue 1 title.

Westphal Diary: Barber race report

Tuesday- Well it has been about 26 hours since I’ve landed from Florida coaching my client in his Ferrari 458 Challenge car, and I’m back at the airport waiting for my flights to Birmingham, Alabama for this weekends second round of the Grand Am Continental Sports car Challenge with Insight Racing.   Coaching is an

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Michel: Still work left for Sevilla

Having moved up from the edge of a relegation dogfight to within the mix for a European place after three straight wins, Sevilla coach Michel has said they are still a long way off from where they want to be and the work must continue.

Tyre allocations for Bahrain, Spain & Monaco revealed

Pirelli have announced which dry-weather tyres will be available to the teams at rounds four to six of the 2012 season. In Bahrain, medium and soft tyres will be raced in the hot temperatures in Sakhir, while in Spain the hard and soft compounds will be used at the Circuit de Catalunya. In Monaco, meanwhile, the soft and super-soft rubber will be in action.

Kimi Raikkonen: We just need some better luck

Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen has endured more than his fair share of misfortune over recent weeks. From the chassis issues which blighted the team's pre-season test programme to his gearbox penalty in Malaysia, Raikkonen has been dealt a pretty tough hand since returning to the sport. But despite the disappointments, the Finn's spirits remain undimmed. Confident in the E20's potential, the 2007 world champion insists Lotus can compete with the frontrunners, once their luck improves and they finally enjoy a trouble-free race weekend.

Tickets On Sale For 2012 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals In London

Tickets to the 2012 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals are now on general public sale, the ATP announced Tuesday. From today, fans across the world can secure their place for the prestigious season-ending tournament held at The O2 in London from 5-12 November, featuring the world’s top eight singles players and doubles teams, by purchasing tickets at www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

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Mexico, Honduras deny CONCACAF hopefuls

FIFA.com looks at how Mexico and Honduras have booked their way through to the Men's Olympic Football Tournament London 2012 in CONCACAF qualifying, handing Canada and El Salvador their exits in the semi-finals.

The Angels’ last hurrah for Argentina

Antonio Angelillo, Humberto Maschio and Omar Sivori didn’t play for Argentina again after April 1957. Fifty-five years ago to this day, though, they gave the Albiceleste fans a perfect goodbye present against Brazil.

Benitez: Liverpool stars were learning from me

In the second part of an exclusive chat with FIFA.com, Rafael Benitez discusses the six years he spent as manager of Liverpool, the current man at the helm Kenny Dalglish, and his former pupil Fernando Torres.

Anderson cuts through Sri Lanka top order

In Colombo, it was much the same as Galle. England took three quick wickets to leave Sri Lanka's first innings in disarray only for Mahela Jayawardene, with a serenity that England will have found familiar, to restore equilibrium by lunch

Dvorak discusses FIFA’s role in heart monitoring

FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Jiri Dvorak, has explained what world football's governing body is doing with regards to cardiac arrest cases, following the recent collapse of Fabrice Muamba.

Dravid says it is time for transition

Rahul Dravid has said it is time the Indian team goes through a transition and a new group of leaders emerges to act as a link between his generation and the next