Australia cruised into the next stage of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with a 5-0 drubbing of Lebanon in Canberra on Tuesday.

Craig Goodwin's two goals, plus strikes from Kusini Yengi, John Iredale and a Bassel Jradi own goal gave Australia a maximum 12 points after four games and they are now assured of progressing from Group I.

The father of soccer star Neymar said Thursday that his family won't pay the one million euros ($1.1 million) required to bail Dani Alves out of a Spanish prison where the former Brazil defender awaits the result of an appeal to his rape conviction.

Neymar da Silva Santos said in a statement on behalf of his family that they financially supported Alves during his trial, but that they won't do it again now that the former player was found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022.

Former soccer star Robinho started serving a nine-year prison sentence in his native Brazil on Thursday more than 10 years after he was first accused of raping a woman in Italy.

The 40-year-old Robinho left his apartment building in the beachfront city of Santos, outside Sao Paulo, in a black police car after losing a bid to remain free pending appeals.

Germany's preparations for the European Championship were dealt a blow Wednesday with Manuel Neuer's thigh injury ahead of the goalkeeper's planned comeback.

Germany's World Cup captain had been due to return to the national team after breaking his leg in a skiing accident, but he sustained a muscle fiber tear in his left adductor during training Wednesday morning, the German football federation said.

A Brazilian high court has ruled that former football star Robinho must serve his nine-year prison sentence in his home nation as a result of his 2017 rape conviction in Italy.

Lawyers for the 40-year-old Robinho said they will file a request for habeas corpus at Brazil's Supreme Court so he can remain free while he appeals.

Erling Haaland played down concerns he sustained an injury in training with Norway this week — and revealed a message he was sent by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before going away on international duty.

Haaland has linked up with his national team ahead of friendly matches against the Czech Republic on Friday and Slovakia on Tuesday.

Former Spanish soccer boss Luis Rubiales says he will return to Spain to face a judicial probe into the business deal to hold the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, court officials said on Thursday.

Rubiales was in the Dominican Republic when police raided a property belonging to him in Granada and the offices of the Spanish Football Federation in Madrid on Wednesday in a corruption and money laundering investigation. Officers made seven arrests. Rubiales was identified as one of five additional individuals put under investigation.

On this, the leaders of tennis can agree: There is more money out there to be made. And they see eye-to-eye on this, too: The sport's current structure could stand to change.

The how's and why's and when's of it all? Well, that's open to discussion — and there is plenty of that happening now behind closed doors, conversations and negotiations about the future of tennis among the folks who run the Grand Slam tournaments and other events, the women's WTA and men's ATP professional tours, the players, their agents and others with a hand in the sport, including Saudi Arabia's Private Investment Fund (known as the PIF, it is the entity behind LIV Golf ).

Real Madrid filed a new complaint with Spanish state prosecutors on Monday following reports of more hate chants aimed at forward Vinícius Júnior in the Spanish league.

The club also filed a complaint with the Spanish Football Federation disciplinary committee against the referee of Saturday's match at Osasuna for not including in his match report the alleged "Die, Vinícius" chants by local fans at El Sadar Stadium.

The German football federation is targeting racism and discrimination among fans and amateur players with a new campaign ahead of this summer's European Championship.

The federation presented its two-pronged strategy on Monday with a video message under the motto "Football time is the best time against racism."