The all-powerful Mazembe

Unlikely continental giants, Congo DR’s TP Mazembe have an admirable past to call upon as they look to extend their ambitious present after an incredible run at the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.

Last 2012 car unveiled as HRT's F112 breaks cover

HRT became the final team to reveal their 2012 challenger on Monday afternoon as they took the wraps off the F112 at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya. The new car then made its on-track debut at the Spanish track, with driver Narain Karthikeyan behind the wheel. "Today was a shakedown of the F112 and I have had the honour to be the first driver to test it,Â" said Karthikeyan. Â"The first impressions are quite good; it's definitely a step up from last year. We couldn't do any set-up work or stuff like that but everything seems to be working fine and there are no major problems so we can look forward to the season now.

Mertens, Elm: Different but the same

FIFA.com takes a look at PSV Eindhoven's Belgian striker Dries Mertens and AZ Alkmaar's Swedish midfielder Rasmus Elm, both of whom are enjoying breakthrough seasons in the Dutch Eredivisie.

Barcelona focus on retaining European crown

With Real Madrid holding a ten-point lead over Barcelona in Spain, the UEFA Champions League has assumed greater importance for the Catalan side, who are on course to reach the last eight this week.

FIFA Secretary General sends letter of clarification to Brazil’s Sports Minister

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke clarified his comments made following the recent IFAB meeting in London concerning the preparations for Brazil 2014 in a letter sent on Monday evening to the Brazilian Minister of Sports Aldo Rebelo.

Juve lose key defensive duo to injury

Juventus are set to be without key defenders Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini for the coming weeks, including Wednesday's match against Bologna where victory would see the Turin club take an equal share of top spot.

Roddick beats Federer at MSG exo; McIlroy plays

NEW YORK (AP)â€"Maria Sharapova beat Caroline Wozniacki but lost the one point she played against Rory McIlroy. Roger Federer dropped the one point he played against a Rafael Nadal-impersonating Andy Roddick and also lost the match to Roddick.
 
Four of tennis' biggest names took the court at Madison Square Garden on Monday for the mix of playfulness and intense play that comes with exhibitions.
 
With Wozniacki a game away from losing 6-3, 6-4 to Sharapova, she invited her boyfriend onto the court a day after the golfer won the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., to ascend to No. 1 in the world for the first time.
 
''He wasn't too pleased with me,'' Wozniacki said later.
 
In jeans and a sweater, McIlroy showed off a one-handed backhand, and Sharapova hit his lob wide.
 
Asked if he was surprised to win the point, McIlroy said with a smile: ''I've won a few off Caroline.''
 
Early in Roddick's 7-5, 7-6 (7) win over Federer, some smart-aleck fans yelled, ''Let's go, Rafa!'' So Roddick played along by pushing up his sleeves and switching his racket to his left hand. He wound up playing the point right-handed, but grunted with every shot and celebrated winning the point with an exuberant fist pump that would have made Nadal proud.
 
Roddick, a self-described ''massive'' sports fan, was playing in the Garden for the first time during the BNP Paribas Showdown. He remembers Michael Jordan's big games there, Reggie Miller trash-talking with Spike Lee.
 
''To be able to play here where so much history has happened, so many events have happened in every area of entertainment, it was a real special experience for me,'' he said.
 
Coming back from a right hamstring and right ankle injury, Roddick has fallen to No. 31 in the world.
 
''It was a great atmosphere,'' he said. ''I really enjoyed myself and that led to me playing well. Hopefully I can use this a little bit.''
 
When Roddick failed to match Federer's between-the-legs shot on one point, he threw his racket then winced when it almost hit a ball girl. Roddick was 2-21 in his career against Federer.
 
''I heard Andy was struggling a little bit so it's good see him play so well and hopefully make a run again into the top 10,'' the third-ranked Federer said.
 
Wozniacki has been ranked No. 1 for 67 weeks in her career, though she's currently down to No. 4. McIlroy knows he'll need to stay on top for ''another couple of years'' to catch his girlfriend in that stat.
 
In between taking photos with fans after the match, McIlroy said, ''It's nice to take a little break from golf.'' The couple plans to meet up in Miami before he plays a World Golf Championship event there and she heads to Indian Wells, Calif.
 
McIlroy stopped signing autographs for a moment to listen to Wozniacki's on-court interview. ''He's 100 percent against Maria,'' she told the crowd.
 
Asked earlier Monday whether she sent him flowers after his win Sunday, Wozniacki said, ''Well, I don't want his head to become too big, so, um, no.''
 
Sharapova and Wozniacki got into the spirit of the exhibition at times: exchanging smiles after a well-played rally, surrendering a point to make up for a missed call, dancing with fans before the final game.
 
The second-ranked Sharapova wasn't conserving energy, though. After breaking back to 4-4 in the second set, she chased down a drop shot and then a lob, throwing her hands up in frustration when her shot ricocheted off the scoreboard.